[VOD] MicroCinema 4K: Introducing Diet Tom's HyperLight Microscopy Technique!

We're going to do something that's almost certainly never been done before! We are going to livestream some incredibly high performance transmitted light microscopy! We will be pushing the limits of what's possible and maybe, just maybe, going beyond the traditional 200nm diffraction limit! Believe it or not, this is way cheaper than DIC! You can do this too if you get the right equipment and have the patience to learn.

[@DoctorNOS]

I can’t wait to see what I can do with the setup you recommended

[@thesecretcouncil]

love the hiphop vibes

[@user-hd8sb6hc1h]

Very contrasting images! As I understand it, a compensator and oblique illumination in polarized light were used. An unusual combination.

[@diettoms]

Combining a high NA darkfield condenser with cross-polarized light is actually a technique that goes back at least 100 years. In general it allows for better resolution and contrast for detecting sub-200nm features. My addition of the waveplate just makes it pretty :)

[@user-hd8sb6hc1h]

​@@diettoms Oblique illumination, as well as a dark field, allows you to see the smallest objects in a light microscope. That's why I decided that you use oblique lighting in combination with polarization. In addition, in colorful videos, the entire field is light with a red-violet tint, and not dark.

[@abcmicroscopy]

Nice

[@foolbart]

Is this the same Boli scope?

[@diettoms]

No - most of my content is made with my trusty Olympus BH2. That said, it is probably possible to put some high end optics on the Boliscope and achieve similar results! The oil immersion darkfield condenser I’m using, for instance, is compatible with the Boliscope.

[@extrememiami]

Can a Plan fluor 100x with 1.30 numerical aperture work? To get a 1.40 id need the Plan Apo. Is 1.3 to 1.4 not going to cut it. You use only 1 polarizer not 2. Just subscribed thank you, super glad to have found your channel.

[@diettoms]

The technique will work with any high NA objective - I know you can see N. oblonga striae with a 1.25 NA lens, Pinnularia poroids may be more difficult. The technique uses an oil imm darkfield condenser and two polarizers (crossed). The combination of these reduces the contribution from the background light and allows you to see the fainter fine structures. Using a full wave plate on the first polarizer is optional - just makes for pretty colors. Thanks for the kind words!

[@swingasc]

How often do you do the live streams?

[@diettoms]

I don’t have an official schedule, but I’ve been doing RUclips Live on Sundays around 8PST. May not this weekend as it’s my buddy’s wedding. I’m still lacking a lot of production elements that I want to have such as scale bars/objective info that changes automatically when I switch objectives. Once I get all that nailed down, I’ll start figuring out my “official” scheduling.

[@swingasc]

@@diettoms Well what I see is awesome already, will only get better. I'm looking to set up live feed "field trips" for young students here in Thailand, I've begun talking with various International schools to set something up.

[@diettoms]

@@swingasc Thanks so much! I'm always trying to improve. You should really consider getting on my Discord - we're definitely going to have some outreach initiatives going there once I get my personal setup squared away!

[@TheFairytaleFunfair]

Cool videos u got! can I ask if I can obtain a similar video quality with Amscope T490B with my phone or some other $300-$400 scope? or am I just dreaming 😅

[@diettoms]

Same quality, probably not, but most people don’t push their scopes nearly as far as they can go. Do you already have a microscope? I can make some recs

[@TheFairytaleFunfair]

@@diettoms Not yet. Sure please recommend one for me in this price range. I mainly use it for video making as a hobby. Thanks! I heard other brands like SWIFT, not sure if that is good enough.

[@diettoms]

Can you join my Discord? (Link in profile) I have some other questions