Quick Tip - Dark Field Microscopy in Two Minutes!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- Darkfield produces one of the most striking effects possible with a light microscope and it's incredibly easy and just about free to implement for objectives with a numerical aperture of about .4 and below. If you're recording with a phone, you can use the exposure settings and the built-in editor to create inky black dark field videos. The dark field clips in this video were edited entirely on an iPhone 13 Pro and the scope was a Swift 380B with a regular old 10x achromat.
I'm guessing a fair number of you have already figured out a dark field approach, but for those who haven't, now's the time to try! I recorded this in the middle of filming for my upcoming major mod video - dark field is gonna be important for enjoying that fully!
I think, realistically, we're probably looking at next weekend for the release. I have to go on an "emergency" business trip this week and might not be finished before I take off. It's coming together nicely, though, and I think it's gonna be a lot of fun for everyone here. On a related note, anybody have a recommendation for a good BBQ joint in Austin, Texas?
Wait a minute. This was shot with your cellphone through the microscope. Wow thats amazing.
Finally gave this a try today! My results weren’t perfect (I made the dot too small), but they were exciting enough that I can’t wait to try, and get it even better! Thanks for the video!
Hey July, good to see you in the comments, let me know if you have trouble getting it totally dark! Should have a lot of margin on the patch size at 10x
Great video. Thank you
You are the Microscopy Mensch!
Love that darkfield. I upgraded to a much more expensive scope and the objectives all have really high numerical aperture. Great images in brightfield and DIC, but now I can't do patch stops like this. Everything's a tradeoff.
You should be able to get patch stops at 10x still! NA of .4 or .45 shouldn’t be a problem at all - I use DF and Rheinberg patches with my .4 10x all the time and it’s still very forgiving. .7 NA is also doable if you’re precise with the placement.
@@grantfarnsworth6449 Ah, .75 will definitely require more precise placement. The amscope DK-DRY condensers are .7-.9 illumination but if you modified the patch slightly bigger you could probably push to .75. I use mine as a general purpose filter holder. Here’s a Rheinberg image and the filter I used with a .70 20x. You can see there’s still a fair bit of margin outside the central patch. Oil immersion may also be of use if you get a marginal result. Of course you can always pick up an amscope DK-OIL condenser which will give you a very dark field all the way up to 1.2 or so.
www.reddit.com/gallery/romdfi
@@grantfarnsworth6449 yeah the oil will brighten up the image considerably in my experience - reflection loss at high NA is generally under-estimated and the illumination cone geometry inside the slide changes too. I popped the patch out out my DF condenser and put it in some amateur scopes at the usual filter holder location (some distance from the ideal plane). In that config, .70 darkfield isn’t quite achieved but oil brings it back. It’s definitely worth toying with.
Thank you!
Brilliant!
Just got my scope gonna try this.
I see you edited this video with your phone but did you also shoot the video with the phone? The footage looks great. I'm looking to get into microscopy, that's why I ask.
Would you be able to see this with your naked eyes in the quality of the first part of this video, or do you need a camera to adjust exposure in order to get the correct blackness and contrast?
Usually you won’t get a super inky black background using this method due to light scatter. The wider you make the obscuring circle, the darker it’ll be. For the blackest naked eye background, you need an oil-immersion darkfield condenser. Those throw the light at highly oblique angles leaving very little scatter toward the lens.
Thank you for this creative 'tech-hack' which can make dark-field microscopy available to those without an extravagant budget! Would this version of dark-field be sufficient to provide good results for live blood analysis? Are the Swift 380 or the linked Bolioptics microscope be useful for this type of analysis? If one doesn't own an iPhone with an amazing camera what add-on digital camera head, or small monitor, would you recommend for a trinocular like the Swift 380T ?
Thank you for sharing your expertise!
Hi, I recently just bought a microscope that doesn't have a condenser, can this work without the use of the condenser? Thank you
Hi Darryl, unfortunately I don’t think it can. The condenser really is one of the most important parts of a microscope. The way dark field works is the little patch blocks the light that would go directly into the lens while the light around the patch is bent sharply and illuminates the slide from highly oblique angles. If you don’t have a condenser, the light won’t be bent after the patch stop. Can you link me to the scope that you have? I’ll take a look to see if I have any crazy ideas
@@diettoms Thank you for answering. I'm not sure why I can't post the link here but the model is M158CE-1 from Amscope
@@darryllim2969 Okay yeah I took a look and I don't have any bright ideas, sorry. One mod that I'll make a "Quick Tip" video about in the future that doesn't require a binocular scope or a condenser is the simple polarizing microscope. You'd need some polarizing film (available on Amazon for around 10 bucks) and some double sided non-permanent tape. If you're interested, pick up the polarizing film and email the channel and I'll help you set it up (if I haven't made a video by then!)
If you get the opportunity, a binocular scope like the Amscope B120 would be a really huge upgrade in terms of what you can do. I know people have wildly different budgets, though, so I will continue to think of mods that can apply to scopes such as yours. Cheers!
@@diettoms Can polarization make obeserving water samples better, for example will it make water organisms have a higher degree of contrast?
@@darryllim2969 Not necessarily, but if they have crystal inclusions then they will glow chromatically in relative darkness.
Hello Jason,
I respect your thorough approach to microscopy very much. Being an amateur myself, it is very kind of you to share your experience. I am looking for a seller of Swift380B that is trusted. Is there one that you can recommend to me?
P.S. I love the view in this video. Could you please share the exact objective you were using here?
Kindest Regards,
Hey there, you can get the 380 on Amazon. Are you in the US? There’s another microscope I typically recommend that I like more, although the 380 is nice and compact if that’s important. A good scope for kids.
I think all the footage here was using the 10x objective.
Glad to have a fan! Consider joining my Discord if you want to be part of a really cool microscopy community (link in my about page)
@@diettoms
I would love to humbly participate in the discord. This microscope you speak of highly is of definitely my personal intrigue. Please, do share.
Also, can I anticipate the detail and clarity in the video above with the JttM microscope plan objectives? If not, which ones might I? Cheers again.
The JttM plan objectives will achieve similar detail to this vid - just with better field flatness over the whole image circle. Maybe slightly better contrast, but hard to tell the difference most likely.
This is the scope I think offers the best value for hobbyists currently (no affiliation with them): bolioptics.com/40x-1500x-led-biological-compound-trinocular-microscope-halogen-xy-stage/
You can outfit it with the plan set from JttM if you wish, or even high quality 160mm vintage objectives and eyepieces from major manufacturers like Olympus and Nikon
@@diettoms Thank you, thank you!
@@diettoms Please, one last important question, for now...😃 Will ShinyaVision also work on this BoliOptic microscope you have shared?
P.S.S Will the the Journey to the Microcosmos microscope produce the same or similarly detailed image with the objective used in this film, given the dark field mod is applied?
Yup! The Swift 380 and JttM scope will achieve very similar results.
@@diettoms Much appreciated.
The other end looks like a copulatory bursa of a male hookworm. Where did you find this worm?. Thank for your videos
I believe they are the "anal gills" of a Dero sp. I don't remember where I got this sample - but it's likely just pond water from a local creek.
@@diettoms Thank you for your answer,! I did not know that worm
i love you
lmao, thank you, Nawaf. How's the Motic?
@@diettoms didn't use it for a while now :(
@@KuwPhotographer Ah, come on guy! If you don't use it, you lose it.
0:17 - hydra
Yeah. Think that's right.
That's what I thought but not sure
Your microphone is way too loud lol
😎👍 You saved me lots of money! Thank You 🏖🫶💯💥