Sal

I am using the integrated LED. Sometimes I use a UV flashlight to see fluorescence, and I would like to play with others. I work with spectroscopy and I have the intention of adding a bit of spectroscopy to the microscope, but I am still not there yet.

The camera adapter that I am using does contain some optics inside and has 2X magnification. It is one like this one: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/32943613016.html

Microbehunter has a review on these: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8rgeJr3bI

Roughly, if you use a 40x objective, the 2x adapter, and the camera is a DSLR with an APS-C sensor like mine (dimensions 23.6 mm x 15.7 mm), then the image that you capture with the camera corresponds to approximately the sensor dimensions / (objective multiplier x adapter multiplier) = 295 micron x 196 micron in this case. In practice it is good to use a microscope ruler for accurate dimensions,

There are camera adapter designs with no optics that you can 3D print, but I have not tested those. What I have tested are tubes that you can 3D print that connect the camera to an objective directly without the need for a microscope. This is can be useful for macro photography but the microscope is a lot more comfortable to use for general microscopy. This is what I mean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuZ_JptlqYE

I think that for mid-levels of fame you can find a mixture of musical skill and self-marketing/entrepreneurship.

But as you go up the ladder of fame you get to the rungs where money is used to pay for an artist's exposure. The artist becomes an investor's asset and the "skill" of building fame arguably belongs to the investors / management team. And it is not so much skill as much as it is the power of capital to purchase attention.

I just noticed that the one I have is 380T, not 350T! The 380T is slightly more expensive but allegedly has a bit better of a view on the edges. Here is a review from microbe hunter: https://www.microbehunter.com/swift-sw380t/

It comes with a dust cover, so no worries ;)

I did let mine sit for a while at first. There is a learning curve to getting things on the plane and focused with good lighting, and the first several times using the microscope was a whole activity in itself, so I would only use for a special occasion when I wanted to spend time learning. Over time it becomes easier to prepare samples, keep the optics clean, and to know what you are looking at. The microscope becomes a useful tool rather than an activity, and then it is less likely to collect dust because the opportunities to use it become plenty.

Not trying to bias you though, take your time! Haha

Next time you will be better prepared. This opportunity seems to happen every 2,000 years or so, don't worry, just a bit of patience and keep stone tablets on hand.

7?! Was it a single day hike? They are beautiful, great shots!

EDIT: I just checked and I actually have the SW380T, not 350T. It is similar but slightly better from what I can find: https://www.microbehunter.com/swift-sw380t/

Interesting! I ran a quick search to look into what you might see. I found a paper titled "ESTABLISHING NORMAL FECAL FLORA IN WILD AUSTRALIAN PASSERINE BIRDS BY USE OF THE FECAL GRAM STAIN, and in that paper they find no parasites in the feces sampled and mostly gram-positive bacterial with cocci shape. Yeasts were found some rarely. To actually identify the bacteria they use DNA sequencing. Other than the bacteria, if the sample is fresh, you might be able to find crystals (like uric acid), and epithelial cells... If the sample is a bit older you would also be able to identify microorganisms that feed on it.

The version I have at home is a SWIFT SW350T. It costs ~360 € in the EU. It has the eye pieces and third a tube for mounting a camera. For mounting the camera I purchased an adapter separately for my Nikon camera (it mounts to the DSLR camera as a regular lens and then the tube is inserted through the top port of the microscope). The SW350 (without 'T') is slightly cheaper at $300 and it missing the top port, but it is still possible to mount a camera through an eye piece. Having the third one is just a bit more convenient as you can look through the microscope while the camera is mounted.

I use it as a hobby. I have worked with a few fancy microscope types in a research setting, but then the kinds of samples I have looked at have been very restricted.

Thanks for the details!

Biofilm is exactly where I tend to find them Yeah, I got that from the video description :D

This video doesn’t have stentors, but it is of my thickest biofilm, a lot of stentors were found in the same sample: https://youtu.be/T3Bbg-ObTok

That video looks really nice! At first I thought it might be phase contrast, but I see from the description that you got creative. Nice job

Ooh, interesting to learn! I think it is because I only collected a few samples from the wild when I first got my microscope and still had no idea of how prepare the samples or what I was looking it, so if there was a stentor in there I probably did not notice...

I have practiced since then with fresh samples of things that I find around my apartment and things that I culture - and the occasional lichen. Tomorrow I will go find some samples from outside - I will get some biofilm from a pond too and look for stentor.

Very nice photos!

At first I thought I was looking at some kind of radiator and that a very tiny pigeon was standing on the valve.

Did you hand it over two stone tablets?

Yes, it is possible!

The objective I used to take the photo is the '40x' objective. If looking through a 10x eyepiece (which is common) the total magnification when looking through the eyepiece is 400x.

If you look through a 4x objective and a 10x eyepiece then the magnification is 40x. The blood cells are visible at this magnification but they look quite small. I am specifying in case the '40x' was understood as 40x total magnification.