How to take pictures with your Microscope

Most people with a microscope will, sooner or later, want to get images into their computer. Applications include archiving, emailing or incorporating the images into documents or presentations.

You could do this with one of the following:

• A microscope digital camera
• A digital microscope
• A SLR digital camera
  

At right,a microscope camera is mounted over the eyepieces using the over-eyepiece c-mount adapter.

Microscope Digital Camera

In order to attach a microscope digital camera or a video camera to your microscope, you will need a "c-mount" adapter. This is an adapter that is microscope specific. For example, if you have a Swift microscope, you will need the corresponding Swift c-mount adapter. The c-mount adapter drops into the trinocular port on your microscope and has threads on the end that stick up out of the microscope. These threads are known as "C" threads and will mate with the C threads on the microscope digital camera.

C-mount adapters have lenses built into them, the most common C-Mount will have a demagnifying lens built into it (usually a 0.45x or a 0.6x demagnifying lens). This allows you to see the equivalent of what you see through 10x eyepieces when you are viewing the camera images.

At right the microscope camera is mounted to the c-mount adapter on the trinocular port of the stereo microscope.

Digital Microscope

A digital microscope is a package the includes both the microscope and the digital camera or tablet camera. Some digital microscopes have the camera built-in to the microscope, and others have a detachable camera.  Typically a microscope with a detachable camera is preferable in case the camera needs replacing at some point. At right is the Swift Digital Tablet Microscope.

SLR Digital Camera Adapters

If you are interested in taking more professional high megapixel pictures and you have a Digital SLR camera or another digital camera then you should consider a digital SLR camera adapter. These are finely machined parts with internal lenses to offer the best image possible with your digital camera. If using a digital SLR adapter with a Swift microscope, you would need to mount the adapter through an eyetube.