I’d like to buy a nice microscope objective for attaching to my camera. Wonderful performance is the goal, and yet, tuppence is tuppence.
I’m thinking 10X, though what I learn would presumably help go to other magnifications if I want to later.
I have the hardware to mount an objective 160 mm from the APS-C image sensor, which involves no optics other than the objective, and lean toward pursuing this approach, so I’d be looking for a finite conjugate objective.
It doesn’t need to be plan, because I want to shoot 3D subjects with focus bracketing and stacking. I already do this at lower magnifications and have equipment up to 5X.
Not sure about the value of going apochromatic versus just achromatic. I would have some ability to filter the illumination, so there’s a way of reducing fringing if I encounter it.
Working distance would be a plus, and I will mostly not be illuminating from behind. I think that means some of the nice metallurgical objectives would be ideal, except that they are quite dear.
I’m thinking of spending in the $100 or $200 neighborhood. With motivation I would go above that. I see plenty of objectives for sale costing thousands, and that’s just a non-starter.
So far I like insects and tiny manufactured objects like IC chips and watch gears. I also have done some objects that are light sources themselves including LEDs and incandescent filaments, though these get weird as there’s generally transparent solids in the way. I’m really a bit uncertain how glass and transparent plastics mess with microscope objective optimization – I realize many objectives state how thick a cover glass they are optimized for, but I guess I just don’t know how to work with that info when I’m not shooting a slide with a cover glass (though I have some of them too).
I’m at the investigating stage. Any advice?
Thank you!