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Focusing Tips for Digital Photography at the Microscope InspectAPedia®  -     How to focus a digital camera to take sharp photographs through the microscope Recommendations for digital cameras, adapters, photograph organizing software for microscope digital photography Recommended camera adjustments and settings for use with a microscope Questions & answers about obtaining sharp focused microphotographs

Microphotography - how to focus the digital camera through the microscope: how to obtain sharp, in-focus photographs through the microscope using a low-cost digital camera. The purpose of this paper is to help microscopists photograph, store, and use digital microphotographs using modern digital cameras and transmitted-light microscopes.

Discussion focuses on selection of cameras adapt well to microscope eyepieces or trinocular heads, and on camera settings and procedures to obtain best quality photographs. We also discuss image resolution and size settings and make recommendations. Cameras used as examples in this paper include the Nikon Coolpix series 990, 995, and 4500. [The photograph at page very top is one of our earliest attempts at photographing Aspergillus sp. using lacto phenol cotton blue stain. Even a beginner can obtain very good microphotographs with just a little care. The photograph shown here is of one of our stereoscopic microscopes in use for making digital photographs. The techniques discussed in this paper work well with digital cameras and any type of microscope, low power stereo zoom to high power forensic polarized light microscopes.] © Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website. PAAA 2005 Symposium, University of Tulsa, Tulsa Oklahoma - June 2-5, 2005 - updated 02/23/2009 Note: the latest version of this document can be found at InspectAPedia.com/mold/digipix.htm last update 20 August 2007 © Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved

Focusing tips for digital photography at the microscope

Hold the camera dead still against the eyepiece while shooting; the rim of the camera lens should press against your eyepiece sides, so you're not scratching anyone's lens. Or use a standard lens mount that replaces the eyepiece, or use a microscope with a trinocular head and mount your camera there.

• On our forensic microscope we mount the camera on the trinocular head and we add a Nikon MC-EU1 remote control which connects to the camera by a cable and permits us to take photos using a button on the desktop, avoiding touching the camera at all for least disturbance. However this device is not really necessary. This may be the only instance where the shutter delay on older digital cameras is an advantage. Simply press the shutter button and then remove your hands from the camera, giving it time to settle down before the shutter activates.
• If you're not getting a sharp photo the camera may be auto-focusing on a different part of the image.
• Be sure the object of interest is located in the center of the viewing area or use the camera's optional "manual focus" mode to select which area of the field is to be focused-upon.
• If you find the camera just can't get a clear photo no matter what, it might be that the image of interest lacks sufficient points of contrast (lines work best) for the camera to "see" what to focus upon.
• Try turning off the camera's auto-focus by setting it to focus at infinity. Then with the camera turned on, adjust the microscope stage up or down for the sharpest image shown on the camera LCD screen. You can improve your performance doing this by zooming in on the camera during focusing, then zooming out to get the image you want.
• For example shooting Periconia if you focus the microscope on the warty surface the edges of the spore will be blurred and it may take several tries at 100x to get a good shot. If you re-focus the microscope to show the sharp edges of the spore you'll see the camera hesitates much less before deciding it's got the image in focus.
• Try several shots, review on the camera screen, then load into your PC for really better examination.

Take some test photos through the microscope

Focus your microscope on your slide for best image Try shooting first through the eyepiece that has a reticule or other scale - you'll see the camera sometimes focuses on the scale rather than the image but at times, if the particle is close to the scale in depth this gives sharp results;

Try now shooting the same image through the other eyepiece - one with no scale mounted in it - forces camera to focus on the particle - which we put in the center of the field. Also we set this eyepiece on our microscope to "0" image adjustment since we think the camera would not prefer to have to focus through the correction we otherwise set for our own eye.

Test Images for evaluating image resolution: you may already have images on file suitable for this purpose. we use slides of diatoms or radiolarians - particles which have very fine detail and sharp edges. One can also purchase slides specially prepared for this purpose (but they are expensive.) we tried using our stage micrometer but other images have finer detail.

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Questions & answers about obtaining sharp focused microphotographs

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Use links just below or at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

Digital Photography & the Microscope
Introduction to Digital Photography and Microscopy
Some Factors Involved in Obtaining and Using Good Photomicrographs
The Digital Image Formation Chain
Selection of Digital Cameras
Camera mounts
Camera Settings
  Automatic Settings
  Image print size
  Manual setting mode
Focusing tips for Digital Cameras
Take some test photos

Getting your photos from camera to the computer
  Simple method - flash card
  Manufacturer's cables
  Video bus

Building and Organizing a Digital Photo Library on a computer
  Photo library management
  Photo Library design
  First Pass Screening
  Saccardo Method

Image Library Backup Suggestions
References for Digital Photography

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

• Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
• Aerobiology, Building Science, Microscopy, & Laboratory References, an extensive technical bibliography
• Atlas of Clinical Fungi, 2nd Ed., GS deHoog, J Guarro, J Gene, & MJ Figueras, Centraalbureau voor Schimmelcultures, Universitat Rovira I Virgili, 2000, ISBN 90-70351-43-9
• Atlas of Mold Related Illness: Index of Symptoms and health, physical, neurological, psychological, and other complaint which people suspect may be mold or building-related.
• Atlas of Indoor Mold, Online Clinical Mold Atlas, Toxins, Pathogens, Allergens and Other Indoor Particles - Medical Health Effects of Mold (separate online document)
• Building Floods: quick steps after a building flood or plumbing leak can prevent costly mold contamination
• Classes of Mold: what types of cosmetic, allergenic, or toxic mold are a problem? Can mold be cleaned-up successfully?
• Clinical Mold References - Detailed bibliography of mold reference texts
• "A Brief Guide to Mold, Moisture, and Your Home", U.S. Environmental Protection Agency US EPA - includes basic advice for building owners, occupants, and mold cleanup operations. See http://www.epa.gov/mold/moldguide.htm
• "Disease Prevention Program for Certain Vegetable Crops," David B. Langston, Jr., Extension Plant Pathologist - Vegetables, University of Georgia (PDF document) original source: www.reeis.usda.gov/web/crisprojectpages/209797.html
• "Disease Prevention in Home Vegetable Gardens," Patricia Donald, Department of Plant Microbiology and Pathology, Lewis Jett
  Department of Horticulture, University of Missouri Extension - extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=G6202
• "Management of Powdery Mildew, Leveillula taurica, in Greenhouse Peppers," Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, British Columbia - Original source: www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/peppermildew.htm
• Environmental Health & Investigation Bibliography - our own technical library on indoor air quality inspection, testing, laboratory procedures, forensic microscopy, etc.
• Fifth Kingdom, Bryce Kendrick, ISBN13: 9781585100224, is available from the InspectAPedia online bookstore - we recommend the CD-ROM version of this book. This 3rd/edition is a compact but comprehensive encyclopedia of all things mycological. Every aspect of the fungi, from aflatoxin to zppspores, with an accessible blend of verve and wit. The 24 chapters are filled with up-to-date information of classification, yeast, lichens, spore dispersal, allergies, ecology, genetics, plant pathology, predatory fungi, biological control, mutualistic symbioses with animals and plants, fungi as food, food spoilage and mycotoxins.
• Fungi, Identifying Filamentous, A Clinical Laboratory Handbook, Guy St-Germain, Richard Summerbell, Star Publishing, 1996, ISBN 0-89863-177-7 (English)
• Mold Action Guide: Step-by-Step Instructions, What to do about mold, mildew, and other indoor allergens
• US EPA: Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Building US EPA
• US EPA: Una Breva Guia a Moho - Hongo - en Espanol
• Most Common Indoor Molds Found in buildings, A Table of
• Mycology, Fundamentals of Diagnostic, Fran Fisher, Norma B. Cook, W.B. Saunders Co. 1998, ISBN 0-7216-5006-6
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