Get those Images!
Get those Images!
The following are suggestions on ways to obtain images..
What has recently come on the scene is a number of very inexpensive videocameras that are designed to get snap shots and short video clips. The primary use of these cameras is to send these shots as email attachments. The Kensington VideoCAM shown below is an example of this kind of camera. I recently purchased one on sale for $20 (after a $20 rebate). This particular camera has a USB connection that allows it to connect - as well as disconnect - while the computer is running. (There are other videocams - check ebay- that will connect with older computers. The VideoCAM also comes with software for Macintosh and Windows. The images shown below were produced by hand holding the camera directly above the ocular.
Video Camera (42Kb)
Acrobat Player Format How to construct and use your
own video camera for project work.
JPEG Images (39Kb) Acrobat
Player Format How to take JPEG images from WEB sites and digital cameras
and how to analyze them. Converting suggestions are also discussed for this
image format. PREVIEW
Digital Camera (80Kb)
Acrobat Player Format Digital camera use in microphotography
and in copying 35mm. slides. PREVIEW
Colorizing: Adobe File (144Kb ) Acrobat
Player Format This Adobe Acrobat file shows a series of steps that can
be used to "colorize" grayscale images. While the graphics application that
is used here is Color-It (a Mac application), this procedure can be followed
with any Windows graphic application. PREVIEW
Scanning
(8K ) Acrobat Player Format Using your scanner
as a Quality Close-up Camera. It is possible to use an inexpensive scanner to
digitize as well as enlarge small objects. These images can then be printed
or used in multimedia presentations and slide shows. Article by Larry Nilson
The FlexCam video camera has been around for several
years and typically connects with a video card in a computer or with with an
external digitizing module. The FlexCam that is shown in the following view
was an eBay purchase for $50 and it is connected to a Sony Mavicap recorder/player
(yes - another eBay purchase). The Mavicap comes in two models - An MVC-FDR3
and a less expensive MVC-FDR1
that does not have the LCD screen. The advantage of either model is that you
can record still and video image onto a regular floppy disk. There is no need
for a computer. These JPEG images can then be loaded onto a Mac or PC. The MVC-FDR-1
that is shown in this image is connected a a CASIO portable TV set through a
regular RCA cable. The FexCam connects to the input on the Sony by another RCA
cable. (Incidentally - the Mavicaps have an external power supply or you can
use the same battery that is used in a number of Sony floppy disk digital cameras
.
The relatively inexpensive
FlexCams do not come with microscope adapters. If you simply hold the camera
part to the eyepiece of a microscope it can be difficult to get a steady shot
that is adequately centered. In the photo on the left I took the "shade"
device that comes with a FlexCam and epoxied it to a spare wide-field eyepiece.
(I never could find much use for these shades.) This shade/eyepiece combination
can replace the regular eyepiece when you want to do microphotography. Before
inserting the FlexCam eyepiece into the shade, screw the eyepiece out counter-closkwise
about as far as you can go. This should get rid of any black edges in the resulting
image.
Image of a root section under 400X with the above combination of shade/eyepiece and FlexCam.
The following are preliminary reports as well as images taken with the QX3 Computer Microscope. Further information on the computer camera can be found at the IntelPlay WEB site.
QX3(6Kb) Acrobat Player FormatThis computer camera is designed to
be used with a PC using Windows 98. The 
computer/camera plugs into a USB port on the
computer. The following examples are still shots. However the camera allows
for movies and time lapse videos. It good news is that it sells for less that
$100.00. If you click on a preview image after
displaying it you can download or print it. PREVIEW
The following two previews
are of flies that have been photographed through the QX3 under 60X and 200X.
A scale was also photographed under the same magnifications and pasted on these
images. This scale can then be used to measure anything on the image with either
NIH Image or Scion Image applications. Fly1 PREVIEW Fly2 PREVIEW
It is also possible
to detach the microscope and use it to view some pretty strange objects.Eye
PREVIEW
Finger Tip PREVIEWTaking a swab of cells
from inside the mouth and staining them allows you to see these cheek cells under 200X. PREVIEW
Or worse yet look at
all the gray hairs present in a my mustache
.PREVIEWViews of insect wings,
such as this wing of a bee can be pretty interesting.PREVIEW
This is a low power
view - 10X - of a piece of petrified wood. PREVIEWThe following two examples
are prepared slides. The first is of a root section
PREVIEW The second shows the structures present in ovarian tissue. PREVIEW
For those of us living
in a climate where winter plays a big role, snow fleas
are readily apparent. PREVIEW
The quality of construction
and the thought that has gone into making this product is quite good when you
take the price into consideration. The images it gets -- particularly under
low power -- need little in the way of enhancement. Under higher magnification
a graphics program that will allow you to sharpen the image as well as make
contrast/brightness changes is a must.
Marly Cain's Web Page
is a rich source of QX3 Images and advice. In particular take a look at Getting
the Most out of your QX3.
The QX3 can be obtained
at NeoSCI where it is offered in
the form of a scholastic edition that contains a book with 36 activities. The
activities are extremely good and well worth the money. NeoSci also offers the
QX3 with Macintosh Software.
There is also a freeware
download for Macintosh QX3 software from webcam.
The software operates under Mac OSX and works with a number of webcams. A view
of what you would get on your OSX screen is shown below. (This slide of lung
tissue is photographed under 60X)
The control panel on Macam is very well set up. A problem with this software is image capture that is limited to 320x240 pixels. (These images can be saved in either TIFF or JPEG formats).
The company Digital
Blue offers support for the QX3 and has Activity Guides and Parent Guids
that can be downloaded. Further lesson plans, help and resources can be viewed
and downloaded at the Curry
School of Education at the University of Virginia.
CDRDVDR
Media offers a QX3+ computer for $47.95. (For an additional $5 they will
ship it with Mac softwware.) I do not know anything about the operation of that
software with the QX3.
QX3
Measurements offers a WEB page that allows you to calibrate your QX3 images.
The
QX4. Well maybe not. For all the good things you can say
about the the QX3 there are two major deficiencies. One problem is smoothness
of focus once you get beyond 10X. The other problem is moving the sample around.
It is difficult to have a smooth focus when you have inexpensive plastic gearing.
It is also difficult to move objects around on any microscope once you get beyond a low power. With the small stage of the QX3 this is even more difficult. In the photo on the left a QX3 is fitted with horizontal stabilizers (i.e. hose clamps) to a vertical cushioning device (i.e. foam packing) onto the upright pillar of a reasonably old microscope. Vertical illumination is now supplied by the microscope and objects are moved around using a mechanical stage.
By removing the horizontal stabilizers you can continue to use the QX3 as a hand held device or you can return it to its regular base.
A relatively inexpensive
flatbed scanner can be used for a number of science projects. These might involve
examining the results of bacterial petri dishes or looking at tree cores. The
scanner can also be used as a multipurpose magnifier. The view on the right
is of a beetle that is less than 10 mm. long. It was scanned at a resolution
of 1200 dpi (dots per inch). The original view on the scanner is shown in this
image. After placing the beetle on the scanner, a Preview pass is taken
and the beetle is selected. The scanner is set for a high dpi scan (in this
case 1200 dpi). Because you have selected such a small area the image size is
not all that large if it is saved in the JPEG format. The image can then be
brought up under a graphics program, sharpened and the contrast adjusted. The
magnified view on the right is essentially 17X. Even higher magnifications can
be made with higher dpi settings on the scanner.
Links to sites with information on photomicroscopy.
Kodak - MDS-100:: Microscope documentation system specifically designed to work with microscopes. No longer carried by Kodak, but many examples can be found on eBay - often for less than $100.00
ReindeerGraphics:: Offers a free plug-in for putting magnification/calibration bars on images.
Microscope World: Tips on taking pictures with film and digital cameras. Also links to other microscopy sites.
Ron's Pond Scum: A great number of images showing microscopic life. This site is maintained by Ron DeAngelis who also has a web page describing a simple digital camera adapter for microscopes.
Last updated: September 20, 2003
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