8mm Film Through a Microscope

[mhaip]

I'm interested in photographing a frame of 8mm film and have been considering using a microscope/camera (3-6 megapixel) arrangement. Can anyone advise on the appropriate power of microscope to use?

I would like to view the entire frame through the microscope rather than a small portion of the frame.

Has anyone tried something similar? What were your results like?

Thanks in advance.

[pbrstreetgang]

Has anyone tried something similar? What were your results like?

Place your strip of film on a light box and simply use (I use a sony cyber shot) a digital camera set on macro mode. Results are beautiful. I also use a wide angle lens but it's not necessary really. But you must be in macro mode though so you can get up close to the frame. My avatar was produced this way.

Andy...

[audadvnc]

I sometimes use a microscope to check focus and edges on 16mm frames, with a 3x objective and 6x eyepiece. Still, it doesn't fit a whole 16mm frame, but it may fit a S8 one.

[Mitch Perkins]

I'm interested in photographing a frame of 8mm film and have been considering using a microscope/camera (3-6 megapixel) arrangement. Can anyone advise on the appropriate power of microscope to use?

I would like to view the entire frame through the microscope rather than a small portion of the frame.

Has anyone tried something similar? What were your results like?

Thanks in advance.

We mounted a 35mm SLR on our telecine and photographed single frames. The results were pleasing.

For a digital end-product, you could have the film transferred and use a frame grab.

I guess these approaches aren't that similar to using a microscope, but the results certainly are. ~:?)

Mitch

[ronnoco]

You might like to explore using a stereoscopic microscope rather than a normal microscope if you can get your hands on one.....local high school science department may have one.....the science department I teach in have several...they are designed to magnify larger specimens and you could certainly magnify a complete frame of super 8 film....the 'stage' (where you place your specimen) is lit from underneath....similar to a microscope.

You would of course have to construct some arrangement to connect your stills camera to one of the eyepieces of the stereoscope (it has two of course)....I am confident you would get excellent results with this set up.

We also use a digital microscope which can be connected to a PC to make little avi movies of pond life etc...frame grabs are of course possible from the movie...this might work for you...but the quality might not be as good as using a good stills camera to take the photographs

Look here http://www.lakeland-microscopes.co.uk/i ... m4020b.jpg

[Mitch Perkins]

We also use a digital microscope which can be connected to a PC to make little avi movies of pond life etc...

That is so cool!

frame grabs are of course possible from the movie...this might work for you...but the quality might not be as good as using a good stills camera to take the photographs

That is so true. ~:?)

Mitch

[ronnoco]

Actually the quality might be ok for your purposes....

check out this site which features the little digital microscope we use in school...it was pretty cheap

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artdec04/dwqx5.html

Heres some example images taken with the digital microscope

http://www.3dphoto.net/stereo/world/macro/macro.html

[mhaip]

Thanks for all the replies. I have tried illuminating the frame with a light source and shooting with a Minolta F100 in macro mode... didn't work out very well. I'm going to play around with it a little more however.

Info about the microscopes was helpful. I think I'll poke around ebay and see what I can find.