Shooting using a Nikon D5600 + Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI + Chinese 50x objective—an attempt to improve quality—and a comparison of results with the Nikon D5600 + Thorlabs ITL200 + Mitutoyo 10x setup.
Information will appear here later.
I’m considering using a Nikon D5600 + Nikon Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI + a Chinese 50x lens. Since the Chinese 50x lens produces chromatic aberrations and weak contrast, I decided to improve the quality by any means possible.
Using a polarizing filter. It will need to be attached to the Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI. The lens has a 52mm thread, so a 52mm filter is needed.
It can also be used with the Nikon D5600 + Thorlabs ITL200 + Mitutoyo 10x setup to remove glare from crystals with metallic sheen.
Using polarizing film. The film will need to be attached to the lamps in a way that allows rotation. I plan to use glued-on magnets so that I can rotate the film and control the results.
The methods above are more suitable for increasing contrast and reducing flare. To reduce chromatic aberrations at 50x in the original photograph, I plan to test yellow or green film mounted on the light fixtures.
A very important note: When using yellow film, the camera’s white balance must be adjusted manually.
In September, I plan to conduct an experiment to see if I can improve the image. Stay tuned. ✨
Now we’ll look at how different programs do focus stacking. I know that some professionals use different programs and stacking methods for a single photo, and then combine the results for better quality. I don’t do this; I simply focus stack and then color correct.
Here we’ll look at photos taken with a Nikon D5600 + Thorlabs ITL200 + Mitutoyo 10x setup.
Using a regular plastic ruler, we can see exactly how much my macro setup magnifies. It is important that this is one shot, without using focus stacking.
Two shots using my Nikon D5600 + Thorlabs ITL200 + Mitutoyo 10x setup: with the bellows retracted and with the bellows extended for maximum magnification.
And now the fun part: a shot using a Nikon D5600 + Nikon Nikkor 85mm f/2 AI + a Chinese 50x lens, very similar in specifications to the Mitutoyo.
I haven’t tried shooting at full magnification at 50x yet, but the ruler clearly shows chromatic aberrations. Detail is not as pixel-for-pixel as at 10x, but the additional magnification still makes the 50x objective useful.
Next, I plan to compare three focus-stacking setups:
In this article, I’ll detail my macro setup for photographing minerals. This information applies specifically to using a Nikon D5600 + Thorlabs ITL200 + Mitutoyo 10x. I’ll write about using other equipment later.
What this setup is capable of ⁉️
With this setup I can photograph very small mineral details with a horizontal field of view from about 2 to 3 mm, depending on the bellows extension. The final image is created from hundreds of frames using focus stacking, because at this magnification a single photo has almost no depth of field. ✨
I am an employee of the N.M. Fedorovsky All-Russian Research Institute of Mineral Resources (VIMS) and I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of Industrial Ore Types.
The following text is taken from the institute’s official website and is accompanied by my photographs of the museum.
The VIMS Lithotechny Fund is a unique collection of samples from more than 600 domestic and international deposits, many of which have already been mined. This collection is a national treasure, contributing to the advancement of knowledge about the formation conditions, material composition, and technological properties of minerals.
Hello everyone! Here are the topics of my upcoming posts over the next two months:
