How to Use a Microscope Digital Camera Adapter

Most serious microscope hobbyists would love to use their digital cameras to take pictures of the up-close views they get. Taking pictures of microscope images is also useful for students and teachers. Images can be blown up and studied in depth or can be used as teaching aids. Fortunately, this can now be done. Adapters now exist that allow you to attach your digital camera to your microscope to take pictures. Most microscope digital camera adapters are inexpensive to moderately priced and are fairly easy to use.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Microscope
• Digital camera adapter
• Digital camera

1. Screw the adapter into the appropriate port on your digital camera. This port is usually located on the front of the camera.

2. Gently, but firmly, push the adapter over the eyepiece of your microscope. Give the camera/adapter combination a slight tug to make sure it is mounted securely to the eyepiece.

3. Place a prepared slide on your microscope's viewing tray.

4. Look through your digital camera to see the image of the specimen on the slide. The digital camera is now acting in place of the eyepiece.

5. Take pictures with your digital camera as you normally would. You can photograph any image you see through the camera while it is attached to the microscope.

6. Remove the camera and adapter by carefully pulling it off the eyepiece, holding onto the microscope's base as you do so. Then, simply unscrew the adapter from the camera.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also use a microscope digital camera adapter to mount a camera to the trinocular port of a microscope. The trinocular port is located on top of the microscope, just above the eyepiece (or eyepieces, on a binocular microscope). This will effectively turn your digital camera into another eyepiece. Mount the camera to the trinocular port the same way you mounted it to the eyepiece.
• You can use your digital camera to zoom in on an image on your microscope, just as you would any other object.
• Make sure your adapter is the right size for the port you intend to use. Eyepiece ports usually take a larger size adapter than trinocular ports. Adapters of 30 to 33 mm are the most common for eyepiece ports, while 20 to 23 millimeter adapters are most often used for trinocular ports.
• Be careful not to touch the glass on the eyepiece of your microscope while installing the adapter and camera. This would leave fingerprints, which would cause a distortion in your view.