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Highest possible magnification?
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PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 7:51 am    Post subject: Highest possible magnification? Reply with quote
What's the highest possible magnification you were able to reach with DSLRs/mirrorless?

My personal record is 90:1, using an old Leitz 90:1 microscope lens, but with rather disappointing IQ. Same with modern Olympus 100x. I'm still looking for other cheap and better alternatives. Do you have ideas?

Testtarget was a polished steel surface.

Leitz 1h 3.5:1 (another RMS microscope lens - works pretty decent as taking lens) @ 5:1, Sony A7


90:1 Leitz Apo-Oel 90x 160/- (using glycerine instead of oil)


PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Do You consider attaching the camera to the regular research microscope?

I regularly photograph at 180:1 actual magnification on APS-C sensor.


PostPosted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Alex H wrote:
Do You consider attaching the camera to the regular research microscope?

I regularly photograph at 180:1 actual magnification on APS-C sensor.


I took 100:1 - 400:1 magnification with P+S camera and a research microscope in high school Smile
You can tell by the sharpness of the needle that it was actually the microscope resolution that was limiting, not the camera, and this was with the P+S of 11 years ago. So if you want really good sharpness on a modern camera you're going to need a very, very good microscope ($$$)

Obviously when you get to the higher magnifications you can't have much sharpness as there is a fundamental physical limit to the resolution of a traditional microscope which is on the order of a visible wavelength. You'll hit this limit sooner with the high resolution sensors. Basically with ideal optics you cannot resolve features smaller than a micron or so, no matter your pixel pitch, and most microscopes do not have anywhere close to ideal optics.



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