I am placing these emails here for reference if anyone in the future is trying to solve these puzzles. No need to read it unless you are trying to mount a Pentax DSLR to a Olympus SZ microscope. Sorry for the length but SZs are the one of the most common scopes out there and Pentax should be the most common camera out there, someone might need this... -Pete
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Correspondence with
Alan Wood of http://www.alanwood.neta great website about olympus scopes and phototubes.
My Questions are in normal font with >'s and responses are BOLD
>Question 1:
>My lab has a SZ-60 with what I think is a OM Photomicro Adapter L tube. I am
>basing that only on what I learned from your AWSOME website as there is no
>markings other than the ‘Olympus’ and ‘OM’ logo.
>I was not around when the lab had an Olympus film camera nor were any of my
>peers. Lets say I focus in on some bug in the ocular lens and I flip the little
>lever in the back to open the photo tube. Is the camera in focus or must I
>refocus the microscope to get the camera in focus?
1) With an all-Olympus system, the camera and the viewfinder image are
parfocal (in focus at the same time). If you remove the Photomicro Adapter L, is there a 2.5x NFK photo eyepiece
sitting in the SZ-PT photo tube? If it is missing, then you will need to search
eBay for one. A 3.3x NFK will also work, but it will have a smaller field of
view.
Does anyone in your lab use a Canon EOS digital SLR? They are very easy to use
as a replacement for an OM body, using a cheap Chinese adapter from eBay. Not
only parfocal, but the EOS Utility software that comes with the camera lets you
check focus, compose, and control the camera from a computer screen.
> Question 2:
> My lab is too broke to buy an Olympus camera for the microscope. So I have to
>figure a way to mount my Pentax K-mount DSL to it.
> You recommend a PA1-10A, I assume I then put a T-mount to K-mount adapter to
>it. If I do this will the camera be in focus when the ocular is in focus?
2) I think it will be parfocal, but you need to ask Diagnostic Instruments to
be sure. I have never seen or used a PA1-10A.
> Question 3:
> If the PA1-10A is out of my price range? Is there an other alternative?
3) I do not know of any alternative.
> Question 4:
> What is the difference in length from the mounting surface of the L tube and
>the PA1-10A? If I needed to fabricate a tube or modify the L tube how long
>should it be? Will I have to move the fixed aperture that I see in the L tube?
>If i make it telescoping will that ensure that the camera is always in focus
>when the ocular is? Will the Aperture also have to be movable?
4) PA1-10A fitted with an Olympus OM T-mount should be exactly the same length
as the Adapter L. The fixed aperture in the Adapter L should not be moved; it
is located at the point where the beam of light from the NFK is at its
narrowest. If you want to make a telescoping adapter, then move only the camera
mount. It should be possible to make your camera parfocal with the aid of a
telescoping adapter.
He then included this link and observation:
The Olympus OM has a registration distance of 46 mm,
so it is easy to make a 2 mm deep adapter for a Canon
EOS with a 44 mm The Pentax K is 45.46 mm, so you only
have 0.54 mm for an adapter, almost impossible to
make.
http://www.graphics.cornell.edu/~westin/misc/mounts-by-register.html
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Bobby at Martin Microscopes gave the following but all are out of my price range, but good info.
....We have a couple of options for you. With regard to your Olympus SZ series, we have a tube, MBH2T, that fits the Olympus reversed dovetail and accepts a standard T-mount on the top end. So, in this case, you'd use your existing Olympus photoeyepiece. The MBH2T costs $275.00, plus $25.00 for the Pentax K T-mount (T2-3). That's probably your best option for that particular microscope.
The other option is our MM-SLR universal adapter ($425.00) that has a built-in 2.5x photoeyepiece and also takes a standard T-mount ring. That adapter can fit your Olympus SZ with the addition of our MMBH2 Clamp ($50.00). It will also fit the Meiji type 25mm phototube with the addition of our MM25TC Clamp ($50.00). So, that would be the adapter to choose to fit all the microscopes you have, but I suspect you may get better results on the SZ using Olympus' own photoeyepiece.
I'm curious why you dislike the Meiji microscope so much? We rather like those.
So, here's a recap of the parts and prices:
TO FIT OLYMPUS SZ ONLY: (totals $300.00)
MBH2T T-mount Tube for Olympus reversed dovetail mount $275.00
T2-3 Pentax K T-mount ring $25.00
TO FIT ALL THREE MICROSCOPES: (totals $550.00)
MM-SLR Universal SLR Adapter with 2.5x photoeyepiece $425.00
MMBH2 Clamp for Olympus reversed dovetail $50.00
MM25TC 25mm Tube Clamp $50.00
T2-3 Pentax K T-mount ring $25.00
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LEEDS FORENSICS gave me this responce, again great products but out of my price range.
You might be able to use the current SLR coupler by replacing a T2 to OM adapter with a T2 to Pentax K adapter. Can you unthread the OM bayonet mount? Are there any markings on the tube between the camera body and the SZ-PT? I take it there is a NFK 2.5X eyepiece installed in the SZ-PT? The downside to using the existing film SLR interface with a digital camera is the field of view will be reduced. You didn’t mention the model of camera you will be using, but I believe most Pentax dSLR camera sensors are approximately 23.6mm x 15.8mm while 35mm film was 36mm x 24mm. To get a field of view that is more similar to that of a film camera, you can use a coupler with a 1.6X magnification. Qioptic offers a coupler that could be used with a couple of different clamps allowing it to be used with the SZ and the microscopes with 25mm OD phototubes. 1ea 25-71-53-000 Camera Coupler Body 1.6X $546.00 1ea 25-70-22-000 H-Clamp for ADF (SPT) $102.00 1ea 25-70-12-000 J-Clamp for 25mm Tube $ 64.00 1ea PXBC-T2 T-Mount for Pentax SLR $ 35.00 _______________________________________________________________________________
Readers finding this useful should also look at this thread
https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/135398-how-do-...s-k-mount.html