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BX series Olympus microscopes

Olympus BX series microscopes have been very popular among users for some twenty years now. The instruments were designed long before the introduction of digital cameras. Nevertheless, every model in this series can be very easily adapted for professional photomicrography.

Olympus brought its BX series microscopes onto the market in the early 1990s as a successful upgrade to the Olympus BH 2 models. All models in this series have an  infinity-corrected optical system (UIS2). The instruments in the BX series can all be used very flexibly, and a large number of accessories are still available. 

As the microscopes were introduced to the market long before the era of digital cameras, the original photographic unit is still designed for analogue systems. Nevertheless, it is very easy to adapt the microscopes to a digital system (digital SLR camera, system camera or C-mount camera).  For microscopes with a phototube (binocular phototube: U-TR30) it is possible to attach the camera directly to the phototube. In the image below you can see the U-TR30 binocular phototube with the original analogue photographic unit. In many cases, the microscope was also equipped with a phototube for C-mount video cameras (intermediate phototube: U-SPT or U-TV0.5x with U-CMAD).

The entire analogue system is completely removed.

The remaining phototube now looks like this:

The internal diameter of the phototube as it can now be seen should be 42 mm.

The next step is to attach our C-mount port with an optical factor of 1x, the TUST42C.

The microscope is now ideally set up for the installation of our LM digital adapter and a digital SLR camera (for the following sensors: full frame, APS-C, four thirds, micro four thirds), system camera or c-mount camera (with sensors from 0.3” to 0.7”).  The image below shows the connection of a Canon EOS 650D to the Olympus BX41. We used the TUST42C and a DSLRCTCW_Pro for this.

If the Olympus BX microscope does not have its own phototube, then the camera system can be mounted to one of the two eyepiece tubes without difficulty. In the left-hand image we have connected a C-mount camera with a small sensor (0.5“) to the Olympus BX41. To do this, we used our LM RelayLens05T. To attach a digital SLR camera, in our case a Canon EOS 650D, to the eyepiece tube, we needed an LM DSLRCTW_Pro digital adapter.

We offer solutions for all SLR cameras (full frame sensor, APS-C sensor, four thirds sensor and micro four thirds sensor), c-mount cameras (with a sensor size from 0.3” to 0.7”) and system cameras (mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lens mounts).

The benefits of converting to a modern digital system are obvious

• higher resolution
• sharp images
• luminious colours (higher colour depth)
• higher ISO sensibility (more possibilities to adjust the ISO values)
• HD video
• Remote control by PC, smartphone or tablet
• short exposure time

Compatible Olympus microscopes: 

19.09.2013

Photography: 

Fitting the microscope to digital single-lens reflex (DSLR), mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILC ), digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM) or C-mount cameras is easy with our LM digital SLR adapters, which feature a plan achromatic optical system. Our products make it possible to capture top-quality microscope images. To help you select the adapter that is right for your camera, we have set up an online configurator on our website. You can also email us – ideally with attached photographs of your microscope.

Modern DSLR and single-lens mirrorless (DSLM) offer the latest technology and are generally very well suited for microscopy applications. Most of them can be controlled remotely via PC/Mac. Because of their high sales volumes, they offer an excellent price/performance ratio compared to special-purpose microscope cameras.

Features of top DSLR and single-lens mirrorless cameras (DSLM):
- Large, powerful full-frame sensors (36 x 24 mm)
- Sensor resolution of 61 megapixels or 240 megapixels with Pixel Shift technology
- High light sensitivity (ISO 400,000+)
- Extensive dynamic range (up to 15 aperture stops/f-stops)
- Short exposure times (1/8000 second) up to 1/32,000 seconds using the digital shutter
- 4K Ultra HD  or 8K Ultra HD video function
- Live video capture on external monitors in ultra HD quality

In most cases, these cameras are significantly more powerful than microscope cameras with smaller sensors (1/2" or 2/3"). On our website you will find our current camera recommendations and a camera ranking which is specifically tailored to microscopy applications.