Botryococcus, golden algae.

[Myriophyllum]

Hi,

here two photos of Botryococcus.
They produce a yellow oil, making the algae look golden.

First an overview:



"Freestyle" lighting once more to get a nice blue/yellow contrast.

(Zeiss Standard, Planapo 40/0.95; S-Kpl 16x;
asymmetric Col with blue background;
slide film; one image)


The second picture shows a closer view:



(Zeiss Standard, Planapo 63/1.40; S-Kpl 10x;
asymmetric Col; slide film; one image)

Best Greetings

Jens

[Charles Krebs]

Jens... very nicely done! When it comes to COL... you're the master!

[Wim van Egmond]

Truely wonderful results!

I noticed you photographed this with quite amazing optics. The 63X plan apo + a SKPL. If you ever come across a pair like that, please let me know!

Wim

[Myriophyllum]

Hi Charles,

Thank you.
Nice words, but I'm still learning...


Hello Wim,

I like these fine optics very much, too.
It took some luck to find both S-Kpl photo eyepieces indeed.
Fortunately you can get even such precious things for the Standard system without spending thousends of Euro or US-Dollars.

A Planapo 63 is certainly a good objective, but in most cases I prefer the Planapo 40 (like used on the first photo).
So I have more freedom to create the lighting and a deeper area of objects can be reached (using the Korr.-ring).

Greetings

Jens

[Wim van Egmond]

Dear Jens,

I have the 40X plan apo and indeed it is a wonderful objective. The interesting thing about the 63X is that it is the objective with the highest NA. Higher than the 1000X! But indeed it is more difficult to work with. I bet the working distance is very short!

I am interested in the SKPL because it could perhaps be a solution to get rid of the chromatic abberation I now have. I'll keep a look out for such a lens.

Yup, the advantage of the Zeiss standards is that it is easier to get optics. We are lucky that not that many people have thi shobby. Otherwise second hand instruments would be much more expensive!

Botryococcus is an interesting organism. I believe it is able to produce oil. Did you Google it?

best regards,

Wim

[Ken Ramos]

Great work Jens. I have never viewed this type of algae personally but have heard the term "golden algae" used here and there. Yes I would say too that you have the use of COL down to an art.

[Myriophyllum]

Great work Jens. I have never viewed this type of algae personally but have heard the term "golden algae" used here and there. Yes I would say too that you have the use of COL down to an art.

Hi Ken,

thanks a lot

There is also a group of species called Chrysophyceae "golden algae" (with algae like Monas or Synura).
My golden algae are green algae, Chlorophyceae, biologically seen.

I only found them once last autumn.

Greetings
Jens

[Myriophyllum]

Hi Wim.

...The interesting thing about the 63X is that it is the objective with the highest NA. Higher than the 100X! But indeed it is more difficult to work with. I bet the working distance is very short!

Thats right, but not really a problem. A disadvantage is that the image gets worse, if the object is not just behind the cover glass. You can still focus it, but there's a lot of spherical aberrations than.

I am interested in the SKPL because it could perhaps be a solution to get rid of the chromatic abberation I now have. I'll keep a look out for such a lens.

I have (minor) lateral chromatic abberations, too. They are caused by the 63mm (0,25x) relay lens above the S-Kpl.
It doesn't make much difference if I use a Kpl-W or the S-Kpl.
What optics do you use between eyepiece an camera?

Botryococcus is an interesting organism. I believe it is able to produce oil. Did you Google it?

No, I took a look into "Das Leben im Wassertropfen" by Streble/Krauter, a well made book that nearly everone ownes who is interested in pond life here in Germany. They say Botryococcus produces a red/brownish oil, sometimes so much, that the algae start swimming up to the surface of the pond.

Best wishes

Jens

[Wim van Egmond]

Hello Jens,

I use an olympus photooculair with no extra lenses. But with my digital camera I have some chromatic abberation. When I use a KPL (without relay lens) the abberation is already less prominent. I thought a SKPL would make some difference. But it is all a matter I have to study on.

Here in the Netherlands we also use Streble and Krauter. I already had the book before I had a microscope!

Do Google a bit on botryococcus. It seems like we an use the oil produced by them for fuel. Let's keep a look out for the first Mercedes Botryococcus!

best regards,

Wim

[Myriophyllum]

Dear Wim,

I didn't expect so many pages with botryococcus!
Even a compound botryococcene is known.
But if aqua farms with botryococcus will give enorgh oil?


About the aberration problem one idea:

If you use the Kpl (a 10x/18 W?) without additional relay lens and look through the phototube (with your eyes only, not through the camera) - is the image sharp at the binocular the same time?

If it is, then lift the Kpl in your phototube up for 5 mm (or 3.2 mm, if it is a 12.5x Kpl).

Otherwise you don't use the optics in a way they were calculated for (wrong distance objective-object, non optimum focus plane of the objective).
Maybe that's the reason for the aberrations.

Greetings

Jens

[rjlittlefield]

Jens,

I just wanted you to know that I keep coming back to look at these images because they are so beautiful.

It is shocking to get such rich colors in such small things without staining or polarizers or the like.

I hope you are planning to submit something like these to Nikon Small World!

--Rik

[Wim van Egmond]

Thank you for the cinformation, Jens,

I have tried different heights for the eye piece but it did not make much difference. But I'll have to experiment more. I usually work with an Olympus NFK oculair.

best regards,

Wim

[rene]

Hi Wim, there's a clear incompatibility between Zeiss and Olympus. Even though I do not really know enough about optical designs, I started to think there's some difference in sferical correction between them as well as chromatical. Reason for me to think so is that even when using a green interference filter, image quality on the edge of view is still considerably affected. That single color use would rule out chromatic corrections.
??
The suggestion by Jens to extend tubelength by a fraction is an interesting one. But I think the sferical compensation would be uniform over the whole image, so that then the center of field might become hazy by overcompensation. Is an easy test, must try that tomorrow.

Rene.

Oh, Jens, yes, beauty of an image!

[Myriophyllum]

Hi,

first a big "Thank you" to Rik and Rene for the friendly comments.

About the chromatic aberrations:
Wim, I was thinking that you are using Zeiss objectives (for 160 mm tubelengh, like with the Standard series), right?

Greetings
Jens

[rene]

hi guys, have done the tests again, I think I have to retract on my words about correction. I have compared in green light again, and have found that the image is without chromatic abberation and sharp, however, image is always slightly contrast less on the edge, also with the S-PlanApos I use at work. I suppose it's an unavoidable design compromis.
Another factor was that the Zeiss S-KPL 10/20 is slightly brighter (therefore contrastricher) then the Olympus WHK-L 10/20 eyepieces. In use, with a Zeiss Neofluar 40/0.75, green light and Oly eyepieces, P.angulatum just about showed detail when it was laying on the edge of view, whereas with the Zeiss eyepiece it was clearly better. It was even better when combining the Zeiss eyepiece and an Oly SPlanApo 20/0.7! However, in white light the Zeiss eyepiecexOly objective showed a severely CA-affected edge of view. No way around it, Wim, you will need Zeiss photoeyepieces if you want to get rid of the chromatic aberration entirely.
I must say, I have never noticed it in your images .

Rene.