Greeting from an Old Seadog!

[Ken Ramos]

Born and raised in East Tennessee, just across the mountain here, I now call Western North Carolina home. Microscopy and Nature Science have always been an interest of mine since I was a youngster but time and growing up in the 60's made me lay it all aside for military service. I am a 21 year veteran of the U.S. Navy. My specialty was in the field of Air Launched Guided Missiles and Laser Guided Weaponry, which I taught at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego Ca. for three years during the course of my career. Served during Viet Nam and whacked a few heads in Libya over PanAm 105, I believe. Retired at the very begining of the first Gulf War. Didn't get to go. Now my days are spent working for a textile company to suppliment my retirement and I do a lot of digging around and scaring the wildlife in these mountains I call home, looking for some poor hapless creature to place under the lenses of my microscopes and now, thanks to the macro side of the house, under the lens of a new digital camera. You folks are an inspiration and a delight to know, if only in cyberspace. It is good to be in such company.



This is me, yours truely, "alone, safe within my room" (Simon and Garfunkle) I am a rock. As for music preference, well....there will never, ever be another Woodstock....far out!!!!

[S. Alden]

Hey Ken

Now, I am not even going to ask how to operate that photo setup on your desk, but it sure does look interesting. I was raised in Southern Ga/Fla, but now I am just a misplaced rebel here in PA.

How do you set that thing up that is on your desk?

[gpmatthews]

Hi Ken - good to see you!

Keep those pictures coming - by the way, textiles have a good microscopical pedigree: remember a particular Dutchman...

[Ken Ramos]

You know something Graham, you have brightened up my dreary day. I look at my textile job in a whole different light now, thanks.

Well Sue, I...uh....well, it is not to difficult really. Sometimes it can get a little testy. The set up is not to much different than you shooting macro images with your camera. If you look at my microscope as the camera lens, it is pretty much the same as your set up. I adjust the illumination at the bottom of the scope to the proper intensity, adjust the condenser iris, which would be your f-stop, focus and instead of pushing the camera shutter release button, I do it remotely from the computer beside me in the photo. The camera is set at AUTO or Program AE and it does the rest setting atop the microscope. Ah...technology, don't you just love it?

[S. Alden]

...I have a microscope . Of course it is not anything like what you have and probably would not support a camera setup... but maybe my G5 would work

[nzmacro]

:My specialty was in the field of Air Launched Guided Missiles and Laser Guided Weaponry

Hmmm, Danny makes mental note "Do not, repeat, Do not mess with Ken and never give directions to home."

Well its great to meet you Ken. I must say a big thanks for your support here mate, its been very much appreciated, not to mention your great shots and also, a very keen sense of humour that I really enjoy

All the best Ken, keep them rocking and rolling, Hendrix at Woodstock will never die

Danny.

[Ken Ramos]

You know Danny, I'm an old rock and roller of 50+ yrs but there will never be another Hendrix or Stevie Ray Vaughn and Janice J. but there's still some good ones left, like George Thourghgood and the Deleware Destroyers and Bonnie Raitt. Rock On, Rock On, were all "bad to the bone."

[nzmacro]

Yeah they are good ones Ken. SRV would have to be my favourite of all time. If you get a chance, his "Live from Austin" DVD is just pure magic from a master.

All the best Ken, one day I hope we can meet, it would be an honour.

Danny.

[Ken Ramos]

Hi Sue. Thats a G5 perched atop my microscope. If yours will not support a camera, try taking photos by shooting through the eyepiece. Some of the smaller cameras work well but then some need an adapter of some sort over the eyepiece which attaches to the camera lens. My little Fuji FinePix 2650 worked quite well actually, just being held up to the eyepiece.

[Steve West]

Hi Ken,

My, that's a sexy looking Zeiss rig you have there

Great to see you. I was in N Carolina once in my life -- as a junior in high school. They had an NSF course in astronomy taught at Catabwa College by a Dr. Suggs. Beautiful country, but humid. I busted my finger there, and I still have the angled finger to prove it!

Ken,

Thanks greatly for your service to our country!!!!!!!!!!!!! Laser-guided stuff is WAY COOL

Steve

[Ken Ramos]

Thanks Steve! Yeah, I got a big kick out of playing with lasers and explosives. Now the most explosive thing I mess with is a match to light my pipe and the coherent light has given way to halogen.

[S. Alden]

Just one more question about that setup on your desk. Did that microscope come with the camera attachment or did you have to rigg that up yourself? Can you provide a schematic of the process? I am a visual person..I have to see it from start to finish...you know..like an instruction manual. What brand of microscope and what additional attachment did you have to acquire?

It caught my interest and now I want one .

[Ken Ramos]

Have you seen the Capital One commercials with the barbarians charging the poor fellow with the credit card and then asking "what's in your wallet?" You mentioned that you were on a budget. Well so am I but I gave up a lot of other things for this. I guess its where your interests lie I suppose. A schematic would be quite a layout for this. I initially purchased the microscope stock. That is no bells and whistles. Then I replaced the 45 degree head which came with it and installed the 30 degree head with photo tube that you see now. By the way this microscope and its parts have trade in value. This gives you the ability to exchange used for new or the other way around, to configure the scope to your needs. Next I traded in the CP Plan Achromats for A-Plan objectives, installed a triple filter carraige, that little layered looking apperatus above the light and below the condenser. Now to the photographic side. I purchased the camera adapter from Zeiss, which it is made expressly for the Canon G5 to adapt to the microscope and of course the G5 itself. The software package included with the G5 allows me to operate the camera in all aspects, well pretty much, remotely from the computer. The camera is even fired by utilizing the mouse or the space bar on the keyboard. I am still learning how to better use this set up. I think a lot of my photographs could be better but that will take time as anything does. If you want a better idea of what Zeiss offers in this line, I would have to suggest searching for "Zeiss Axiostar Plus Routine" on your search engine. This should show you what I started with initially as far as the microscope goes. Zeiss markets this scope as a system and the brochures, you could request from Zeiss by the way, show the complete upgrades in beautiful color plates. They really know how to sell this thing. The clarity of the image is outstanding from center to edge and the optics are ICS (Infinity Color Correction System). Olympus and Nikon both offer the ICS in there scopes too I believe. Like me you only want the best that you can afford, I understand. I have been extreamly happy with this microscope and my new goal for it, is the Zeiss Axiocam HR (High Resolution) at a whopping $5000.00 just for the camera. That goal may never be achived but everyone needs a dream.

[S. Alden]

thanks ken. I have been researching and looking. Not something I will rush head first into. I might need to save a bit more to get what I want instead of what I can get today. I can wait, I have no problems with that at all.

I do have a Capital One Card BTW But that is emergency use only and this is not exactly an emergency. I have to do my research and learn a bit more first.