Understanding The Chain

A photomicroscopy image passes through a chain of elements. The quality of the final image can be no better than the lowest quality element in the series. The best digital camera can't make good images of a smeared slide or through a dirty objective lens. Thousands of dollars of equipment won't compensate for a few cents of low-quality immersion oil.

The image doesn't start with the subject. It actually starts with the light source. The light must pass through any media to reach the subject. The light then is refracted through the subject, through the lenses of the microscope, through the lenses of the camera and onto the electronic medium of storage. Visualize how each element contributes to the quality of the final image.

Preparation Steps

It's hard to get a good image off a bad slide. The specimen should be mounted carefully, taking into account the optical properties of any mountants used. Stains can be used to highlight important features but they also obscure the natural elements of the subject so should be used sparingly.

Everything needs to be scrupulously clean. This includes the slide, objective lenses, eyepiece and/or relay lenses and even the surface of the light source. An oily smear on a light source can change the quality of the light or induce undesired chromatic effects.

Use a high quality camera with macro capabilities. Higher resolution cameras allow images that can be zoomed in without loss of detail. Image compression should usually be turned off, as even low-loss compression can obscure critical details in photomicroscopy. Finally, image processing software can help correct some elements such as color balance of the final image.

Hiring A Professional

Often the best choice is to hire a photomicroscopy professional. Many labs don't use photomicroscopy enough to justify expensive equipment, so the cost of hiring an outside photographer is less than buying the equipment outright. Most photographers will come to the lab to perform the photography on site as well as offering a studio setting with their own specialized macro photography equipment.

If the lab is planning to buy the equipment, a photomicroscopy consultant can provide advice on what equipment is needed and offer training on how to take the best quality images. Experienced photographers can help researchers create beautiful and informative images even at magnifications so extreme the size of the light waves becomes a problem.