Introduction . . .

This is a brand new blog, by a brand new blogger. However, some readers may recognize this blog's title, taken from a series of books of the same name. Unfortunately, time has a way of gradually making printed material all too quickly outdated -- especially these days -- and so, this blog was created partly as an attempt to address that issue.

As we move forward from here on-going efforts will be made to transfer selected content from the Better Microscopy books series into this new format, not only to provide to provide more effective distribution, but also as a means for making timely additions and overdue updates to that material. In addition, much previously unpublished material is now planned to be released, including high-resolution color images.

The current plan is to aim for a content mix that is both interesting and educational -- perhaps even inspiring -- and which will address the needs and interests of a wide range of user levels, from beginner to semi-professional. With more decades of Microscopy experience than I care to admit, I hope I will be able to contribute something to others in terms of both knowledge and enjoyment.

I hope you find something of interest in new undertaking as it takes shape and gain much from its content, now and well into the future!

Just beware of the occasional attempts at humor...

Thanks for visiting!


Monday, October 29, 2018

Secrets of the Leitz Heine — Part 3.

The saga of Leitz Heine "Secrets..." continues with this latest release – Part 3.

In this Part, we find that the iconic Heine Condenser can actually (and easily!) be fitted to many of the newest generation  (1980's) Leitz scopes. (Often referred to as "Wild-Leitz" scopes, because of the 1980's Wild-Leitz corporate merger.)

Leitz ceased production of their Heine condensers in the 1970's and no new version was ever made for the new scopes. So, if you have (or want) one of these scopes, and wish to mount a Heine on it, the methods in this Part may be your best bet!

Note that this Part continues the shift towards increased use of graphic illustrations, instead of lengthy descriptions.


Parts 1 and 2 of this series were released in an earlier post (October 22, 2018).

I hope you find this latest release useful and informative!

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Monday, October 22, 2018

Secrets of the Leitz Heine Condenser — Part 2

Part 1 covered technical details of the famous Leitz Heine condenser and its use.

Part 2 extends this coverage to show how the Heine can easily be used with many non-Leitz scopes!

The attached .pdf file contains Part 2 plus an updated Part 1 (with minor revisions).


I hope you find this material interesting and useful!

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Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Secrets of the Leitz Heine Condenser — Part 1

Here, finally, is the long-awaited release of current work on the Leitz Heine condenser. This Part discusses the basics of the condenser and its use.


As usual, the file is in ".pdf" format and should be easily viewable online, as well as also downloadable and printable, if desired. 

The next release is planned to cover detailed Heine application information and discuss means for adapting the Leitz units to other, more modern scopes! 

I hope you find this useful. . .


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