New member and first post and I would like to say thank you to all of you who contribute to this forum. I am currently working on my G.G. and only have the Gem ID course to complete as I have done all the other courses and labs. Being personally price conscious I have been researching different gem identification tools from places other than GIA. I have read a lot of the posts in regards to microscopes and gem id tools in general. There is a wealth of knowledge here in this community that is nothing short of impressive. G4Lab reminds me of that guy at a car show who knows every part in every car and where to find an old one and how to fix it and/or modify it to fit your project. You all have collectively sold me on Jeff Wildman's Gemological Products and I am heavily leaning towards the Portapac from him for the refractometer and polariscope.
I know some of you have commented on it and said it is a great scope and I love the look of it. Especially on a counter in a retail environment. However, is there an issue with the darkfield and brightfield being LED? I didn't think LED was full spectrum. Thanks.
Post subject: Re: Gemological Products Scope on Ebay
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:39 am
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 9:55 am Posts: 543
Some white LED's are full spectrum and some have a small gap in the cyan area. Easy enough to check with a hand spectroscope. Of course, it may be that the gap is of no consequence, depending on the work you are intending to do. LED's are not to be compared with fluorescent bulbs which just have a few spectral lines and are not good to work with.
Post subject: Re: Gemological Products Scope on Ebay
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:59 pm
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:45 pm Posts: 5
Thanks for the replies. The eBay seller accepted my offer of $1,125.00 for the Gemological Products scope. As long as everything checks out I feel good about the purchase. Seems like a quality scope for the money.
Post subject: Re: Gemological Products Scope on Ebay
Posted: Tue Mar 14, 2017 9:38 pm
New to the Forum or The Quiet Type
Joined: Fri Feb 24, 2017 9:45 pm Posts: 5
Happy to say the Gemological Products scope I purchased came in fantastic shape. Some light signs of wear and more signs of sitting on a shelf never being used. No scratches on lenses at all. Focus is razor sharp and WOW is this thing bright when you crank it up. Very happy with the purchase. My wife is a photographer and has a very nice DSLR and different lenses. How do I go about mounting such a critter onto the scope? Also, I have seen other scopes with almost a tablet sized display at the top. Is that something that can be purchased as an accessory from someone? Stuller had a setup like that at the Atlanta jewelry show but it was just the entire scope for sale. Thanks again.
Post subject: Re: Gemological Products Scope on Ebay
Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 11:31 am
Gemology Online Veteran
Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2015 9:55 am Posts: 543
First question, has the microscope a third optical tube from the objective array? If yes the camera can be affixed to that. You will need an adapter to link the camera to the tube. Second question, what is the sensor size? If full size (ie 24mm x 36mm) the camera will need a 100mm lens, if "C" size (smaller DSLR size) you could probably get away with a 60mm lens. Then fit a 2.5x photo eyepiece to the tube, fit the camera above this and you are good to go. If the microscope does not have a third tube then exactly the same considerations will apply, but the rig will need to be attached to one of the binocular eyepiece tubes. The reason for the different focal length of lens is because using a "normal" focal length lens,(ie 50mm for "F" size and 35mm for "C" size sensors) gives you a circular image in the middle of the frame. So, to sum up, all you need is a 2.5x photo eyepiece and an adapter to screw into the filter screw of the lens and clamp onto the eyepiece tube. Do let us know how you get on!
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