# Tips for taking photos through a microscope?

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/tips-for-taking-photos-through-a-microscope/57108>\
**Category:** Nature Talk\
**Tags:** question\
**Created:** [October 10, 2024, 10:57am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/tips-for-taking-photos-through-a-microscope/57108 "2024-10-10T10:57:44Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drinkingjetfuel](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/drinkingjetfuel/32/59052_2.png) [@drinkingjetfuel](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/drinkingjetfuel)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 10:57am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/tips-for-taking-photos-through-a-microscope/57108/1 "2024-10-10T10:57:44Z")

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So I remembered I have an old microscope in my closet, which means I will be trying to get microorganisms on my life list- but it’s really hard to get a good photo through it. The little circle of what you can see is really hard to line up with the camera lens in a way where you can see enough of it and actually focus the camera. Does anyone have any suggestions? Because I don’t really know what I’m doing lol

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**Author:** ![swampster](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/swampster/32/37519_2.png) [@swampster](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/swampster)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 11:01am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/tips-for-taking-photos-through-a-microscope/57108/2 "2024-10-10T11:01:20Z")

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> [@drinkingjetfuel](#):
>
> The little circle of what you can see is really hard to line up with the camera lens in a way where you can see enough of it and actually focus the camera.

I’m assuming you mean a phone camera (?). If so, you could purchase a relatively cheep digiscope phone adapter. Most work with varying size eye pieces, so it should work fine with a microscope as well.

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**Author:** ![eyekosaeder](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/eyekosaeder/32/66699_2.png) [@eyekosaeder](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/eyekosaeder)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2024, 11:14am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/tips-for-taking-photos-through-a-microscope/57108/3 "2024-10-10T11:14:50Z")

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Getting a digiscope phone adapter, as @swampster mentioned is always a good idea. Especially if you are looking at stuff that moves.

In the meantime, the most important thing when doing handheld photography with a microscope: don’t hold the phone camera directly to the ocular lens, but rather a few mm-cm (depending on your scope) away (on mine, I can use my index finger as a spacer, which also gives me more stability when taking a photo). The optimal distance is reached when the circle on your screen has more or less sharp edges.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [December 9, 2024, 11:14am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/tips-for-taking-photos-through-a-microscope/57108/4 "2024-12-09T11:14:51Z")

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Closed on December 9, 2024, 11:14am UTC

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