[meteorite-list] yet more thin sections

From: Suzanne and Jim <suzieandjim_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Nov 2 17:11:58 2006
Message-ID: <20061102221150.51602.qmail_at_web50113.mail.yahoo.com>

Thanks tett,

Very simple setup really, just have a Canon SD630
which I point down one of my eyepieces of my
microscope and click. I use dual circular polarizers
on the stage ( camera filters ) and a plain polarizer
in the eyepiece. This gives me a background that is
not totally black but still gives bright interference
colours. The benefit of not having total blackout is
that crystals that have gone to extinction still show
up against black matrix.

The camere is set to manual with ISO 80 and using the
spot light metering I centre the frame on the
brightest spot in the field and shoot. This minimizes
the colour washout due to bright spots, but sometimes
the contrast between the interesting part of chondrule
and the brightest crystal in it still causes problems.

I am still experimenting with ISO setting and how to
get the autofocus sharp. Sometimes its hard to get
the distinct lines in a radial chondrule due to light
washout through the crystal.

Preparing thin sections adds a new dimension to
collecting meteorites and has many challenges but boy
is it fascinating, I can spend many hours at a time
peering down the microscope, lucky I have an
understanding wife!

WARNING thin sectioning could become addictive!

jim
 



Suzanne & Jim


 
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Received on Thu 02 Nov 2006 05:11:49 PM PST