Microscopy as a Hobby

While many microscopists work in research, clinical or educational settings, there is also a small group who spend their spare time enjoying microscopy as a hobby. Quite a few submissions for our ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest 2021 came from hobby microscopists.

Enjoy their beautiful images and thoughts on microscopy as a hobby:

Michael Witzke, Germany

I had a toy microscope as a child, but nothing to do with microscopy for many years after that. It wasn’t until I was retired that I had time to really enjoy this hobby. I find pleasure in the wide range of activities associated with microscopy, from collecting the samples, to using the microscope and its technology, from micro-photography to image processing. And, of course, the fascination of being able to discover something new that normally remains hidden.

I use an old ZEISS Standard 18 with a polarization device and Epi-Fluorescence Illuminator.

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Markus Balint, Hungary

I work as a clinical veterinarian for dogs, cats and exotic animals. I’m also a photographer who puts every possible thing under the microscope. Sometimes I choose the subject from work (medicines or parasites for example), but more often from my home or from nature. I use various techniques for sample preparation and for imaging, too. My favorite lightning methods are polarized light, color dark field, and Nomarski DIC.

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Ian Jones, Switzerland

I have always been interested in microscopy ever since I first saw pond water under the microscope as a young child, an experience I will never forget. This interest in the ‘micro-world’ has stayed with me and, over time, I have built up a collection of antique and modern microscopes, including three ZEISS microscopes that I use for photomicroscopy.

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Mark Edmunds, USA

My father, an entomologist, introduced me to microscopy in the late 1960’s. The power of the microscope fascinated me. We would look at insects and see minute details of their structures. My interest in biological science lagged behind my interests in Chemistry and Engineering. Upon retiring after a successful career as a chemical engineer, I took up my interest in microscopy once again. Using vintage microscopes that I could acquire and restore, the minute details of biological samples fascinate me once again. Further exploration of the physics of microscopy led me to acquire both polarizing and phase-contrast equipped microscopes. With the added capability of the polarizing microscopes, I have explored the birefringence of crystals. With phase-contrast, I have been able to see greater detail in many of the tiny organisms which I find in pond water. 

The workhorse of my microscopes is a trinocular ZEISS GFL equipped for both polarization and phase-contrast. A simple digital camera inserted in the trinocular objective position is used to capture images.

Want to explore more images and stories from the ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest 2021? Check out the other articles.

The ZEISS Microscopy Image Contest is a competition held by ZEISS for images taken with a ZEISS microscope. In 2021, the submission phase took place between July 1 – 31. The authors of the top images received three prizes: ZEISS Primostar 3 microscope (1st prize), ZEISS Victory Pocket binoculars (2nd prize) and ZEISS Terra binoculars (3rd prize). With this image contest, ZEISS is celebrating the work of researchers using microscopy in various application fields in the year of the 175th anniversary of ZEISS. Microscope systems, analytics and imaging capabilities all play a role in meeting many of our society’s most pressing challenges related to climate change, energy, health and food. The contest will be taking place in 2022 again.

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