Chapter 7 Tips on Photographing53PhotographingBasics of DS-L3(5) Adjusting the lightingWhen photographing a color image, the color reproducibility of the image depends on the lamp voltage.When a halogen lamp is used as the light source, increasing the lamp voltage produces a bluish light, while decreasing thelamp voltage produces a reddish light.Except in cases where it is specifically necessary to adjust the tone, the voltage should be set to the proper level formicrophotography, which depends on the microscope being used. Since this level varies for each type of microscope, refer toyour microscope’s instruction manual.Note: If the lamp voltage changes, adjust the white balance once again.White balance when observing by a microscopeConsider the following when you adjust the white balance while viewing on the microscope.• When using diascopic illumination for microphotography, adjust the white balance while you are photographing atransparent part of the preparation.• When using episcopic illumination for microphotography or using a lens, adjust the white balance using a whitesubject.• For fluorescent photographing, we recommend that the white balance be adjusted under normal light conditionsbefore photographing. If the screen is excessively dark or bright, adjust the luminous energy of the light source orthe iris diaphragm, or use an ND filter to obtain the appropriate white balance.(6) Adjusting the exposure timeAn exposure time in the range of 60 ms to 4 ms is appropriate for a normal photographing. Adjust the light intensity for themicroscope using an ND filter to get an appropriate exposure time.When automatic exposure is set for DS-L3, the camera gain and the exposure time are automatically changed to obtain anappropriate exposure. For this reason, a weak light intensity causes a high camera gain making the image coarse, and a longexposure time making the focusing difficult.What is an ND filter?An ND filter is a filter that affects only the amount of light passed, not the color balance of the light. For example, an“ND2” filter cuts transmitted light in half, while an “ND16” filter reduces transmitted light to 1/16th of actual levels.
