Leica S9 Microscopes

[Eddi]

Hi friends.
Has any of you tried the new Leica S9 microscope?
I don´t really need a new scope (I have the A60) but I always get exited when new stuff comes on the market.

 

[mitch]

do you have a link? i have a couple S6 models, but have never heard of an S9.

 

[allan621]

Its on Tira Mitchell's website.

https://www.engraver.com/

 

[Joacim Jansson]

I've had an S9E in a few weeks now
First of all, it seems that there is better sharpness in the S9 than the A60
And it also has FusionOptics as the A60
With a 0.5 bottom lens, you get a working distance of 20 cm and the magnification will then be from 3 to the lowest zoom to 27.5 on the highest and object field from 75.4 to 8.4 mm.
Then the ocular tube has a slightly better angle of 35 degrees instead of 38 degrees as it is on the A60.
However, I like my Leica M60 with ergotube with variable viewing angle 10 ° - 50 °, and the tubes are a little longer so you get a better job position.

 

[sam]

I tested one.

What I like:
Brilliant optics which include the Fusion Optics feature.
Trinocular with built in camera.

What I don't like:
Video output was kind of disappointing and not as good as what I get with a 5 year old Sony handicam. Not horrible, but not as good I would expect from Leica.
Video output is slightly lagged which probably won't be an issue with most people. Still, for the Leica brand this surprised me.
Video camera is not upgradable so you're stuck with the same technology for the life of the scope.
I don't think the camera records audio, but I could be wrong on that.

I use a Zeiss trinocular scope with Sony Handicam from BestBuy and the video output is spectacular. I was anxious to test the Leica thinking it would be an upgrade to my Zeiss. The scope part would be because Leica is fabulous. The video part is the deal breaker for me.

Keep in mind that not everyone has the same requirements I do. I would give the scope 5 stars and the video 3 stars.

 

[Joacim Jansson]

Sam get S9E instead, as I did, then you can mount the camera you want

 

[sam]

Sam get S9E instead, as I did, then you can mount the camera you want

Yes, I would be more interested in that model if I can adapt my own video camera to it.

 

[Joacim Jansson]

Yes, I would be more interested in that model if I can adapt my own video camera to it.

You also need a video adapter, it has c-mount to the camera the same as you have on your Zeiss.
Which is determined by the size of the censor size of the camera.
Here is a link with all the info about the different models
http://www.leica-microsystems.com/f... S9 E/Brochures/Leica_S_Serie_TechData_EN.pdf

 

[Eddi]

I think I will use my A60 a bit longer. If I upgrade I will do like you Sam. Use my old camera for video and just upgrade the scope.
Mounting the camera is not so difficult. You can see my deluxe bracket in this post:http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?11312-My-video-set-up
It was easy to put it on the flex arm of the A60

Eddi

 

[sam]

I think I will use my A60 a bit longer. If I upgrade I will do like you Sam. Use my old camera for video and just upgrade the scope.
Mounting the camera is not so difficult. You can see my deluxe bracket in this post:http://www.engraverscafe.com/showthread.php?11312-My-video-set-up
It was easy to put it on the flex arm of the A60

Eddi

Side mount cameras are an option and we used them for many years at GRS. But the view through a trinocular scope is much better as far as I'm concerned. I would never go back to a side mount for teaching. Maybe ok for show demos, but even then it's never the ideal view angle.

 

[Joacim Jansson]

Of course, I mean the S9D, which is the one with trinocular
The S9E is a standard stereo zoom microscope and the S9I is the one with built-in camera

 

[Tira]

You can not record the sound with the S9i camera. Having said that, it seems to be working fine for me. I have put a Leica polarizer on the light and the combination of the polarizer with the fine tuning the video settings seems to be giving me clear images. The S9D is also a good option, but by the time you purchase the head and the documentation tube you are at about $200 less than the S9i and you still need to purchase a camera. The camera on the S9i is the best camera Leica offers now - of course that is changing all the time. Also, with the S9i you can go directly into a computer for measurement/editing and you can set up to a hub/network to stream.

The S9 series scopes are not for everyone. Stone setters will benefit from the enlarged zoom (up to 55x) and also from the color correction on the lenses. Quite a few people are just appreciating the S9 stereo scope optics too.

 

[Christian DeCamillis]

We purchased a Leica s9 with built in camera. The optics are fantastic . I have a Zeiss and an a60 and the s9 is better than the a60 and the Zeiss. The camera gives us the best image I have ever worked with. We can record by putting in an sd card or directly into the computer. No sound but I would never use the sound from the camera anyway. I use a separate mike. The image isis pretty much the same on the screen as I am seeing in the microscope. The total package is not cheap but quality never is. It's a great teaching tool which is why we purchased it .

Image quality can sometimes be a matter of the quality of the monitor.

Chris

 

[davefr]

Nice, but too much $ pain for too little gain.

I was really interested in upgrading from my A60F to the S9i in order to get the built in image capture capability. I arranged a demo visit with the local Leica sales rep. Here's my $.02 worth.

- The S9i has excellent optics but I didn't notice any significant difference between it and the A60.
- Most of what I do is <10X so the increased magnification was not a big factor. However the A60 starts at 5X which I use at times. The S9i's 6X starting point is a tad high for what I do.
- I was really underwhelmed with the image capture capability. I was expecting WYSIWYG and it's not even close. The images captured are nowhere near the clarity of what you see in the eyepieces. In addition, the excellent DOF goes away when using the built in camera. The Leica rep explained that fusion optics relies on actual eyesight to provide the DOF. I think most of my disappointment was based on my unrealistic/naive expectations. The Leica rep also seemed to have trouble getting image capture color balance correct.
- The S9i would have cost me over $3000 even if I re-used my A60F's Flex stand and light ring.

In summary, even though I love new gadgets it was just too much $ pain for too little gain. I love the A60F and will pass for now on the S9i. The Leica rep. mentioned that the A60 was been a huge success for Leica.

For the times that I need image/video capture, I'm using an stand alone Olympus TG-5 camera in Microscope Mode. The camera can do 3X optically at 1cm mfd and up to 24X combined with digital zoom. It also has built in focus stacking which the S9i's camera does not have. For $450 this camera does almost everything the S9i's built in camera does and images are comparable. (maybe even better within the limits of it's zoom)

 

[eharman]

DSLR and S9d

Has anyone set up a S9d with a DSLR?? If so, care to share pics :biggrin:

 

[Matthew Evans]

.

 

[Chujybear]

...........Also, with the S9i you can go directly into a computer for measurement/editing ...

Is that to say that the camera in the s9i has calibrating software built in? Or otherwise computates scale in its image captures?