Nikon SMZ1

[Winstonklein]

HI. Is this microscope good for engraving.... Thank you All.


Winston.


http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-SMZ1-STER...463755233?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_500wt_1154

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

Winston, in my opinion it will work for engravings

arnaud

 

[ED DELORGE]

Hello Winston, I did not see anything in the add about an auxillary lens. You need an lower auxillary lens to reduce the power of the scope at present it is too powerfull. I use a .3 lens on my meiji. You need to see if a .5 or a .3 is available. It still may be too powerful even with that. My meiji emz 5 starts at .5 - 4.5 and with the .3 auxillary lens it is very good for engraving. Research it closeley before you buy. With what I know so far I would say (pass on it).

Good luck
Ed

 

[Tim Wells]

That's a nice setup and I'd get before someone else does. You can find an objective lens later which won't be any trouble for a brand name like that.

I just did an eBay search for "Nikon objective lens" and they're plumb covered up with them for all sorts of scopes...

 

[fegarex]

I'm not sure from the picture but it looks like the angle of the eye pieces are not 45 degrees. I think that might be a concern for use as an engraving scope.

 

[Tim Wells]

What are they normally Rex, something like 60 degrees? If they are too upright they will be too uncomfortable to use for sure. Andy Shinosky had a pair like that once and that was his complaint, about the discomfort.

 

[mitch]

i use a 60 degree Leica S6 for bulino, but their 38 degree S6E model for everything else. most scopes are about 45. if i could only have one, it would be easier to use the 38 for bulino work than it would be to use the 60 for normal stuff.

 

[Joe Jacob]

I have one of these and indeed the angle is not 45 degrees. It is about 30 degrees from the vertical. I use it tilted at 15 degrees, which gives you 45 degrees to the table. Of course with a tilt the focal plane is not flat, but tilted at the 15 degree angle, so I just tilt the vise to match. An auxiliary lens is usually recommended to reduce magnification and increase working distance under the microscope. Do a search on eBay for .5x BARLOW LENS FOR STEREO MICROSCOPE. I got one from AmScope and it works fine. Be sure to contact them to get the correct thread for the microscope. For more info search this forum for BARLOW LENS.

Joe

 

[rocketpilot]

i'm using one now, and it is a very nice little compact scope for engraving. my .5 objective gives a nice wide field of view and enough zoom for most situations. my local expert scope guy says the optics are the best among the reasonable priced Japanese scopes, and i agree with him. i have used most brands of Japanese scopes for my engraving hobby.
the German made scopes have the best optics, but you pay dearly for this luxury. if you can get it with light and stand for around $500 its a good deal. those are after market eye pieces which i am assuming are 10X. i have not had experience with that brand but i see them an the net often and they are probably ok. you need 10X for sure and nothing stronger.
craig cook

 

[Andrew Biggs]

It all depends on how you want to work.

If you are going to use a turn table then the scope is best when it's perpendicular to the work.............otherwise it will continually be out of focus when you turn the table...........and that gets boring really quick..............in which case the eyepiece angles are too steep and you will need to go for something with a 45 degree lift. If you don't, then you'll find your neck getting badly crinked after a short time as ergonomically the Nikon is wrong for that setting.

If you are going to use a positioning type vise then you can angle the vise so it's perpendicular to the scope and tilt the scope so the eyepieces are at a more neck and back friendly angle.

Think really carefully about that one before you buy........... otherwise it could be an expensive mistake.

Cheers
Andrew