DF Biological Microscope

The DF biological microscope—launched in 1957—was the successor to the Homare UCE, which was the most advanced Olympus model of its time. The DF had a number of features that made it stand out from conventional microscopes:

First microscope to feature an external light source
Olympus changed from using a mirror to illuminate the specimen to the attachment of a light source. This development ensured sufficient light for high-magnification observations.

Mechanical stage capable of up-down movement
With the conventional method of focusing by moving the microscope head up and down, it was not possible to attach heavy items, such as cameras, to the microscope head. To solve this, Olympus developed a method to move the stage up and down to focus the image. This also meant that the user did not need to adjust their eye position.

Inclined microscope head
By inclining the microscope head, users were able to make observations in a more natural position. They could also use a combination of monocular and binocular viewing.

Trinocular lens barrels were then produced to allow the use of a binocular head with a phototube. Users could attach a camera to the phototube, view the specimen through the binocular head, and then frame the image for photography. The image was then focused using the mirror on the side of the phototube and recorded.
Three microscope head options were available according to the application or objective: monocular, binocular, or trinocular.