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Ogles Mesoscope
A Product Review by Bob Goemans in Marine World Magazine
Issue 25 dated Aug/Sept 2005 Available in store
Have you ever looked through a telescope to see very
far away places? How about viewing creatures so small that a microscope was
required. No doubt you've done both. As an aquarist, have you ever wanted to see
the animals or portions of those creatures in your aquarium very close up
without removing or stressing then in the slightest fashion? Probably so, and no
doubt have viewed some of these things in your aquarium using a hand-held
magnifying glass. Something I have probably done a thousand times! But I always
wanted something much better and with greater magnification so as to see these
creatures or parts of them ‘very’ close up. That’s now possible with the Ogles
Mesoscope viewer. The basic unit consists of five items; Suction Device for holding the unit firmly to the aquarium side panel; Aperture piece for increasing depth of field; Macro Lens; Viewer and Replaceable Eyepiece. Also supplied is a brush and rubber bulb/air blower to keep exposed surfaces clean. All provided in a chambered, moulded case that fully protects this highly precise and fascinating product. As for the individual parts, the Suction Device has an opening into which the Viewer barrel can be inserted and secured on one side and a rubber suction plate on its opposite side. This device provides a stable platform for steady viewing of the highly magnified items. To mount the suction device, gently press its rubber suction pad against the side of the aquarium and depress its button. This activates a small internal spring creating a vacuum between the aquarium panel and this side of the device. To release the suction device, simply press its button again. Once the suction device is located where you want to peer into the aquarium, the aperture piece can be screwed onto the Macro Lens to increase depth of field of any specific object in viewing distance. Or if the Macro Lens is not needed Aperture piece can be screwed to the front of the Viewer barrel. Next, simply slide the Viewer barrel, with or without the Macro Lens, into the Suction Device and rotate to lock in place. With the Macro lens installed, the field of view/focus range is between 2.75 inches (7 cm) to almost 12 inches (30 cm) Without the Macro lens, its 9 inches (22 cm to infinity. Both have an approx 12 X-rnagnification level depending upon the distance viewed, with the viewer barrel providing both coarse and fine adjustments.
Their optics are specifically designed for high quality imaging into water with a 50 degree viewing field. And the lenses are colour corrected high quality coated optics providing exceptional resolution at all focus distances. Yes, it takes a minute or two to set it up, but the results are well worth it, as the view of tiny organisms in one’s aquarium are quite interesting, besides educational and fascinating. And as of this writing, there are other lenses and magnification levels in the works, along with a camera attachment so digital photos can be taken of the selected subjects through the Ogles Mesoscope. And before I dose, I mist thank a local family Mend, Javier Mercado, who married an English lady while in college and moved to London, England. for making me aware of this new product. He was back in the US on business and stopped by our home to visit and actually brought his Ogles Mesoscope with him! In fact, prior to his visit, he called to say he was bringing something from England had to see and that it would be something aquarists would be highly interested in. After seeing its viewing possibilities and that many hobbyists are unaware of this new product, thought it necessary to contact the company and find out if a unit could be sent my way so I could spend more time with it, and possibly write a product review. The president and designer of the product, Barry Reynolds, then contacted me and made arrangements for an Ogles Mesoscope to be sent my way. He also explained the newness of the company and product and that the company’s website and distribution network is under construction. Certainly not for every hobbyist, as the price is about £275, but one needs to keep in mind that the quality of the Ogles Mesoscope rivals that of a better SLR macro lens costing far more! In fact, its high quality fully coated optics and precise focusing along with all other parts are covered by a 12 month manufacturers warranty. And if you really want a close up view of those tiny organisms in your aquariums, the Ogles Mesoscope will deliver it, And as mentioned above, in the near future you’ll even be able to take digital photos of the viewed items and share them with friends via the Internet. In closing, I want to thank Barry for sending an exceptionally high quality product that has resulted in many hours of viewing pleasure that would not have been possible with a simple, hand-held magnifying glass. Although originally designed to observe the microcosm of life within reef-systems the unique features included in the design make the Mesoscope suitable for many other applications... Nominal 12 x Magnification Two optical systems allowing a range of focus down to 70mm Fully coated optics for maximum light transmission Highest quality lenses providing unparalleled detail Precision engineered aluminium body for fine focusing The suction device eliminates stray light and optical aberrations Interchangeable aperture for increased depth of field Removable eyepiece allowing for a range of accessories
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