Microscope illumination and stereo viewing including camera ports

A stereo pair component for a light microscope which microscope is characterized by a single objective lens with a rear aperture through which light beams pass and which rear aperture is projected by optical relay lenses to an aperture plane remote from the objective lens, the combination comprising:

• a beam divider disposed in close proximity to the projected image of the rear aperture of the objective lens and in the path of a light beam passing through the objective lens, said beam divider operative to divide the beam into first and second separate beams wherein said first separate beam includes light passing from one area of the objective lens rear aperture and said second separate beam includes light passing from a different area of the rear aperture of the objective lens;
• a first camera port disposed in the path of said first separate beam;
• a second camera port disposed in the path of said second separate beam;
• and
• a beam deflector selectably positionable into the path of a light beam from the objective lens between the objective lens and said beam divider and operative to deflect the light beam into only one of said camera ports.

In a high power light microscope having a single objective lens with a rear aperture through which light from an object to be viewed passes, and dual eyepiece viewing apparatus for viewing an image of the object, the improvement comprising:

• a beam divider optically disposed between the objective lens and the dual eyepiece viewing apparatus in the path of the light from the object to be viewed and operative to divide the light from the object to be viewed into first and second separate light beams wherein the first separate light beam includes light passing from one area of the objective lens rear aperture to one of the dual eyepieces of the viewing apparatus and the second separate light beam includes light passing from a different area of the objective lens rear aperture to the other of the dual eyepieces of the viewing apparatus, wherein said beam divider is located remote from the rear aperture of the objective lens;
• a projecting lens system disposed between the objective lens and said beam divider in the path of the light from the object to be viewed operative to image the rear aperture of the objective lens at a location remote from the objective lens and in close proximity to said beam divider;
• a first camera port;
• a second camera port;
• a first reflector disposed in the path of the first separate beam and simultaneously directing a portion of the first separate beam to the first camera port and a portion of the first separate beam to one of the eyepieces;
• and
• a second reflector disposed in the path of the second separate beam simultaneously directing a portion of the second separate beam to the second camera port and a portion of the second separate beam to one of the eyepieces,
• whereby a viewer can view an object in 3-D while taking both photographs of a stereo pair photograph simultaneously;
• and
• a beam deflector selectable positionable into the path of the light beam from the object to be viewed before it is divided by said beam divider and operative to deflect the light from the object to be viewed into only one of said camera ports.