Leica X & Scientific Photography – Curious Intersection?

[Hela Cells]

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Hi everyone,

Just joined the forum — excited to be here! I’m part of a biotech startup called Cytion, and while most of our work revolves around cellular research (yes, including HeLa cells), I’m also an avid photography enthusiast. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with a Leica X and am loving its sharpness and color rendering.

Here’s my question: Has anyone here ever used the Leica X (or any Leica) for scientific or lab-related photography — perhaps even capturing things like HeLa cell cultures through adapted setups? I know it’s not a microscope camera, but the sensor quality makes me wonder what kind of crossover potential there is.

Would love to hear any experiences or creative uses you’ve tried!

Best,
Cytion

[Photar]

Curious, indeed. Ignoring for the moment that the Leica X has a fixed lens, its APS-C sensor has a size of 23.7 x 15.6mm. A HeLa cell is how large? Say, 40 micrometers (0.04mm). Thus, one would need a magnification of 390:1 to fill the image along its short side with one HeLa cell. Not sure about the size of HeLa cell cultures, but you certainly would need magnifications that require specialised equipment. Its fixed lens makes the X a poor choice for anything macro, not to mention micro.

In analog times, Leica rangefinder cameras were used for microphotographic applications, attached (for example) to a Leitz Aristophot. A great overview of such equipment can be found in Michel, Kurt (1967): Die Mikrophotographie, 3rd edition, Springer. Today, all those ingenious devices and techniques are obsolete, of course. 

Edited June 5 by Photar

[pgk]

5 hours ago, Hela Cells said:

I know it’s not a microscope camera, but the sensor quality makes me wonder what kind of crossover potential there is.

None. There are much better solutions.

[jaapv]

You could use for instance a Leica TL(2) with a L-T2 mount adapter and a tube that fits your microscope. An X camera is not practical as it has a fixed lens that cannot be removed.