Skip to content

Nikon Model S microscope

nikon-01

Click on the photos for high-resolution versions.


This is a nerd post. I apologize to non-nerds, who surely will find it boring. Perhaps you’d be so kind as to come back in a day or two, after I’ve moved on to another subject? ๐Ÿ™‚

I admit it. I have a fetish for scientific instruments. Partly it’s because they’re complicated, and I like things that are complicated. And partly it’s because well-engineered instruments, to me, are indistinguishable from art. I’ve annoyed a few artist friends, actually, by suggesting that technology may constitute much of the art of the 20th Century. Just look at the high-resolution photos of this instrument to appreciate how photogenic and elegant it is.

I certainly cannot afford scientific instruments when they’re new, nor do I have a use for most of them. But, thanks to eBay, many old instruments fall into the hands of liquidators and junk dealers who put them up for auction. Old instruments, if they continue to work, never totally lose their value, as far as I can tell. Working instruments regardless of age are still useful to hobbyists. And there are many collectors. Collectors, like me, seem to always have an eye for superb design.

My Nikon fetish came about from my Nikon cameras. Again, I cannot afford professional Nikon cameras when they’re new. The camera bodies alone, no lenses included, can cost $7,000 or more. But, after professional photographers move to the newer models, older professional cameras become affordable on eBay. I have a Nikon D1X that is now my backup camera. My current camera is a Nikon D2X. As soon as the D3 professional cameras are affordable (another year or two?) I will upgrade to a D3. There is nothing like the solid feel of a Nikon professional camera — heavy, complicated, sophisticated, no nonsense. The design is superb. The camera soon becomes a part of you.

The vintage Nikon microscopes caught my eye because of their classic design and the astounding quality of the manufacturing. Do I really need a microscope? No. But they make great educational toys. I always disliked biology lab in college (biology courses were required back then), and I often had a very hard time seeing in the microscope what we were supposed to be seeing. But I still remember the basic techniques of making slides and using a microscope.

The Nikon Model S microscopes were made during the 1960s and 1970s. The Nikon Model S must have been the first Japanese microscope to make its way into the world market. Previously, German microscopes were the rule. The Model S was highly configurable, with interchangeable parts. There were different stages, different condensers, different lighting sources, and of course a wide range of eyepieces and objective lenses. Professionals would never use a mirror-lighted microscope anymore, but they’re good for collectors because the mirror goes right on working.

The history of the Nikon company is interesting. The company has been around since 1917. They hired a bunch of German engineers and started making optical products. During World War II, Nikon made optical ordnance, as well as binoculars, bomb sights, and telescopes. After the war they started concentrating on cameras, and the rest is history. If it had been possible to win World War II with fine instruments superbly built, Germany and Japan would have beaten the daylights out of the Allies. Instead the Allies won the war with, um, instruments that were more blunt.

Many of the Nikon Model S microscopes had a flaw that has held down their value. The fine focus mechanism (in some models) used a nylon gear that, over time, shrank and cracked. This was a serious mistake by Nikon; they weren’t stingy in the parts they used. But apparently the appeal of nylon was that nylon gears didn’t have to be lubricated. Though the microscopes came with a 25-year warranty, getting the parts to repair the fine-focus mechanism has become increasingly difficult. Luckily, not all Model S microscopes used the coarse-focus and fine-focus knobs that were coaxial. Instead, the coarse- and fine-focus knobs are separate, one in front of the other, and they do not have the problem with a nylon gear. Fortunately, that’s the type of microscope I bought. I had done the research and knew what to watch out for. The manual that came with my microscope says that it is a Model SBR. I have never been able to find, on-line, a manual for the Model S microscopes with the non-coaxial focus knobs. If any collectors have Googled their way to this page and are curious about how the manuals differ, please leave a comment. But you can see the difference in the photos. There are coarse-focus and fine-focus knobs on both sides of the microscope. The fine-focus knob has a scale engraved on it, and its travel is limited to 2mm.

I suspect that my microscope was used for metallurgy, because the wooden case (yep, I got the wooden case as well) included the manual for the Nikon EPI-illuminator, which attaches below the head of the microscope and illuminates the specimen from above. Unfortunately, the EPI-illuminator was not included with my microscope, though I have the manual if any collectors need it.

The microscope is in excellent working condition and appears to have been lightly used. The photos were taken with a Nikon D2X camera with a 28-85mm AF lens.


Update: A later post on episcopic illumination can be found here.


nikon-02

nikon-03

nikon-04

nikon-05

nikon-06

nikon-07


Update:

I’ve had several requests for scans of the Nikon EPI-Illuminator manual. These four scans are the complete manual.

A-nikon-1

A-nikon-2

A-nikon-3

A-nikon-4

20 Comments

  1. Namin wrote:

    Excellent post. A crash course for novices in microscope .

    Saturday, March 12, 2016 at 11:42 pm | Permalink
  2. Hal Brundage wrote:

    Great article. I too am a fan of nikon cameras and equipment. I bought an old Nikon S metallurgical microscope on ebay. I had the the epi illuminator but I am having trouble getting it to work properly. Could you possibly send a scan of the manual for the epi illuminator that you got with your microscope. Thanks in advance. Hal

    Friday, April 22, 2016 at 5:25 pm | Permalink
  3. Steve wrote:

    Hi ,
    Read your article with great interest . I have also acquired an S series microscope with an Epi Iluminator. However I need a replacement bulb and I am struggling to find any documentation on this illuminator so that I use the correct wattage replacement in the lamp housing. You mentioned that you had the manual for the Epi illuminator . If its not too much trouble would it be possible to email me a soft copy of it . BTW I also have to address the well known Co-Axial fine focus issue also . So need to buy a new gear I guess , but that’s for another day .
    Best Regard,
    Steve

    Tuesday, May 3, 2016 at 1:22 pm | Permalink
  4. Fredric R. Durrette wrote:

    Great article. I collect Nikon microscopes and currently debating trying to write a book on them.

    http://jalbum.net/a/1342772

    Tuesday, June 21, 2016 at 10:39 pm | Permalink
  5. Thomas wrote:

    I bought a Nikon SBR a few years back. It has the wooden case with the 25 year Guarantee card affixed inside. Per the card, it was purchased 8 Sep 1966 by a Sylvan B. Green of Philly. His obituary says he interned at SUNY Medical Center in Syracuse from ’72-’73, so he must have been a student when he bought this. It has a light that fits to it and I have used it a couple of times. My girlfriend was a biology student.) It also came with 2 spare bulbs for the light. I do not know if this is the illuminator that was mentioned. It is regular 110V.

    Friday, July 8, 2016 at 10:35 am | Permalink
  6. Douglas Doede wrote:

    Excellent article, and I just wanted to add my thanks for posting the Nikon EPI-Illuminator manual. I purchased one a few months ago and haven’t been able to use it properly. This manual will be a big help.

    Friday, July 22, 2016 at 8:10 am | Permalink
  7. John Nobel wrote:

    Hi, I have one of these Model s and have used it for a long time, great piece of equipment, I use it for air samples, since 1994, love it, I would love accessories for it, I like the illumination device…I thin my lens are wearing out, especially the oil immersion…is there maintenance parts? Thanks for the interest…I would like another, maybe a one for looking at insects…thanks

    Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 6:17 am | Permalink
  8. Al wrote:

    Wow – A fantastic and informative post!
    The pictures of that gorgeous scope are drool-worthy (to the average microscope collector). The EPI really peaked my interest ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Saturday, December 31, 2016 at 5:03 pm | Permalink
  9. arthur brogard wrote:

    I have Nikon Model G microscope. Seems to be the monocular version of the model S.

    The stage will not stay put and I cannot identify the tensioning mechanism if there is any.

    Have you any advice or perhaps a link to the Model G or Model S manual?

    Wednesday, August 2, 2017 at 8:05 pm | Permalink
  10. Per Laursen wrote:

    Great post, very informative. Do you have any knowledge about other Nikon Microscopes. I have been a Nikon user for the last 40+ years. Among others I have an early Nikon Stereo microscope with 6/10 16/24 40/60 magnification – solid, black with J.PAT. 34992 Nippon Kagaku Tokyo + epi-illuminator. It is impossible (for me) to find the slightest info about this item.
    Best regards
    Per

    Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 6:32 pm | Permalink
  11. daltoni wrote:

    Per: Unfortunately I am not knowledgeable about Nikon microscopes in general. However, this post is frequently read by people who are Googling for information on Nikon microscopes, so it’s possible that over time someone else may reply. Best of luck…

    Saturday, October 21, 2017 at 10:18 pm | Permalink
  12. Per Laursen wrote:

    Thank you very much for your reply. I have been Googling too for a while now, but still no luck :)But as you say, maybe some knowledgeable person would reply on your blog in the future.

    Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 5:12 am | Permalink
  13. Scott wrote:

    I have one for sale in the wooden box what is a Good price thank you

    Thursday, November 16, 2017 at 7:19 pm | Permalink
  14. Andrew wrote:

    I’ve just fixed the split spur gear on my Model S. On every spur gear there is q concentric slot on either side, 1.5mm deep and a width of 0.5mm.

    I machined two steel ring’s 28.4mm ID, width 0.5mm and depth 1.5mm on my small lathe, they tapped nicely into the slots on the nylon spur gear fully closing up the split.

    I then increased the bore size of the spur gear just a little on the lathe so it won’t be such a tight fit when pressed onto the knurled brass hub.

    https://i.postimg.cc/q7pTnQw4/Pics-Art-12-26-11-56-40.jpg

    Thursday, December 26, 2019 at 7:05 pm | Permalink
  15. daltoni wrote:

    Andrew: Excellent work!

    Thursday, December 26, 2019 at 7:14 pm | Permalink
  16. Wade wrote:

    Per Laursen, Gordon Couger has a page: science-info.net, that has a Nikon document section including pdf manuals for the Nikon H; S-Kt; L-Ke and S microscopes. The files date from 2007 to 2009, but they are still downloadable today.

    Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 12:59 am | Permalink
  17. Wade wrote:

    Forgot to include the link
    http://www.science-info.net/docs/Nikon/

    Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 1:01 am | Permalink
  18. Wade wrote:

    Per Laursen, Gordon Couger has a page: science-info.net, that has a Nikon document section including pdf manuals for the Nikon H; S-Kt; L-Ke and S microscopes. The files date from 2007 to 2009, but they are still downloadable today.
    http://www.science-info.net/docs/Nikon/

    Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at 1:02 am | Permalink
  19. Aaron wrote:

    I just bought a used SBR in mint condition, not a scratch and what you said about the fine focus is true. The knob wonโ€™t budge.

    This make is interesting though because it has the Nippon Kogaku Tokyo logo on the frame, head, stage and every single attachment (lens, etc) even the case and plastic cover. Iโ€™m not able to look this up anywhere. Iโ€™m interested in when it was made, if it was a special edition or one of the first models. I wonder if anyone can find information on this.

    Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 4:50 pm | Permalink
  20. daltoni wrote:

    Aaron: This is a long shot, purely speculative. I have never actually seen the nylon part in the focus mechanism that fails. However, I collect IBM Selectric typewriters. The typewriters contain some critical nylon parts that also fail over time and that are no longer available. Some clever people have been able to use 3D printing to produce new parts that work great. Maybe someone could do the same for the Nikon Model S microscopes?

    Sunday, December 31, 2023 at 5:16 pm | Permalink

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked *
*
*