Malachite on Dolomite - Mashamba West Mine, Congo (Zaire), Democratic Republic of the - 120 mm x 90 mm x 50 mm

Mineral: Malachite on Dolomite
Locality: Mashamba West Mine, Kolwezi District, Lualaba, Katanga Copper Crescent, Katanga (Shaba), Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire)
Dimensions: 120 mm x 90 mm x 50 mm

Description: This photo was taken using what I call the decelerating camera technique using an AD407Pro-3D HDMI Soldering Digital Microscope. The Microscope is adjusted so that at the top point of travel the far field is in focus while at the lowest point of travel, the near field is in focus. Movement from top to bottom allows all aspects of the specimen to be in focus during travel. The total depth of travel may be anywhere from 3 mm to 10 mm and the ‘time of travel’ varies from 3 to 5 seconds. The image of the specimen is captured as a movie in the highest video (UHD) setting possible. The video is then loaded into Helicon Focus (V8.1.0.0) for rendering, and the rendered image edited and enhanced (if necessary) using Photoshop. Incidentally, the Microscope belongs to my partner. He uses it (read used it) for soldering Surface Mount electronic components to PCB’s. At my request he is building an automated rail attachment so that the movement of the microscope body can be better controlled with a precision stepper motor and a suitable ‘speed’ control knob. The speed of the stepper motor movement (up or down) will be set using an ATmega328 microcontroller. I can safely say that the microscope is now mine!