Nikon this week announced the results of its 46th Small World Photomicrography contest. Below, you can see the top 20 entries selected by the judges.
“The goal of the Nikon Small World competition has been to share microscopic imagery that visually blends art and science for the general public,” said Eric Flem, communications manager of Nikon Instruments, adding, “As imaging techniques and technologies become more advanced, we are proud to showcase imagery that this blend of research, creativity, imaging technology, and expertise can bring to scientific discovery. This year’s first-place winner (below) is a stunning example.”
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Created by Maryland-based Daniel Castranova, with assistance from Bakary Samasa, the winning entry actually comprises 350 individual images stitched together.
Winner: Dorsal view of bones and scales (blue) and lymphatic vessels (orange) in a juvenile zebrafish –Daniel Castranova, Dr. Brant M. Weinstein, Bakary Samasa — National Institutes of Health — Maryland, U.S. — 4X objective lens magnificationImage used with permission by copyright holder
As per Nikon: “This image is particularly significant because it was taken as part of an imaging effort that helped Castranova’s team make a groundbreaking discovery — zebrafish have lymphatic vessels inside their skull that were previously thought to occur only in mammals. Their occurrence in fish, a much easier subject to raise, experiment with, and photograph, could expedite and revolutionize research related to treatments for diseases that occur in the human brain, including cancer and Alzheimer’s.”
2nd place: Embryonic development of a clownfish (Amphiprion percula) on days 1, 3 (morning and evening), 5, and 9 — Daniel Knop — Natur und Tier-Verlag NTV Oberzent-Airlenbach, Hessen, Germany — 10XImage used with permission by copyright holder3rd place: Tongue (radula) of a freshwater snail — Dr. Igor Siwanowicz — Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Virginia, U.S. — 40XImage used with permission by copyright holder4th place: Multi-nucleate spores and hyphae of a soil fungus (arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus) — Dr. Vasileios Kokkoris, Dr. Franck Stefani, Dr. Nicolas Corradi — University of Ottawa Agriculture and Agrifood, Ontario, Canada — 63XImage used with permission by copyright holder5th place: Bogong moth — Ahmad Fauzan — Jakarta, Indonesia — 5XImage used with permission by copyright holder6th place: Hebe plant anther with pollen — Dr. Robert Markus, Zsuzsa Markus — University of Nottingham, U.K. — 10XImage used with permission by copyright holder7th place: Microtubules (orange) inside a cell. Nucleus is shown in cyan — Jason Kirk — Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, U.S. — 63XImage used with permission by copyright holder8th place: Chameleon embryo (autofluorescence) — Dr. Allan Carrillo-Baltodano, David Salamanca — Queen Mary University of London, U.K. — 10XImage used with permission by copyright holder9th place: Connections between hippocampal neurons (brain cells) — Jason Kirk, Quynh Nguyen — Baylor College of Medicine, Texas, U.S. — 63XImage used with permission by copyright holder10th place: Daphnia magna (Phyllopoda), a small planktonic crustacean — Ahmad Fauzan — Jakarta, Indonesia — 10XImage used with permission by copyright holder11th place: Red algae — Dr. Tagide deCarvalho — University of Maryland, U.S. — 63XImage used with permission by copyright holder12th place: Human hair — Robert Vierthaler — Pfarrwerfen, Salzburg, Austria — 20XImage used with permission by copyright holder13th place: Crystals formed after heating an ethanol and water solution containing L-glutamine and beta-alanine — Justin Zoll — New York, U.S. — 4XImage used with permission by copyright holder14th place: Leaf roller weevil (Byctiscus betulae) lateral view — Özgür Kerem Bulur — Istanbul, Turkey — 3.7XImage used with permission by copyright holder15th place: Chain of daughter individuals from the asexually reproducing annelid species Chaetogaster diaphanus — Dr. Eduardo Zattara, Dr. Alexa Bely — CONICET, Rio Negro, Argentina — 5XImage used with permission by copyright holder16th place: Nylon stockings — Alexander Klepnev — JSC Radiophysics, Moscow, Russia — 9XImage used with permission by copyright holder17th place: Ventral view of an immature water boatman — Anne Algar — Middlesex, U.K. — 4XImage used with permission by copyright holder18th place: Atlas moth wing — Chris Perani — California, U.S. — 10XImage used with permission by copyright holder19th place: Silica cell wall of the marine diatom Arachnoidiscus sp. — Dr. Jan Michels — Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany — 50XImage used with permission by copyright holder20th place: Skeleton preparation of a short-tailed fruit bat embryo (Carollia perspicillata) — Dr. Dorit Hockman, Dr. Vanessa Chong-Morrison — University of Cape Town, South Africa — 1XImage used with permission by copyright holder
Cyber Monday Sony camera deals: Save on camera body and lenses
There are a lot of Cyber Monday deals that are turning out some impressive discounts right now. This is great news if you’re looking to save on a camera, as Cyber Monday camera deals have some of the best prices we’ve seen all year. This is especially true among Sony cameras, as some of its most popular cameras are seeing discounts. We’ve tracked down all of the best Cyber Monday Sony camera deals, and you can find them all below.
Our top pick: Sony ZV-1F vlogging camera — $398 $500 20% off
Vloggers and content creators regularly turn to the Sony ZV-1F for their camera needs. It can shoot in 4K resolution, which is pretty impressive for such a small-bodied camera. And while it’s designed with some features that make it nice for filming with, this is also a quality photography camera if you’re looking for something small and pocketable. You can grab the ZV-1F for under $400 with this Cyber Monday deal, which is a 20% discount and a savings of more than $100.
Best Cyber Monday camera deals: DSLR, action cameras, and more
Cyber Monday has come and gone, but many retailers still have excellent Cyber Monday deals. This makes right now your last chance to get some early holiday shopping done or to pick up some tech for yourself. Photographers should be glad to hear this, as there are a lot of Cyber Monday camera deals already available. We currently see models discounted from top brands like Canon, Nikon, Sony, and others. You can also check out these Cyber Monday laptop deals and Cyber Monday tablet deals so you can access content on the go.
Canon EOS R100 with 18-45mm lens — $350 $600 42% off
Canon is a favorite among photographers, and if you’re looking for an entry-level camera from the long-time camera maker, the EOS R100 offers up $250 in Cyber Monday savings here. The camera itself has a 24-megapixel sensor that can capture beautiful photos and 4K video. You’ll also get three free months of iCloud+ with this camera, and the Canon RF-S 18-45mm IS lens.
Don’t miss the chance to get this 128GB SD card for less than $100
Your new purchase from camera deals will need storage for photos and videos, but you can't buy just any SD card that you see online. It's highly recommended that you invest in a high-quality storage device like the Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II SDXC Memory Card, which you can currently get from B&H Photo Video with a $75 discount on its 128GB version that brings its price down from $170 originally to a more affordable $95. You may want to buy multiples of this SD card while it's available for less than $100, but you'll have to hurry because we're not sure how much time is remaining on this bargain.
Why you should buy the Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II SDXC Memory Card
More devices are using microSD cards for expanded storage, but according to our guide on finding the right memory card for your digital camera, most DSLR cameras and mirrorless cameras are still using SD cards like the Lexar Professional 2000x UHS-II SDXC Memory Card. Lexar is one of the brands that we wouldn't hesitate to recommend to photographers, and this SD card's read speed of 300 MB/s and write speed of 260 MB/s will enable quick transfers and smooth shooting. Additionally, as an UHS-II card, you won't have a problem with advanced functions such as continuous shutter bursts, rapid shooting, and raw and JPEG captures.