I'm amazed they can take pictures like that. They must use a really tiny camera.
Actually, they use different kinds of microscopes... you can see the various types and the magnification in the details of each picture... Microscopes have come a loooong way since I last used one... here's
a little more information, with even more links at the end.
In bopping around, I checked out the
rules, which I will partially quote here:
2. Photomicrographs must be taken using a light microscope (I stand corrected! ez), such as one of the Nikon series of compound or stereoscopic microscopes. The use of Nikon equipment is not required.
3. Any type of specimen is acceptable. All techniques of light microscopy are acceptable: brightfield, darkfield, phase contrast, differential interference contrast, fluorescence, multiphoton, modulation contrast, Rheinberg, oblique, confocal, deconvolution, mixed techniques, etc.
Anybody interested in submitting something pf related? Submissions due by April 30...
Also, their past winners (from 2000 to 2007) are available as yearly
screensavers... who knew?