Post by ChrisWith a fiber-optic miniature camera. Which, you'd know if you were
qualified to take pictures of a cervix.
That's more appropriate to endoscopy. Here, we are dealing with a
larger structure, of which visual examination is carried out by means
of a colposcope, which is basically a low-power stereo microscope
equipped with annular lighting and a suitable means of manipulation,
often a floor stand with various movements. A working distance of
around 90mm is appropriate, but this will depend on the focal length
of the objective lens. This will provide ample magnification for
close inspection and can be manipulated for checking the surrounding
areas as the colposcope is moved out. Obviously a speculum is also
necessary to enable the use of the colposcope.
Photography or video is carried out by means of attaching a camera to
the viewing head of the colposcope, either by means of a standard
trinocular head or camera adapter fitted to one of the eyepiece tubes.
For cytological and histological purposes it is necessary to obtain
smears or scrapes which are then placed on glass slides, suitably
stained and inspected with a compound microscope. One would, of
course, have to know what to look for.
For the amateur photographer, even with a stereo microscope, things
would be more difficult. The instrument can be very heavy and must be
held very steady. They normally stand vertically on a table.
Probably quite impractical.
The questioner would have to address certain issues before he could,
as an amateur photographer, obtain suitable pictures :-
1. Access to the subject, bearing in mind that he will be
photographing through an elastic tube, the natural state of which is
to be closed.
2. Lighting. A conventional ring-flash is unlikely to be suitable.
The pictures would probably not be very interesting.