hello all i am looking for a do all scope i made a list of one in my price of $2000 i would like to know what would be the best on to get if i was to pick i would get the e200 please help
Nikon e200
Motic Instruments Ba310
ACCU-SCOPE 3012 Microscope
Zeiss Primo Star HAL/LED Full Kohler Microscope w/ Field of View 20
OPTIKA B-380 Binocular Microscope Series - Automatic Light Control
Olympus CX31 Binocular Microscope
Help me pick new guy
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Charles Krebs
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Welcome!
I see nobody has jumped on this yet. Probably because this is tough to do without being familiar with the various microscopes. The ones you have listed all seem like pretty solid basic microscopes.
I'll offer a few thoughts to consider...
With the Nikon or the Olympus you can use any of their current objectives. This gives you potential access to some very high quality optics.
The others typically offer only plan achromats. (Motic now shows some Plan Fluar objectives... but hardly ever seen). With Nikon and Olympus you will occasionally come upon an excellent deal on Plan Fluorite or even Plan Apo objectives. The Zeiss Primo Star is (was?) made by Motic, and the optics are different from the other Zeiss microscopes, so your choice is limited to those listed with the Primo Star.
A couple of things that may not interest you immediately but could in the near future. I would check to see...
Is there a "simple" reasonably priced polarization method available (basic analyzer/polarizer)?
Is there a "simple" reasonably priced darkfield method available? (Dedicated darkfield condensers are nice but can be expensive. A condenser with an accessible slot will be much less expensive and adequate for much darkfield work).
Both of these lighting techniques give great results. They can be implemented in a few ways... some are quite moderate in cost (if offered), others considerably more expensive.
Sometimes there is a condenser available with a "slot" for phase contrast or darkfield sliders. These are usually much less costly than the "turret" type condensers (But sometimes more than the "standard" Abbe condenser if that one has no slot). This feature is extremely versatile... giving you access to easy DIY oblique lighting and Rheinberg illumination. (Seems like a simple thing, and it is... but it would be pretty high up on my "desirability" list).
If you are going to take photographs with a trinocular head check to see how the light "split" in implemented. Some offer a split between viewing eyepieces and trinoc tube (for example 20%/80%). Other offer 100% to either viewing or trinoc but not both. If you are working with live subjects (or any dynamic subject) you will greatly appreciate a trinocular head that offer a "split" so you can view and photograph at the same time.
If you are interested in photomicrography, think ahead to the camera you will use. Check to see what provisions are available from the manufacturer. Sometimes the needed accessory parts to mount a camera are modest in price, other times they can cause severe "sticker shock".
I see nobody has jumped on this yet. Probably because this is tough to do without being familiar with the various microscopes. The ones you have listed all seem like pretty solid basic microscopes.
I'll offer a few thoughts to consider...
With the Nikon or the Olympus you can use any of their current objectives. This gives you potential access to some very high quality optics.
The others typically offer only plan achromats. (Motic now shows some Plan Fluar objectives... but hardly ever seen). With Nikon and Olympus you will occasionally come upon an excellent deal on Plan Fluorite or even Plan Apo objectives. The Zeiss Primo Star is (was?) made by Motic, and the optics are different from the other Zeiss microscopes, so your choice is limited to those listed with the Primo Star.
A couple of things that may not interest you immediately but could in the near future. I would check to see...
Is there a "simple" reasonably priced polarization method available (basic analyzer/polarizer)?
Is there a "simple" reasonably priced darkfield method available? (Dedicated darkfield condensers are nice but can be expensive. A condenser with an accessible slot will be much less expensive and adequate for much darkfield work).
Both of these lighting techniques give great results. They can be implemented in a few ways... some are quite moderate in cost (if offered), others considerably more expensive.
Sometimes there is a condenser available with a "slot" for phase contrast or darkfield sliders. These are usually much less costly than the "turret" type condensers (But sometimes more than the "standard" Abbe condenser if that one has no slot). This feature is extremely versatile... giving you access to easy DIY oblique lighting and Rheinberg illumination. (Seems like a simple thing, and it is... but it would be pretty high up on my "desirability" list).
If you are going to take photographs with a trinocular head check to see how the light "split" in implemented. Some offer a split between viewing eyepieces and trinoc tube (for example 20%/80%). Other offer 100% to either viewing or trinoc but not both. If you are working with live subjects (or any dynamic subject) you will greatly appreciate a trinocular head that offer a "split" so you can view and photograph at the same time.
If you are interested in photomicrography, think ahead to the camera you will use. Check to see what provisions are available from the manufacturer. Sometimes the needed accessory parts to mount a camera are modest in price, other times they can cause severe "sticker shock".