I know little about microscopes other than that I'm spoilt at work where I use lovely tools from Leitz, Nikon and various SEMs and TEMs.
I want something to use at home for cleaning up samples for photos, probably up to 10x magnification for the image capture.
Should I get a stereo scope ? Any recommendations ? Browsing eBay throws up anything from $50 on upwards.
Perhaps just an illuminated magnifying glass might work ...
Andrew
Microscope for subject preparation ?
Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau
Definitely a stereo. Something like this AO currently selling for $35.00
HERE.
Just need a zoom objective from about 0.5x to 3x (or perhaps 5x) and 10x eyepieces.
These are usualy priced below $50.00 but shipping charges are often far more than the value of the scope.
HERE.
Just need a zoom objective from about 0.5x to 3x (or perhaps 5x) and 10x eyepieces.
These are usualy priced below $50.00 but shipping charges are often far more than the value of the scope.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.
Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives
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Charles Krebs
- Posts: 5865
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- Location: Issaquah, WA USA
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Yes, as NU said, you want a stereo.
Occasionally you can find an nice AO (like NU linked to), B&L, or a Meiji at a nice price. But look it over carefully... there are a lot of really beat up units floating around.
If all you really want to do is prep and clean up specimens then there are always (never thought I'd say this and hope I don't get hit by lightning) some inexpensive Chinese made models that would do the job. They are available all the time on eBay for about $125. The ones that have 10X/30X would be OK.
Occasionally you can find an nice AO (like NU linked to), B&L, or a Meiji at a nice price. But look it over carefully... there are a lot of really beat up units floating around.
If all you really want to do is prep and clean up specimens then there are always (never thought I'd say this and hope I don't get hit by lightning) some inexpensive Chinese made models that would do the job. They are available all the time on eBay for about $125. The ones that have 10X/30X would be OK.
I used to recommend Chinese made scopes for folks wanting to save money
and it is possible to get some decent ones. But I have just had a run of helping to fix a few that people have sent me and conclude they are not worth the risk.
Unless the seller will take them back no questions asked. They have all kinds of tricks (the big ebay sellers) like stalling you until the return period is up and then charging a restocking fee.
You can also get a dud brand name scope, one that has been around the sun too many times. But that seems to be a much less frequent occurrence.
I have sitting on my bench a little two mag turret gemscope. The erecting prisms are epoxied in the wrong position. The porro prisms have filth on the two meeting faces which are sealed with epoxy.
There is a big ebay seller here in st. louis and I talked to their "service" guy. His job is to check each scope and send the duds back to China.
I used to do the same job for Zeiss East Germany's US distributor in the communist days.
and it is possible to get some decent ones. But I have just had a run of helping to fix a few that people have sent me and conclude they are not worth the risk.
Unless the seller will take them back no questions asked. They have all kinds of tricks (the big ebay sellers) like stalling you until the return period is up and then charging a restocking fee.
You can also get a dud brand name scope, one that has been around the sun too many times. But that seems to be a much less frequent occurrence.
I have sitting on my bench a little two mag turret gemscope. The erecting prisms are epoxied in the wrong position. The porro prisms have filth on the two meeting faces which are sealed with epoxy.
There is a big ebay seller here in st. louis and I talked to their "service" guy. His job is to check each scope and send the duds back to China.
I used to do the same job for Zeiss East Germany's US distributor in the communist days.
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Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
The illuminated magnifying glasses I have used are only x2 magnification and have to be used so close to the subject that it is difficult to manouever yours hands underneath. There may be more-suitable alternatives.
If you want the instrument only for the stated purpose there is no sense in paying for high resolution. Comfort of prolonged use is an important consideration (the x2 lenses may not fit this). Microscopes typically start at a magnification of x10. If you want higher magnification the stepped, rather than the zoom, models are less expensive.
You won't get far without suitable illumination but modern LEDs seem to be best.
Try researching blogs used by stamp/coin collectors and beetle collecters, etc.
Harold
If you want the instrument only for the stated purpose there is no sense in paying for high resolution. Comfort of prolonged use is an important consideration (the x2 lenses may not fit this). Microscopes typically start at a magnification of x10. If you want higher magnification the stepped, rather than the zoom, models are less expensive.
You won't get far without suitable illumination but modern LEDs seem to be best.
Try researching blogs used by stamp/coin collectors and beetle collecters, etc.
Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
Do they have their own buy and sell forums buried under decaying logs and in neatly organised drawersHarold Gough wrote:
Try researching blogs used by stamp/coin collectors and beetle collecters, etc.
Harold
?As you pointed out, what I've got on my priorities are ease of access, illumination and I'd like to be able to zoom but it does add a lot to price.
Here in Europe it seems that you have to be laying out Euro 2-300, but with the current recession I may be able to take advantage of others' missfortune.
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Harold Gough
- Posts: 5786
- Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2008 2:17 am
- Location: Reading, Berkshire, England
I think that any reference to turnover may be an accounting term and not involve logs. I find it advisable not to look into people's drawers uninvitedAndrewC wrote:Do they have their own buy and sell forums buried under decaying logs and in neatly organised drawers
What I had in mind was the stereo microscopes I used professionally. The Wild (now Leitz) M5 and M8 were of similar optical quality but the former (earlier model?) has a zoom-like magnification changer but with stepped magnifications (possibly an advantage when linked with photography?). This difference was reflected in the (1970s) prices.As you pointed out, what I've got on my priorities are ease of access, illumination and I'd like to be able to zoom but it does add a lot to price.
Harold
My images are a medium for sharing some of my experiences: they are not me.
It is probably a relabeled one from either china or japan depending on its age. If you can send me a snapshot I may be able to ID it.
Both the M5 and M8 are research grade stereos which one would expect to start in the $500 range. But with either you may find that they are as enjoyable to look through as are higher mag scopes. Their sharpness, contrast and brightness are unmatched in my experience.
Both the M5 and M8 are research grade stereos which one would expect to start in the $500 range. But with either you may find that they are as enjoyable to look through as are higher mag scopes. Their sharpness, contrast and brightness are unmatched in my experience.
That looks to me like a Chinese made scope. I doubt there is anything really Viking about it.
The questions are how much? and what do you see when you look through it.
Make a target with concentric circles and a criss cross in the center.
Look at it and adjust the scope very carefully
Then blink your eyes singly and see if the center cross point appears to jump when you switch eyes. A small amount is common but if it jumps too far you will experience eyestrain using the scope.
Also shine a bright flashlight with fresh batteries through it and see if there is anything on the interior optics that does not belong there. Such as dirt or fungus or even sloppy prism cementing work.
That scope can be bought new on ebay for less than $200. If your picture is the actual scope it looks pretty new. When someone is selling something new, you may want to know why. Were they unhappy with it?
Or it just came in a lot of goodies they bought and they never even looked through it.
The questions are how much? and what do you see when you look through it.
Make a target with concentric circles and a criss cross in the center.
Look at it and adjust the scope very carefully
Then blink your eyes singly and see if the center cross point appears to jump when you switch eyes. A small amount is common but if it jumps too far you will experience eyestrain using the scope.
Also shine a bright flashlight with fresh batteries through it and see if there is anything on the interior optics that does not belong there. Such as dirt or fungus or even sloppy prism cementing work.
That scope can be bought new on ebay for less than $200. If your picture is the actual scope it looks pretty new. When someone is selling something new, you may want to know why. Were they unhappy with it?
Or it just came in a lot of goodies they bought and they never even looked through it.
Well it is being sold by a educational-archaeological centre because they have two and this one is surplus. Which could be translated as "this one sucked so we bought another"
It's on a local auction site for local collection for around $30, so if it doesn't go much higher wouldn't be too expensive for a paperweight.
It's on a local auction site for local collection for around $30, so if it doesn't go much higher wouldn't be too expensive for a paperweight.
Well you probably wouldn't go wrong up to $100 or so. They will let you look at it before you bid won't they? The eyepieces cost about $40 a pair delivered. If the scope is a dud you could buy another scope body and order it with a pair of 15x or 20x eyepieces.
I think the guy here in St. Louis said he would sell scope bodies with oculars for about $75. I wanted to replace one on a gemmo scope one of my friends from another forum bought. But the ring size on that scope was different.
I think the guy here in St. Louis said he would sell scope bodies with oculars for about $75. I wanted to replace one on a gemmo scope one of my friends from another forum bought. But the ring size on that scope was different.
Ah, here we have one of the problems of modern life - of course I can go and look at it, but it is a 3 hour round trip so I need to balance the true cost of going vs potential risk of buying a paperweight. If I was fully mobile grid connected I could of course go and look at it 5 minutes before the auction ended and bid while standing there .... but I'm not.g4lab wrote:... They will let you look at it before you bid won't they? ...
Thanks for the advice, I've got a couple of other irons in the fire so I'll see what happens over the next few days.