A Brief Intro

With this Microscope Buying Guide, you will be able to choose the right one for your lab’s workflow and application.

To begin with, microscopes are one of the most important experimental tools, helping to examine objects and samples that are invisible to the naked eye. Optics magnify the sample many times and make it visible to our eyes.

Microscopy is widely used in many fields as a result of producing high-quality, high-resolution, sharp and magnified images of specimens. It has applications in life sciences (microbiology, molecular biology, cell biology, etc.), chemistry, manufacturing, petrology, and even coin collecting.

A variety of microscopes have been developed and are available on the market to serve a variety of applications. Each microscope has different features, functions and operating capabilities.

Therefore, buying a microscope is a great process for determining the right microscope for your lab’s workflow and application.

This microscope buying guide provides a brief overview of microscope types and their characteristics. Meanwhile, it also highlights factors to consider when buying the “right” microscope.

Stereo or Trinocular Microscope Guide

Evidently, it’s important to consider whether you need a microscope with one, two, or three eyepieces.

First of all, a monocular microscope, a microscope with an eyepiece, can magnify a sample up to 1,000 times. If you want a microscope that offers higher magnification, a binocular microscope is your best bet. Monocular microscopes are commonly used for viewing slides in classrooms and laboratories.

Secondly, a binocular microscope has two eyepieces to help the observer view the slide sample. Many users find binocular microscopes easier to use than monocular microscopes. The high magnification range and mechanical stage allow the binocular microscope to be used in many ways.

Last but not least, a trinocular microscope comes with a third eyepiece. The eyepiece on this microscope allows a camera to be mounted on it. While it is not common that one can attach a camera to a binocular microscope, it interferes with regular microscope operation. Attaching a camera to your trinocular microscope allows you to view and share views of your specimen with others through a screen when you are using for your lab’s workflow and application.

Magnification vs. Resolution Guide

Resolution is the fineness, sharpness, and clarity of an image produced when viewed through an optical instrument. A device’s ability to produce a detailed image of an object. It captures details that can be seen even when the image is magnified, producing images that can be examined in greater detail and clarity. This can also vary between a digital and optical microscope.

Magnification, on the other hand, is the degree to which an object is made bigger by using optical instruments such as a telescope or a microscope. They bend light to enlarge an image up to the point when the magnification becomes indistinguishable. It can be expressed by a whole number and a letter “X.”

Magnification and resolution are interdependent. But usually a higher magnification means a higher resolution, but a larger image means a lower resolution. Because when the size of the image doubles, its area also doubles. This is due to irregularities and abnormality in the design of the lenses used in the optical equipment. If you zoom in too many times on two objects that are away from the viewer, their edges will blur and you won’t be able to see two separate objects.

In order to simultaneously achieve high magnification and resolution, we recommend combinations of eyepiece and objective lenses with different numerical apertures or beam projection angles. The wavelength at which light hits an object also affects resolution. The lower the value, the higher the resolution.

Working Distance Guide

The working distance is the distance between the front surface of the microscope objective and the surface of the sample or coverslip at the point where the sample is perfectly focused. The high numerical aperture typically associated with high performance objectives results in a short working distance and high overall magnification.

Changing the lens is essential to change the working distance of a stereo microscope. The objective lens is mounted on the object side of the microscope and is usually a magnifying or reducing lens. These set both magnification and working distance.

Switching to a higher magnification objective increases the overall magnification and shortens the working distance. Conversely, adding a reducer lens reduces the overall magnification, but increases the working distance.

Microscope Workstations vs. Field Microscopes Guide

Field microscopes suit on-the-go users, they are straightforward to use, light and portable, and performant for any tasks at hand.

Microscope workstations on the other hand offer powerful performance when stationary and a wide variety of customizable parts to fit any needs.

In spite of comparing microscopes can be a hard task, we hope that this simple microscope buying guide helped you understand more about the intricacies of microscopes for your lab’s workflow and application.

If you still have some questions don’t worry, come learn how to choose the best microscope here.