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Microscope Equipment |
Would you like to learn more about microscopes? Are you thinking about buying a microscope? What's the difference between a
compound light microscope and stereo microscope? Where do you find parts for
a microscope, such as a replacement light or prepared slides?
What's a binocular microscope? Can you use a video camera with a
microscope? If you'd like to understand more about the microscope and how
to choose one, then you've come to the right place. Here at OPT we believe exploration and education
begins at every level -
be it as close as your own yard or as far as the distant galaxies. We
supply Microscopes and Microscope accessories for the student or
professional. OPT carries microscopes and microscope accessories by
Leica MIcroscopes, Meade Microscopes, Lomo Microscopes, LW Scientific
Microscopes and Leider Microscopes. Whether you want an educational
tool for yourself, your children, or your classroom, OPT can help
you. Discover amazing new worlds through the power of a microscope!
Are you considering a microscope
purchase? Then let's take a brief look at a few things you should
know...
Choosing a microscope
type is dependent on what you wish to study. If you're interested in
leaves, flowers, rocks, bugs, mechanical parts, etc. you won't need
extreme magnification as much as you'll need room under the microscope
to observe them. A good choice for this type of application is a stereo (or
dissecting) microscope. With no slides to prepare and an upright
image, the user-friendly stereo
microscope is great for beginners, hobbyists and even industrial
applications. Most familiar and more widely recognized is the compound light
microscope - the right tool for studying very small subjects.
Microorganisms, cells, pollen, etc. require higher magnification and
you'll need to prepare a glass slide to
observe them. The compound light
microscope is well suited to science or classroom applications.
So, what makes a microscope
work? Magnification, focus and light. Magnification is produced by
combining the correct eyepiece with correct objective lens, but there
are practical limits. Extreme magnification relies heavily on optical
quality and proportionally becomes more difficult to use. For most
applications - such as viewing pond water organisms and cells - 200x
magnifying power is sufficient. A practical microscope
will also have two focusers - coarse and fine. While low magnification
is easy, high magnification requires a finer touch to achieve focus. A
microscope
light source (LED lights are not preferable.) is also required -
either a mirror or built-in illumination - with a way to control the
amount of light since many subjects do not require (or shy away from)
extreme illumination.
Now we need to set the observing stage... All microscopes
come with slide holders.These are needed to keep the specimen or prepared microscope slides steady. Stage clips work
fine for lower magnifications, but
you may wish to consider mechanical microscope
stage for high magnification applications where the subject needs to
be moved in slight increments. Another consideration is whether to use
one eye or two! For the most part, a monocular head is fine for all
practical applications. However, eye fatigue should be considered for
lengthy studies and you may wish to look for a model with a binocular
viewing head.
OPT offers beginner
microscopes through professional
microscopes from the leaders in optical quality: Celestron
microscopes, Lomo
microscopes, LW Scientific
microscopes and Meade
Instruments microscopes. We also stock an array of microscope
accessories such as prepared microscope
slides, mechanical microscope
stages, microscope light
sources and microscope eyepiece
video equipment.
No matter what your needs, we're here to help! We offer our full
support and award winning customer service both before you buy and
microscope and after!
Feel free to contact the
OPTical experts or give us a call at 1-800-483-6287 with all your
questions.
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