About Microscopes

A doorway into another, and much smaller universe! The microscope, once a fixture in every educated Victorian household, struggles these days to keep up with the popularity of the telescope. Why is this? Perhaps looked on as too serious an instrument for pleasure, only for medicine and "hard science", the microscope is a most overlooked and wondrousl device, and truly suitable for children of all ages.

The microscope for the amateur and nature lover comes in two basic forms; the stereo microscope, and the so-called biological, or compound microscope. The differences are simple. The stereo microscope uses two objectives, or magnifying lenses, and two eyepieces, and so forms a three dimensional view of the subject. The biological type uses only one objective lens at a time, and maybe one or two eyepieces, to form a two-dimensional, but more highly-magnified view of the subject.

For a first microscope, and especially for a child, we'd recommend the stereo version, and the reason is simple. As we learn to discover our world, we use all of our senses, in particular our sight. We see in three dimensions, and we learn how things work in the same way. The stereo microscope acts as an extra powerful pair of eyes and allows us to get extremely close to what we see, but not to lose sight of what we are looking at. This may seem obvious, but it's a very important point! A common insect, or a leaf, or even a torn piece of paper may be interesting if dissected into component parts and examined at hundreds of times magnification, but these common objects are breathtakingly beautiful when viewed in 3D. The whole world takes on a new and dramatic appearance under the stereo microscope. We love it!

If, on the other hand, your tastes are for examining the worlds within a drop of pond-water, or scrutinising tiny structures, then a compound microscope may be the way to go. We are currently sourcing new suppliers of biological microscopes that actually work as they are supposed to work! All microscopes look similar, at least to an extent, but the would-be buyer has to be careful. The microscope, even in it's simplest form is an extraordinarily capable instrument, but the buyer must be aware that most inexpensive microscopes have limitations. For example, without a functioning condenser (a system of magnifying lenses directly under the stage), high powers (anything around 400X or higher) may prove quite disappointing: images will be dim and not as sharp as you would wish.

We are currently in the process of sourcing new suppliers for fully-equipped microscopes that meet our standards, and at the lowest possible prices of course!

At the same time, you might prefer an older microscope, one that has stood the test of time. We can service older microscopes of every kind, and always have a good selection of used 'scopes. These can offer a significant value, and properly cared for should last many lifetimes.

HAND MAGNIFIERS

For some people, a portable hand-magnifier attached to their key chain is indispensable. We carry a variety of small well-corrected magnifiers for every budget. Small enough to disappear into a pocket, but with great performance!

STEREO MICROSCOPES   Our most popular seller is the Small Stereo Microscope. Well constructed, it will last a lifetime. It has a fine optical system giving a choice of magnifications of 20X and 40X, using wide-field eyepieces, and allows the user to choose between transmitted light for transparent specimens, and direct light for opaque specimens. It comes complete with two interchangeable specimen stages, rubber eyecups for more comfortable viewing, and a dust cover. Not too big for a child, and not too small for an adult, this instrument could well be a companion for life!

COMPOUND (BIOLOGICAL) MICROSCOPES   We are currently offering a small compound microscope at an unbeatable price. This unit features an inclined monocular wide-field eyepiece, three excellent objectives, and a precision coarse and fine focusing system.The objective lenses are excellently corrected, and have a standard RMS thread fitting, and this allows the user to use other objectives later on if he or she wishes. The magnifications are 40X, 100X, and 400X. The stage has a simple built-in condenser, which helps to produce the crisp and sharp images this instrument produces. The built-in illumination is simple and reliable, and in conjunction with the diaphragm stops underneath the stage, an appropriate illumination should be obtainable for most purposes. The magnification range is enough for examining individual blood cells, cell-division in plant structures, and the user will be able to see a host of unicellular organisms (protozoans), and much much more.

We are also sourcing a new line of more advanced compound microscopes. These will feature a binocular eyepiece system for much more comfort, four objectives(producing up to 1000X magnification), and a fully operating condenser system with iris diaphragm and filter-holder. This microscope will be sufficient for many university level courses, and will be at a price level unheard of ten years ago! Stay tuned for further developments!

USED MICROSCOPES

We are always acquiring older and well-cared for microscopes. Sometimes these microscopes of thirty or fifty years ago can represent a simply outstanding value. Often they of a quality level that would cost thousands of dollars nowadays. We particularly like certain units from American Optical, Kyowa, and Bausch & Lomb. Whenever we can, we perform a complete re-lubrication and alignment of these older units to get them to perform as they should. Properly serviced, many of these models from Yesteryear will outlive us all!