Microscopy Forum

I have become more fascinated by microbiology and am really wanting to upgrade my microscope.  Currently I own a Home Science Tools "Home Microscope" (Here) that I bought a few years back.  It isn't a horrible microscope and have allowed me to view some pretty awesome things, but I would love to upgrade to something a little … stronger?

I was looking at the AmScope T490B-DK 40X-2000X Trinocular Compound Darkfield Microscope (Here).  I looked at videos and did some looking into it and it seems rather nice.  Does anyone have experience with this specific microscope or anything similar?  I have never messed around with darkfield before but it is something I would like to dabble in.

I can't say I am looking for a microscope that does anything specific since I am still rather new to microbiology.  I just want something that gets into finer detail than the one I currently have.  I am also a fan of having a spot for a camera so I can use something other than my cellphone for photographs.  :P

- Nikki

Hi Nikki,

When I took up the microscopy hobby last fall and started reading in forums such as this one, again and again I saw conversations about whether someone new to the hobby should start out with new scope of Chinese manufacture (Amscope, Omax) or buy a used scope from one of the major brands (Zeiss, Olympus, Nikon, Leitz). As gekko pointed out in his informative reply, there are risks with the used scopes. On the forums, the more experienced members tended to recommend buying the name brand scopes, even though they might be 30 or more years old. I finally decided that the risks of buying old microscopes weren't very high for experienced microscopists as they were savvy enough to choose wisely and skilled enough to repair problems these scopes might have. I wasn't experienced or savvy, so I chose to buy a scope very similar to the Amscope you mentioned. I bought an Omax trinocular with a dry darkfield condenser (Link) and an Amscope MU300 USB camera. The main difference between the one I bought and the one you mentioned is that mine uses an LED light source instead of a halogen source. I wanted a cooler light that didn't heat up the pond critters as much. Amscope makes a model with an LED source almost identical to my Omax.

I don't regret my choice as it provided me with hours of enjoyable viewing. Everything worked. The mechanical stage is a huge improvement over the scope you are using now, as is binocular viewing and a trinocular tube for a camera.

But here's the rest of the story. I thought it would be fun to get what I called a "project" microscope; a name brand scope that I could fiddle with and maybe restore to full functionality. I bought a Nikon Labophot for $79 on eBay. When I got the Labophot, I found that it had no light score and the fine focus was shot. I could write a book about what happened next, but suffice it to say that I now have another Labophot and an old Leitz. I ended up making an LED light source for the Labophot and getting a phase contrast condenser for it. (I bought two phase condensers due to a failed attempt to repair the first one I bought.)

I rarely use the Omax now days. 95% of my viewing time is with the Labophot. The controls (stage and focus) work more smoothly than the Omax and my homemade LED light is stronger than the one in the Omax. There's nothing wrong with the Omax, it just isn't quite as enjoyable to use. (I'll make you a great deal on the Omax if you live near Cincinnati.)

In summary, in my opinion, buying the Amscope will give you a scope that is MUCH more fun to use than what you have now. If you want to tinker a bit, and are tolerant of a bit of risk, shop on eBay for a used name brand scope. Stick with highly rated seller who offer a return policy. Either way, for about $500 you can get a big upgrade and a USB camera to play with.

Regards,

Bill

Nikki:

I will add my two cents worth on buying a new microscope as opposed to a used scope.

I started out refurbishing an old Bausch & Lomb compound microscope with new condenser and Plan objectives. The B&L worked fine until I required better lighting and positioning of the specimen using a mechanical stage.

I opted for a Labomed CxL monocular with LED light source. The CxL is a reasonably priced microscope at less than $500.00 with good optics and solid construction.

What I do not recommend is buying a microscope from a dealer outside of your country. The shipping practices of many carriers frequently result in a damaged microscope. Returning the damaged product is far more costly than what you paid for the original shipping.