Scope and Camera for education (online) quality images

[kmm_nz]

Kia ora from New Zealand

I'm an avid microbe lover (have taught introductory bio for a few years and love a good splash of pond water) so am super stoked to have found this group! My partner is a geologist and has a rock garden of his collections, and I've been telling him I want to grow to have a microscope room one day

But until then, for my students! I'm looking to buy a microscope that I can take professional-ish photomicrographs for educational use for some students online. I've been over, under, around and through all the info I can find, and (like most learning experiences) I feel like the more I know, the less I understand.

The main goal is to be able to take photomigrographs of what would probably seen in your typical biology/anatomy labs. A few wet mounts, but also a lot of histological slides, probably don't even need a 100x oil immersion. Images would solely be used online, no printing. My budget is probably up to $5000NZD total (including any adapters etc)

I have a Canon 70D DSLR that I'd like to use (but I'm not sure this is even the best idea). If I could do it easier with a USB camera I'd consider getting one. Would be nice to have video capability though.

At this point I have my eye on three different trinocular scopes:
- Olympus BX40 (phase/darkfield) - would have to buy whole phototube/adapter/etc set up for DSLR
- Meiji MT4300 (brightfield only)
- Something like this Omano https://www.microscope.com/compound-mi ... ics.html#

I have different concerns about all of them based on what I've been reading, but would love some opinions in figuring out what will cut the mustard for now without breaking the bank.

Any and all advice appreciated, cheers

[PeteM]

Assuming they're all in good condition (assuming used on the first two) and about the same price, I'd rank them just as you have them listed.

The Olympus BX40 is a well made and reliable scope -- and offers the widest possible range of future upgrades. HOWEVER, you'll want a trinocular model (adds to the cost) or buy the single tube to do all viewing and photos through a display. And it falls short of near perfection to two ways - both with remedies. First, the 30 watt lamp will do fine for all brightfield and most phase work, but will be a bit dim if you ever end up trying something like DIC. It's not especially difficult to upgrade the lamp by fitting either a very bright LED or a fiber optic illuminator. Second, the standard nosepiece isn't removable in case you want separate turrets for, say, phase and brightfield/darkfield. Olympus made a part to correct this and if you have a machinist friend it's possible to make an adapter. This is the finest and most upgradeable scope. A list of options that come with it would help in the evaluation. Trinocular? What specific lenses and condenser? What nosepiece? What price? It's certainly a scope that will eventually deserve its own room : - )

The Meiji MT4300 is a fine scope. However, it will be a bit harder (at least in the US) to find used and affordable parts for future upgrades. Phase contrast (missing in this scope) does seem like it will be a big plus for capturing and displaying pond critters. I'd also think it pricey if you're looking at a new one.

The Omano is a decent scope, and would likely fill your needs short term if you buy a trinocular model. It won't provide as stable a stand for photography, as precise a fine focus for focus stacking, or as many possible upgrades in terms of lens quality, darkfield and other condensnr optons, polarization, epi illumination, etc. etc. If you found something in this range used and cheap it could be a great way to start at little cost. You'd learn what you really want in terms of optics and, if you upgrade later, have a scope you could use with less concern in a room full of kids.

This site can provide some background on your Canon 70D as a scope camera -- generally a good choice I believe (click on the 70d mention for a review): https://www.lmscope.com/en/camera_for_m ... on_en.html

There are several sites offering information on hooking a camera to Olympus scopes - so you won't have to be buying a pricey adapter from the above site. If you're actually using your scope around kids -- say to display images on a screen or just to stream over the Internet -- you might also want to have a cheap digital camera (which can also show live pictures) to avoid "oops" moments with your DSLR.