New to the microscope world

[cd13]

Hi guys. I just bought my first telescope (AmScope) with 4x, 10x, 40x and 100x(IO). After doing some reading I bought a 60x and 40x plan objetives. I was lucky enough that it should have come with 20x eyepieces but they sent it with 25x, so I contacted them and got the 20x for free.
I’m looking forward to learn more and set my expectations regarding my lower end microscopy.

[dtsh]

Welcome aboard. There's a lot out there for the curious to investigate, anything in particular you're hoping to study?

[cd13]

Hi!
No particular study branch yer (this is a hobby for me), I’m just very curios of the tiny universe under us.
I have a cheap microscope (this is my first one) and I started looking at dust and some pond water (no luck yet on finding something cool). I want to learn illumination technics that I can achieve with my cheap microscope. What would you recommend to start with?

[dtsh]

I'm realatively new myself, so my suggestions are likely not too different from what you've likely found already on your own.
That said, I can share what I do, where my interests are leading me, and what I have found that seems to work for me.

In general, I have found filters with different diameter dark patches to be quite useful in viewing a number of subjects. I've experimented a little bit with some Rheinberg filters, but not enough to have a fair opinion of them, but I've seen interesting results by others. I've thought of looking into the von Egmond masks, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

My equipment is modest, at best; of the 3 microscopes I currently own not a one cost me more than $200 initially, though I have purchased some add-ons for my stereo which has driven it's total cost a little over $250. In all 3 cases, the instrument is capable of more than my knowledge can utilize.

All that said, I'd start with whatever is at hand, pretty much anything you look at from puddle water to soil from the yard is likely to yield something of interest. I tend to do better when I focus my attention on utilitarian interests that have a practical use for me so I have been doing FEC (fecal egg counts) from our donkeys and other parasite management and it keeps me engaged and learning.

[Wes]

Hi!
I started looking at dust and some pond water (no luck yet on finding something cool). I want to learn illumination technics that I can achieve with my cheap microscope. What would you recommend to start with?

Hello and welcome!

Get some pond scum if you can, you know that green stuff floating in ponds and ditches. Thats bound to have interesting stuff lurking in there. Also you can get a maize kernel or a rice grain, boil it and put in some water with moist soil from the wild. Ciliates would inevitably appear. As for techniques polarization and darkfield is the way to go, beautiful yet easy to achieve.

[cd13]

Thanks guys for the comments. I started testing diy polarizing (by using polarized filters from a 3d glasses from the cinema) and I ordered some dark field stop filters from ebay (should arrive by Friday). What I did is I put a piece of the polarized filter inside the microscope head and I have a piece that I put on top of the light. I dont get the full black background (more like navy blue), I don’t know if it is the quality of the filter or just me not being an expert... but the colors look great.
I can’t wait to play around with dark field. I think my next step would be a cheap camera. Any recommendations?