my name is Simone, I am 36 and I live in Italy (in particular, in the homeland of Parmesan cheese...)
I received my first microscope at the age of 8, no more than a toy; then I bought my (real) microscope some years ago (Optika BP20/400). It's an entry level model, now discontinued, but with a rather good quality (4X, 10X and 40X DIN objectives, fixed condenser). Later I added the original optional x-y stage and a replaced the hole-disc diaphragm with a surplus iris diaphragm. I also put a sort of support under the diaphragm to use slides with glued paper black circles as darkfield stops or Rheinberg filters (not tested yet).
I also have a Optika ST-30-2LF stereo microscope.
I love DIY, as you can notice... Getting good results with cheap and improved instruments gives me great satisfaction.
My main interest is botany, but even pond life is so fascinating!
(But why should be free time inversely proportional to interest??)
I'm happy to join this community of microscope enthusiasts all around the world. It's so difficult to find other amateur microscopist in my city; maybe there are few, and are mostly "lonely wolves"?
(I also love using (not collecting) fountain pens; anyone does also?
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