Hello from North Yorkshire. Recent hobbyist

[Andy-ross]

Hello folks.
I have just recently (last year or so) taken an interest.
I have used a stereo microscope for a few years as part of my interest in Horology and watch repair.
My new interest was sparked by a shopping trip to Lidl where on the spur of the moment I came home with a Bresser Biolux.
My son was starting to use microscopes as part of his science projects at school and after an open day and visit to the science labs the Bresser seemed to be as good as, if not better than the scopes they were using.
Anyway it's shortcomings were soon evident and a foray into Ebay and just £35 got me a Beck Diamax monocular. It has a 3 element aplanatic oil condenser but no Koehler illumination, just a 15w bulb under a frosted glass diffuser so there are limits to it's performance.
Anyway, much fun was with it up until a month ago when the urge came upon me to try something more advanced.
I toyed with the idea of upgrading the Beck because it ia an excelent stand but in the end plumped for a whole new scope.
I ended up with a Leitz LM Lux that came with a Phase contrast condenser and phase objectives.
It's a revelation!

[JimT]

Welcome Andy-ross. Looks like a very good upgrade. I expect you will enjoy it.

[KurtM]

Well you're certainly in the right country for it - I often envy microscopy hobbyists who live in England because there is such an active amateur community at work over there. If you're bubbling over with enthusiasm, I suggest you consider joining the Queckett Microscopical Club. Sure the big hub is the London area and you're way north of there, but I bet there are still "cells" (ahem) of activity to be found all over the UK.

Cool scope you "plumped for" there (lol!), bet you will never regret a £ of it. I love phase contrast!

[charlie g]

Congrats, Andy-ross, to your microscopy upgrade to a pedigree stand with phase contrast illumination capabilities. For live aqueous (marine or freshwaters specimens, or prepared thin slides), phase contrast..like home 'air conditioning'..becomes a requirement for your microscopy, often!

I find simple dark field illumination quite useful for my Nikon 2X, 4X, 10X objectives...and the phase: 10X, 20X, 40X, 60X, and oil-100X..quite satisfying for bacteria, their spores, their flagella sometimes, the other protists.

It's good your enjoying that 100X oil-objective already. I find the larger rectangular coverslips permit oil-objective use far from the cover slip borders (? 80% of the area under the cover slip say?)...so when your oil-objective might press on the fluids under the slip...you never 'gunk your objective with sample fluids'.

Recent hobbyist you say, Andy-ross? Well get that good bench and comfortable chair setup...and enjoy your already growing family of microscopes!

Charlie Guevara, finger-lakes/US

[photomicro]

Hello Andy,

I am in North Yorkshire too. I have sent you a PM.

[mrsonchus]

Aha! Hi Andy, I'm across-the-way in Cumbria! Welcome.

John B.

[rstl99]

Welcome to the forum! Have fun.

[einman]

Welcome!!