MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hi, my name is Larry and I just registered. It's been a while since I've looked through a microscope and looking at your posts and all, I like what I see. I'll be looking around the posts for now to get an idea what I might be interested in. I've looked at some of Oliver's YouTube posts. I'm sure to have some questions.

Thank you for letting me join.
Larry

Welcome Larry!

Hello and welcome!

Thank you for the welcome.

There is a ton of great information and pictures here. This is a wonderful site Oliver.

Hi Larry, and welcome.

Welcome to the forum!

Hi Larry and welcome to the forum.

G’day Larry-what sort of microscopy are you interested in?
I can’t get away from soil and pond microbes.I’ll collect rockpool water if I’m at the beach...endlessly fascinating...

Thank you again for the welcome.

G'day Rossf, I have been looking around. I was initially thinking I would start cheap with something like an Amscope but watching Oliver's YouTube video, maybe something used would be better. If I get used, I would want something that I can upgrade if this bug is more than a passing passion. I am looking through ebay and notice there are a few which maybe I can grow with, like: Olympus, Nikon, Leitz, Zeiss and maybe American Optical. These all seem to be microscopes which have lots of different things on them. I guess I will go with which ever comes up the more bang for the buck.

What brand do you use?

I’ve got a cute little inverted Olympus and a Nikon S that’s about to be retired-will do up an Olympus CH-2 soon-phase contrast,Darkfield, oblique condenser-I’m sort of collecting bits and bobs ready for the right frame to come along-the AmScope T490 are basically a CH clone-not sure how good they are but the trinocular head looks well setup with adjustable focus so eyepieces and camera are in focus-do you want to photograph or video microbes?
Regards

Okay, even though the American Optical microscopes seem to be plentiful, cheap and lots of parts available, they are infinity microscopes and limits someone to use only American optical parts. Also I only see achromats and plan achromats. So, I will be dropping them from my consideration. I'm now leaning to Olympus BH series and Zeiss Standard series. I have heard that Zeiss lenses tend to delaminate. I guess that mean the lenses come apart after a period of time?

I see a microscope with stereo head in a case for like $75 which is very tempting. It doesn't have a brand name but would be a great starter microscope? It has 3 objectives and a spot for one more, light works and extra bulb and probably made in China but it seems good to start with. He has two for sale and I'll wait a while and search around some but if I don't find anything in that value, I will get it and give it a try. Any pros and cons?

I’ve got a few Ziess neoluors and no sign of delamination-their phase variation is very nice-I think the apos and plan apos where more prone to this problem/check on the forum.
Regards

Okay, I think this buying used and finding all the pieces is going to cost me. I bought a Zeiss Standard? It's white with an oblong base. It seems to have lighting from both above and below but only two objectives. The objectives are black with 10X on one and 40X on the other and there is room for three more. The top light has a weird power cord and the bottom seems to take a regular computer power cord. It also has a condenser. Will know more when it comes in. I'll probably need to find more objectives and a power source.

Cool! That’s a well respected scope round these parts-now the fun begins looking for objectives-like I said never had delamination with the Neofluars which are semi-apochromat (sharp and good colours) but your in control of this project! Hope it’s a fun getting it up and running. You could do a LED retrofit-the top lighting is for transmitted light-this sort of does my head to understand but the light goes down the objective illuminating opaque subjects (often mineral and metals) and reflects back up into the head-weird I know-here’s the rundown on transmitted light from the Zeiss website
http://zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/arti ... ected.html

Thank you Rossf for some great information. I will post some pictures of it in the Beginner's section.