Eye piece magnification

[Gene]

Hi There.
Im a real newby at microscopes.
Ive got an Itek scope that i use for looking at plankton.
Its got wf10 eyepieces and a 4x and 2x on the lower part.
Therefore 40x max i presume.
Just wondering, if i buy wf30 eyepieces can that increase magnification to 120x max?
I just wasnt sure if it worked that way.
Also, will it maintain its good clarity?

[75RR]

This question comes up from time to time. Here is a link to a previous post on this.

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4984&p=45460&hilit#p45460


Hope this helps

[Hobbyst46]

Your question is related to "empty magnification" when the magnification does not yield newer information than obtained by lower magnification.
Here is a link to a comprehensive description and table of compatible objectives and eyepieces from this aspect
https://www.microscopeworld.com/t-micro ... ution.aspx
Or the Nikon MicroscopyU web site.
It really depends on the numerical aperture of your objectives, but according to these tables, the highest useful magnification eyepiece would be 15x-20x.

[Gene]

Great.
Thanks for those replies.
Yep, followed that table - as u said 20x seems to be the most.
I will get some 20x

[Hobbyst46]

BTW - why not get more powerful objectives, like 10x-40x, for that purpose? then you will get much better resolution, since the NA will be larger.

[MicroBob]

Hi Gene,

you probably won't like the image you get with the 20x eyepieces. These are only useful in very special circumstances.
BTW: Do you have a biologicla microscope or a stereo microscope? The objectives of most stereo microscopes have a quite low n.a. and don't stand much post magnification by the eyepieces.
For placton it is best to have 10x eyepieces and 4:1, 10:1 (even better 20:1) and 40:1 objectives. 40x magnification for seeking, 200x and 400x for detailed watching.
Most basic biological microscopes offer this for little money.

Bob