Welcome to Microbehunter’s Microscopy Manual! I hope that this resource proves to be useful for both beginners and more advanced microscopists. The articles are continually updated.
Chapter 1: About Amateur Microscopy
- What is amateur microscopy?
- Some Thoughts on Recreational / Amateur Microscopy (Part 1)
- Some Thoughts on Recreational / Amateur Microscopy (Part 2)
- Besides observing, what are some additional tasks for hobby microsopy?
- What advantages and disadvantages does amateur microscopy have?
- What are the steps of starting amateur microscopy?
- Can I still use microscopes even though I have no interest, space or time in preparing slides?
- Can I discover something new, like a new life form?
- Are there microscopy competitions?
- How expensive is amateur microscopy?
- Is amateur microscopy something for me?
- Is microscopy difficult to learn?
- What if I am a collector? Is there something in it for me as well?
Chapter 2: The Parts of the Microscope
- What are the parts of the compound microscope?
- What are the parts of a stereo microscope?
- What are the advantages of a mechanical stage?
- What objective types are there for compound microscopes?
- What are the differences between achromatic and apochromatic objectives?
- What is Köhler illumination?
- Which kinds of microscope lamps are there?
- What kinds of microscope heads are there?
- What are the different eyepieces?
- The condenser aperture diaphragm
Chapter 3: Using the Microscope
- How do I correctly turn on the microscope?
- How do I correctly observe a specimen?
- Why should I not use the coarse focus knob for high-power objectives?
- What can I do if I see a double picture?
- What are possible reasons for not seeing an image?
- Working with the condenser aperture diaphragm
Chapter 4: Choosing a Microscope
- Do I need phase contrast?
- What are the differences between stereo and compound microscopes?
- Which microscopes are suitable for children?
- Which microscope, stereo or compound, should I buy?
- How expensive are microscopes?
- Should I buy a more expensive microscope first, or should I buy a cheap one and then a better one later?
- What features does an amateur compound microscope need?
- What is the single most important criterion when choosing a microscope?
- What are the advantages of research microscopes?
- Are there any microscopes which I should avoid?
- Should I buy a microscope with infinity corrected optics?
- Do I need a 100x oil immersion objective?
- How much magnification do I need?
- What are different compound microscope types?
- What about zoom microscopes?
- What accessories are needed?
- Are “China microscopes” any good?
Chapter 5: Buying a Microscope
- How to buy a microscope
- Where can I buy light microscopes?
- Where should I not buy microscopes?
- Where can I buy electron microscopes?
- Why are some used microscope accessories so expensive?
- Which brand of microscope should I buy?
- What is the best microscope?
- Will microscope companies sell to non-researchers?
- What are some possible problems that used microscopes have?
Chapter 6: Making Microscope Slides
- Making a wet-mount microscope slide
- How do you make microscope slides?
- How can samples be stored before mounting?
- What are the different kinds of microscope slides?
- Should I make my own microscope slides?
- What characteristics should a specimen have to be suitable for microscopy?
- How can specimens be prepared for observation?
- How do you make a permanent slide?
Chapter 7: Microscope Maintenance
Chapter 8: Microscopy Techniques
- What are the differences between brightfield, darkfield and phase contrast?
- What are phase contrast and DIC? Do I need these?
- What is Rheinberg illumination?
Chapter 9: Observation Tips
- I have just unpacked my new microscope. Now what?
- I can not see any water organisms! What am I doing wrong?
- How can I make a hay infusion?
- What should I do if I want to observe bacteria?
- What should I do if I want to observe fungi?
- How can I see tardigrades?
Chapter 10: Photomicrography
- What are the differences between photomicrographs and microphotographs?
- How can I connect a camera to the microscope?
- How can camera vibrations be reduced?
- What features does my microscope need for photography?
- What makes a good micrograph?
- What is dynamic range?
Chapter 11: Processing of Micrographs
- What is stacking?
- How can micrographs be stitched together?
- How can micrographs be digitally processed?
- How can the contrast of micrographs be improved?
- What is high dynamic range (HDR) imaging?
Love the content. You do an excellent job expressing your contagious passion for microscopy. I’ve been watching your youtube channel now for a couple of months. I’m feeling the urge to see these things for myself. I got all the equipment coming in the mail this week. Feel like Christmas mornings coming. I look forward to heading down to the lake and collecting my first sample. After watching hours of your content, I feel I’m missing the link on how to identify what I’m looking at in the microscope. The “Exploring with a Microscope” book is one of your recommendations but is hard to find. I ordered the pound and small lakes microorganism book off Amazon. Wheres a good refernece with details on microorganisms. Im mainly interested in identifying microorganisms. Thanks for all the great work you do!
Hello,
Yes, some companies ship children’s microscopes deliberately with plastic slides for safety. The light comes from below and it does not matter so much what is below the specimen. That what influences image quality is what you put on top of it (cover glass). Plastic scratches easily and you might see scratches more easily of the plastic slide. Might therefore also be more difficult to clean as it can scratch. As a cover glass replacement you can try overhead foil. For low magnification objectives you will not see a difference. For high magnification, the difference might be visible (objectives designed for cover glass thickness of 0.17mm and refractive index of glass) and you can not do polarization microscopy with plastic slides.
Hi Oliver!
Great site!
Little question: I have brought a expensive microscope and the glass slides have not arrived yet. Could I use some plastic slides of my sons toy microscope?
Thanks!
Hi Oliver
Sorry to bother you again
If money was not an issue
Would you go for a DSLR camera rather than one of these HDMI devices ( MICA )
As alternative to the MICS or MICA the supplier suggested a
Canon EOS 2000D which comes with live view software and a HDMI output.
I thought the MICA would be more compact and more stable to mount on the microscope
But I have no experience and I don’t really know how does one of this HDMI camera compares with a DSLR.
My main aim is to have a relatively simple and straightforward system. I don’t enjoy The IT aspect of technology and I know very little about photography. I don’t want to be bogged down by technical issues all the time. What I want to achieve to begin with is a easy set up that can give me a good quality picture on a screen so that o can share with my patients when I work and with my Kids when I play.
At first I thought the HDMI MICA was simpler to set up and use than a DSLR camera, but right now I doubt it
Hence why I am asking your opinion again
Thanks
David
Hi
Your site is great!! Thank you for your commitment and effort.
Can you give me your advise on cameras for microscopes
I am considering to buy a HDMI camera from Brunel microscopes in the UK. One of the model listed in the below link. I have a trinocular compound microscope.
Do you have any experience with these type of devices? Or any thoughts/suggestions?
http://www.brunelmicroscopes.co.uk/hdmi.html
Thank you
David, from Wellington New Zealand
Yes, possible. You can use the distance between two hemocytometer lines as your reference and then measure out the pixels between them.
Love this website!!
Quick question; I know a hemocytometer is used for blood counts, etc., but can it also be used to measure size of fungal spores, or protozoa ? I can’t afford the micrometer (s) for my scope.
Thanks