MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I use mostly wetmounts and if I use drymounts, they are pre-purchased and fixed. Like a lot of people, I'm fascinated by diatoms but there's a lot to be said for found objects that you find in your environment, such as a salt crystal or a fly's wing. So let me start with some problems and questions ...

@dtsh Yes, the great thing about amateur microscopy is that you are free to explore. Although I'm exploring to have fun and intellectual stimulation, I do seek best practices, as you'll see when I start posting in some of the sub-forums. I have a darkfield slider but I'm not even going to use that y...

@BramHuntingNematodes I will have had a lot of microscopy sessions before I even think of photography! Hopefully, I'll still be alive when that time comes and can upload some photos. One of my first tasks will be knife scrapings of lichens I see on many 500 year old buildings, then hydrating and hop...

OP PS:

I am a senior citizen and sometimes my memory slips! I didn't even know that I was already a member of this forum but I got a clue when I found out that my user name AND email address were already taken. So maybe this is my second introduction. Ha! Ha! (We didn't have "LOL" back in the day).

Hello All: Perhaps 25 years ago I purchased a Nikon AlphaPhot2 at UCLA, my first microscope. Mostly I observed Protista and took a particular interest in the biology of Stentor but found little information--that was before the digital revolution. With hay infusions as a starter, I regularly dipped i...

I use 0.17 mm coverslips, throw away the old ones, and grab a new one. Do you measure them with a micrometer? I find that there are not too many actual 0.17mm cover slips in a box - seems very wasteful to throw them away after a single use. I wait until they are well scratched. Slides will last for...

'm expecting this upgrade to provide only an incremental increase in specimen viewing quality. The scope will use LED illumination. How big is your increment ? If it's small, just buy some better Nikon objectives. If it's larger, buy a Labophot, or Labophot2, or Olympus BH2. If you are just looking...

Hello, I'm expecting this upgrade to provide only an incremental increase in specimen viewing quality. The scope will use LED illumination. I hope and trust that the upgrade will improve your viewing quality, especially if it includes a variety of illuminations, not just brightfield. However, LED i...

Like many amateur microscopists, I have felt my way, and pursued this hobby alone. Thus, I'm often not aware of "best practices" according to others. I prepare almost entirely wet mounts for Protista. I use 0.17 mm coverslips, throw away the old ones, and grab a new one. Ditto, slides. I have lots o...

Hello, I am an amateur microscopist. I am also a retired senior citizen. I observe mostly wet mounts and Protista. I do not do photography. For years I have used a Nikon AlphaPhot 2 with achromatic objectives and a fixed condenser. Now I choose to upgrade and buy my second and final microscope. That...