- Scope Over Time -

[melasonos]

I want to build a scope over time.

I'm new to the hobby. I also appreciate the look and feel of older devices.

My idea is to buy used parts and eventually have a nice binocular (or preferably trinocular) compound scope with decent optics that will last a lifetime.

So I'm trying to get your opinion on what a good model to choose for something that is well made, upgradable or modular, and has a lot of stuff in the used market. Like a industry standard model that everyone had. Then, maybe what types and brands of optics I should consider?

For instance I might buy a broken / AS IS / parts scope from the auction site, clean it up, read about the parts and repair it. Then a month later buy the eye-pieces for it. Then maybe an objective, etc. eventually having a lovely and practical Frankenstein that I can have fun with and teach my children how to use down-the-line.

If it matters, my end goal is to look at living microorganisms and crystal structures. I hope to have brightfield, darkfield, phase constrast and polarized.

The acquiring, cleaning, learning, and repairing journey is half the fun to me.

Any advice or suggestions much appreciated, and I look forward to being a part of this forum!

[imkap]

It is easier to find a complete working microscope at a good price than all the parts one by one, they add up pretty quickly especially if buying online. ...

Just be patient.

Zeiss, Nikon, Olympus or Leitz (Leica), American optical, Reichert are the brands that come in mind first to me... Availability depends on your location.

[hans]

The acquiring, cleaning, learning, and repairing journey is half the fun to me.

Same here, my general advice would be: The "Frankenstein" microscope idea doesn't really work as well as one might hope, and as imkap said, forget about buying a bunch of individual parts. Sometimes there are deals but usually only when the seller doesn't know what they are selling and those kind deals take a lot of time hunting to find. I like to buy mostly complete (no more than one part missing or obviously damaged) surplus microscopes that also include some less common accessory like polarizer/analyzer, trinocular head, 20X or iris objective, better-corrected or darkfield condenser, etc. Avoid stripped-down "parts" stands, anything cobbled together from mismatched parts, and basic 4/10/40/100X brightfield-only configurations.

I also appreciate the look and feel of older devices.

In the US the B&L Dynoptic and AO 10/20 series are cheap and plentiful and neglected-looking but mostly functional ones regularly sell for not much more the cost of shipping/handling, under $100. The mechanical build quality of those series is very good, they are enjoyable to work on, and sometimes phase contrast configurations without the keyword "phase" anywhere in the listing go for cheap. Buy several from the same series and you should have a good chance ending up with a nice, complete setup after cleaning, lubricating, adjusting and picking the best parts from each.