Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

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toomanyhandles
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Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#1 Post by toomanyhandles » Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:24 pm

Hi all;

When I travel (we'll get to travel again, right??) I have my macro photography camera kit all sorted out, and recently I started looking at field microscopes. After watching a working McArthur go for $1200 on ebay recently, and many other "classic" ones not available, I started looking at modern equivalents. I use this article as a source of modern models, and they are not inexpensive: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/img ... isited.pdf

(I have no idea what "clone" this article refers to:
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... _clone.pdf
)

Released since that article came out, the Bresser XPD-101 looks quite interesting, and it is available on Amazon direct? from Bresser.

I see one mention of it in these forums from 2019 or so, has anyone been hands-on with one since then?
I don't see many reviews of this model out there just now.

Thank you;

Brian.

Hobbyst46
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#2 Post by Hobbyst46 » Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:41 pm

toomanyhandles wrote:
Tue Apr 20, 2021 2:24 pm
Hi all;

When I travel (we'll get to travel again, right??) I have my macro photography camera kit all sorted out, and recently I started looking at field microscopes. After watching a working McArthur go for $1200 on ebay recently, and many other "classic" ones not available, I started looking at modern equivalents. I use this article as a source of modern models, and they are not inexpensive: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/img ... isited.pdf

(I have no idea what "clone" this article refers to:
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... _clone.pdf
)

Released since that article came out, the Bresser XPD-101 looks quite interesting, and it is available on Amazon direct? from Bresser.

I see one mention of it in these forums from 2019 or so, has anyone been hands-on with one since then?
I don't see many reviews of this model out there just now.

Thank you;

Brian.
You might look for "Goren Microscope". It is a modern field microscope, designed by an expert microscopist (one of the authors of the article in the second link).

MicroBob
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#3 Post by MicroBob » Tue Apr 20, 2021 4:55 pm

Hi Brian,
field microscopes seem to be a tiny market nowadays and at this price it is not very appealing for occasional use. Do you have a special application in mind? There are several alternatives, some quite frequently and cheaply available. When you search for fm31 or field microscope in this forum you will find some discussions on this topic.

Bob

dtsh
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#4 Post by dtsh » Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:22 pm

Are you looking specifically for a field microscope, or one that is small, durable, precise, inexpensive (pick any 3)? Various combinations of those attributes often overlap with other non-field microscopes.
With modern fabrication methods (3D printing, CNC, small volume custom casting, etc), there are manageable ways of reimagining some designs as field microscopes, but there you're trading time/effort for some of the money.

apochronaut
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#5 Post by apochronaut » Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:48 pm

I was told by a rep. from a Chinese factory recently that the Chinese made FM-31 clone is no longer being made so if Bresser has them still, they may be the last of them.

toomanyhandles
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Location: Michigan, USA

Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#6 Post by toomanyhandles » Tue Apr 20, 2021 7:59 pm

Thank you all for your replies.

Sometimes I would be looking at insect parts, sometimes aquatic samples.
Portable and sturdy/reliable are drivers for me as I already have too much gear I pack around, if it can't do "everything" good image quality on what it can to is v. important. After all I can get a super cheap small compound or even digital scope if I don't care about IQ.

I did read up on the FM-31 here and elsewhere, and it looks like at least for the last two months one-per-month comes up on ebay. I like what people say about it. Those are used tho and if there is a problem with an objective and scratches, other issues or whatever, making it "right" is probably a big pain / costly, probably means buying a entire second unit and moving parts around.

The Bresser is on Amazon direct from Bresser to the USA for around $550, and some Bresser resellers tell me they are sure they could make my cost less (we'll see). If I get it from Amazon my Amazon credit applies to the price, and I have a useful % of that price available as Amazon credit as (sadly) I bought a new furnace, few other house things, this winter that went to that Amazon credit.

I don't see any reviews of the Bresser XPD-101 that go into details, other than the one Amazon reviewer shared a little sadness, but I'm not sure those pain points are not pretty much universal to these little folded optic path jobs.

I have used local Hubs to 3D print a few things and at this time I have "spare" bits from AO scopes, the full light path, I could cobble something together from- but I'm not sure how much more "compact" than an actual Series 10 that would end up being, once done.

And, oh-no about the potiential continued Bresser availability for the XPD-101...

Thank you for thoughts-

Brian.

MicroBob
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#7 Post by MicroBob » Tue Apr 20, 2021 8:38 pm

Hi Brian,
one drawback of the FM31 is it's low build, not really good to use for more than minutes. Other field microscopes are much better in this area.
And when you include the necessary accessories the size of the instrument might not be so important any more.

Bob

toomanyhandles
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#8 Post by toomanyhandles » Thu Apr 22, 2021 8:55 pm

I really appreciate all the replies on this, there is a fair amount of discussion off and on since 2016 or so and it took me a bit to get the timeline sorted in my head.

I think I am right when I realize that the FM-31 'clone' that Bresser still lists today- that should? be the same clone examined in the pdf I linked in my first post, and while it isn't perfect it compared pretty well at least in that example.

I don't see right now any Newtons Nm1 or FM-31 in the last 3 months on ebay, there have been a couple non-working / parts McArthurs and one working went for $1200 which seems per research to be going rate on the collector / perhaps user market for those. The Newton sounds really neat.

For that price-point, for just a bit more I have had quotes from Nikon dealers for inspected refurb Labophots that are pretty decked out, w/ fluorescence, etc.

Right now for New field microscopes I only seem to find:

-the Goren (which is very interesting and listed at $1200 new) and

-the Swift M3 series, which has a lot of features, lists at ~650$, but I can't find any reviews about IQ.

-Brunel SP29/ 29D, FM31 clone that might? be made separately and earlier than the Bresser XPD-101, they each list at about the same price today. If there are two series of FM31 clone, this one is probably was was used for the 2011 comparison review.

-And then a Bresser FM31 clone on Amazon, at a decent price in US$, plus I have some Amazon credit to use, so I got this one. If I find it unusable for my purposes, it qualifies for Amazon's regular return policy. Although I would probably sell it as recent articles show that Amazon returns mainly go to landfills, which would be sad if the thing has any functionality.

Myself I grew up with a beloved monocular B & L that I would guess to be from the '50's (I should post images of it here for Ancestry determination) so monocular doesn't bother me, and for the hunch-over-table factor, probably cell phone is going to be the tool to help with that.

I am cautiously optimistic. With a bit of emphasis on the cautious part.

Thank you again!

Brian.
Last edited by toomanyhandles on Sun Apr 25, 2021 12:52 pm, edited 2 times in total.

dtsh
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#9 Post by dtsh » Thu Apr 22, 2021 9:22 pm

Please do followup with your assessment of it. While field microscopes aren't a hot topic, the subject does come up from time to time and I suspect the next person will appreciate it.

toomanyhandles
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#10 Post by toomanyhandles » Sat Nov 12, 2022 10:23 pm

Well, it's been a little while. Seems that getting into the cabinets I keep my microscopes in is a fall/ winter thing for me.
I did travel with this to salt and fresh water locations and used it a bit in 2021, I would call it "played with it".

Optically I found my Bresser XPD-101 decent, leaning to "quite decent". If you look at the Amazon reviews, there are mentions (from 4 total comments, so small n) regarding good optics and grumps re the lighting. I mean sure, it isn't what I got from a professional scope back in the days I worked in research labs. For my eyeball, it was good enough to nice for live viewing, taking photos with it I only tried a little and using an adapter to my cell phone. THAT perhaps due to autocorrect in the phone and my not researching good/best "adapters" and how to get the phone to just take a dumb picture did show hot spots / dark spots that honestly I didn't find that distracting when viewing myself. I am actually not posting images at this time as what I am able to take just didn't reflect what I saw myself, and I don't feel a crappy photo would do it justice. In principle I have the adapters I need for the eyepiece to my DSLR and I will try that over the winter.

It is back on Amazon "international" again at the time of this writing and honestly for the price, especially with free shipping to USA and the exchange rate for me in the USA vs .de, I would call this worth checking out, especially if you have Amazon credit from whatever source. I can get it from Amazon international for $150 less than direct from bresser.de and without paying high shipping to the USA.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07T5DRWKQ

To compare this thing to other achievable options if you are patient. I think that would be against a McArthur (various manufacturers over time) or Swift FM-31 and when either of those come up on ebay, they usually get collector prices (~900 USD for a CTS McArthur just today, for example) vs $479 US new for this Bresser XPD-101 on Amazon today. Barring that one decked-out Swift FM-31 perhaps a year ago that probably had phase and went for what, $12? .sigh.

In the general portable arena: One thing I have available to me but not played with yet is a Diple. I have seen some really nice images of tardigrades taken with that, of course those are kinda big organisms. And that's a ~$200-300 USD thing the size of a deck of cards, that uses your cell phone. The Diple kit you get- you can tailor to your needs and save cost. Often it isn't in stock on Amazon but the manufacturer has it: https://diple.smartmicrooptics.com/

Either way, MicroBob is right, the misc things I pack to take with me outside the field microscope itself take up a plastic box the size of a loaf of bread. (I was going to say a football, but given the international audience, that seemed even worse a comparison than a bread loaf : )

It has been a lot of fun reading up on field microscopes and I hope I am able to get more to try out! It is hard competing with the collectors, though. Thanks all for your replies on this thread and also elsewhere on the forum.

Brian.

Macro_Cosmos
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Re: Any Bresser XPD-101 field microscope users?

#11 Post by Macro_Cosmos » Mon Nov 14, 2022 9:39 pm

Even the FM-31 was a white labelled Chinese microscope, so this "clone" statement is quite funny. The Japanese ones all came out of a factory in Nanjing, this factory also made those clone Mitutoyos, called Plan Apo L which takes the L compared to a proper one, or a better made one for the matter (ie Motic). I suppose it was a safe assumption because of the scarcity of information and many company's blatant disregard of IP.

Here is my cute field microscope, it was actually made for the PLA (People's Liberation Army) field researchers. I need to spend a lot more time cleaning it up, relubricating and adjusting. The image quality is fine for what it is, a field tool. The black box at the back is designed to house two large batteries. I plan on making an LED module powered by an external battery pack. Watch it never happen. :lol:
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