MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hi everyone,

I'm about to purchase my first microscope and am wondering if anyone can tell me if there is a major detectable difference in illumination from a 1w bulb vs a 3w bulb?

The two scopes I'm tossing up between essentially have two main difference.

One has semi plan objectives but a 1 watt led.

The other has achromatic objectives but a 3 watt led...

I'm paralysed with indecision.

Any thoughts would be most welcome!

- Marl

A 3 watt LED is roughly equivalent to a 25-30W halogen light source.

lorez

Which microscopes are they?

Hi, achromatic are likely to be semi plan.
Discussions often become about the equipment,
The intended subjects are more important, what images have inspired you?
Research the technique used to light those images.
Expecting to see DIC,phase contrast or dark field images through a low budget new microscope would be disappointing.
As with most things it's what you find out after you own it, asking the right questions here is a great start.

The location of the illuminator is of important in determining the brightness of an illumination system. Lamps located right under the stage of low wattage, can be brighter than one located in the body or rear of the microscope even though they are of higher wattage.

However, if the illuminators are pretty much in the same location, in the base, under the stage.

Of the types of illumination techniques usually employed by amateurs, dark field is by far the most demanding of the lighting source. You will not be able to do high resolution DF with 3 watts of led illumination.
You will however, be able to do phase contrast, and use various stops, filters and masks.

1 watt is limited to bright field illumination only, unless the illuminator is very close to the stage, which I doubt it is.

Hi Marl,
many important microscope properties can' t be read from the technical data. You can upgrade the objectives or LED but you can't upgrade e.g. the guides that hold the table. And for achromatic, semi-plan and plan there is no common standard. The Leitz NPL Fluotars are planar over a field of 24mm v.s. Leitz "Plan" that offered 28mm, cheap "Plan" objectives today are planar perhaps over a field of 18mm.

Bob