Cheap stereo microscope?

Everything relating to microscopy hardware: Objectives, eyepieces, lamps and more.
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Brutha
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Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:35 pm

Cheap stereo microscope?

#1 Post by Brutha » Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:31 pm

Hi All,

So far I've been very happy indeed with my Swift 380T compound microscope, which I got from Amazon for ~ £240 a few weeks back.

Since I live close to the sea, I have plenty of opportunity to take samples from rock pools and so on, and there are lots of larger creatures and other stuff I'd like to look at.

So, I'm wondering if there is something similar in the same "price vs quality" area in the stereo microscope space? I would like something that has a camera port just like the 380T.

Any suggestions?

Cheers

Brutha

Rorschach
Posts: 334
Joined: Sun Mar 10, 2019 11:44 am

Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#2 Post by Rorschach » Thu Jul 29, 2021 2:37 pm

I've seen a couple Wild M5 stereos with a photo port go for 300-400 euros, although usually they cost more. Mainly the original yellow/beige versions, not the newer grey ones (which tend to cost more than the beige ones). Anyway, I would say that's a very good optical and mechanical quality vs price. Infinitely better than a new stereo from China.

PeteM
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#3 Post by PeteM » Thu Jul 29, 2021 3:57 pm

The cheapest usable stereo microscopes we've used have been AmScope models with two magnifications, switched by rotating a turret. Essentially the same scope can be had from other Chinese-made brands like Omax, Omano, and Swift. 10x and 30x (rather than 20x and 40x) would be my preference.

The added cheap 15x and 20x eyepieces are pretty much a waste IMO.

These scopes cost around $150 USD and have top and bottom illumination. No trinocular, but a cell phone holder and cell phone take about as good photos as you'll get through a cheap stereo scope and are quick to swap in and out. Even faster if you keep your old cell phone camera and permanently attach it to a third eyepiece. It's then about as easy as using a trinocular head.

A good used stereo microscope in the $200-$300 range will have better construction, perhaps a zoom, more working distance, and a wider field of view. They may also have better quality supplemental objectives to either lower the magnification (and increase working distance) or get up to 2x. You might search past posts for recommendations. If located near the sea happens to be the Bay Area, CA - our local Children's Museum of Discovery has a dozen or so models you could try.

Brutha
Posts: 16
Joined: Mon Jul 05, 2021 2:35 pm

Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#4 Post by Brutha » Thu Jul 29, 2021 5:02 pm

Thanks all, some good info there!

Maybe it’s worth keeping an eye on eBay and see what pops up.

Quite a way from Bay Area CA in my case though, I.e. one continent plus one one ocean as I’m in the west of Scotland!

BramHuntingNematodes
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#5 Post by BramHuntingNematodes » Thu Jul 29, 2021 5:41 pm

Cycloptic!!
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination

dtsh
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Location: Wisconsin

Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#6 Post by dtsh » Thu Jul 29, 2021 6:23 pm

BramHuntingNematodes wrote:
Thu Jul 29, 2021 5:41 pm
Cycloptic!!
I've been exceedingly happy with my Cycloptic and would suggest one if found at a reasonable price.
That said, depending on what the expectations are many of the stereos of yesteryear are likely to perform at least as well as a modern inexpensive stereo at a fraction of the cost.

Phill Brown
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Location: Devon UK.

Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#7 Post by Phill Brown » Thu Jul 29, 2021 7:52 pm

I have Watson Barnett stereo, worth a look at the price.
Still excellent for the intended use of dissection or slide preparation.
All metal, come up on eBay UK often.
5x and 10x eyepieces.
Seen 1.25x.2.5x.5x.10x
Double or triple nose.
As most images are not reproduced in 3D trinocular isn't a deal breaker for stereo, some of the zoom camera Macro settings give better image results, lighting being a critical factor.

Dubious
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#8 Post by Dubious » Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:17 pm

I have one of those inexpensive stereo Amscope microscopes PeteM mentions above--the AmScope SE306R-PZ-LED in my case, with 2x and 4x objectives--and quite like it. Runs a long time on its internal battery, and is hard to beat for convenience in moving around. I also tried a much larger Amscope trinocular zoom stereo microscope that I returned in the end because I suspected something was out of alignment (optics seemed very good, however). For new stereo microscopes, Amscope is hard to beat on price/performance (just need to be prepared to return any lemons, as Amscope apparently does not do any quality control before forwarding the microscope on to the customer--at least in the US). The same microscopes are sold under a variety of names and can also be purchased directly from China.

Rorschach
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#9 Post by Rorschach » Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:25 am

"just need to be prepared to return any lemons" Well, I am NOT ready to do that. I am firmly of the opinion that it is inexcusable for new products to have a significant rate of lemons. They are making their customers do their quality control. Absolutely disgusting.

MichaelG.
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#10 Post by MichaelG. » Fri Jul 30, 2021 8:13 am

Rorschach wrote:
Fri Jul 30, 2021 4:25 am
"just need to be prepared to return any lemons" Well, I am NOT ready to do that. I am firmly of the opinion that it is inexcusable for new products to have a significant rate of lemons. They are making their customers do their quality control. Absolutely disgusting.
A business-model successfully used by Clive Sinclair … Patron Saint of box-shifters.

MichaelG.

.
https://rk.nvg.ntnu.no/sinclair/sinclair/principles.htm
Too many 'projects'

Phill Brown
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#11 Post by Phill Brown » Fri Jul 30, 2021 9:39 am

Phase "B" testing we called it in electronics.

Dubious
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#12 Post by Dubious » Fri Jul 30, 2021 11:24 pm

I'm afraid that many companies, not just "stencil" manufacturers like Amscope, rely more than they should on customers to find their lemons. Not ideal, certainly, but so long as prices are low and returns are allowed, it is difficult to complain too much. And to be fair, I don't think Amscope's rate of lemons is that high. Their other products that I've purchased--including two microscopes, a camera, and a bunch of accessories--arrived in perfect working condition.

Rorschach
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#13 Post by Rorschach » Sat Jul 31, 2021 3:52 am

I wouldn't call the prices low when one can find a quality used scope from a major brand for the same money - sometimes even for less.

farnsy
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#14 Post by farnsy » Sat Jul 31, 2021 4:05 am

Rorschach wrote:
Sat Jul 31, 2021 3:52 am
I wouldn't call the prices low when one can find a quality used scope from a major brand for the same money - sometimes even for less.
A used scope is a different animal. A different type of person wants it. If you have some knowledge and are willing to do a little DIY, there are amazing deals on the used market (for just about any product). That's not what consumers looking for new products usually want, though, so I don't think it's a reasonable comparison.

At the "price/quality" point referenced by the original post, lemons are to be expected. This stuff was mass produced at the lowest cost possible in sweatshops on the other side of the world and shipped to your door without ever being opened for less than you would pay for a single eyepiece from a top 4 manufacturer. There are going to be some cut corners.

Scarodactyl
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#15 Post by Scarodactyl » Sat Jul 31, 2021 4:07 am

On the other hand your chance of getting a lemon buying used is pretty high, even with quality brands. And if you're in the wrong part of the world the selection isn't necessarily going to be great.

Rorschach
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#16 Post by Rorschach » Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:06 am

About those cheap prices...

There are countries where child labor is/has been used extensively, and where environmental issues are/have very recently been ABSOLUTELY thrown out the window to achieve said low costs and thus low prices for the product, causing huge problems and widespread destruction. There are countries where genocide and systematic brainwashing is used on ethnic minorities - this is going on this very moment. This is also accompanied by forced labor in factories, again a means to achieve those low prices. There are countries whose technological success during the last 2-3 decades has been achieved through systematic and forceful implementation of industrial espionage and reverse engineering. Nice way to achieve low prices by not paying for development, not paying royalties, not paying for licences.

Those are the means to reach the low product prices. Guess which country sits on top of the list for all of the above? Do you really want to support that activity? Answer honestly please.

I am aware that this message will annoy some people. But I will not apologize for that - the issues are vastly more important than the calmness of mind of people on a message board. Basically what it boils down to is whether you want to be part of the problem or the solution. That choice is further cemented every time you buy something. Every time.

Scarodactyl
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#17 Post by Scarodactyl » Sat Jul 31, 2021 5:23 am

You can't avoid Chinese-made products in pretty much any context these days, and whether you buy from amscope or not will have no effect on those issues.
Regardless this doesn't seem like a very productive line of conversation.

Dubious
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#18 Post by Dubious » Sat Jul 31, 2021 6:14 pm

Rorschach, I agree with you about the problem but not the solution, which I believe requires Congressional action. For a variety of reasons including those you mentioned, if it were up to me, I would in a heartbeat vote for a return to the protective tariffs that we had for 200 years until the "free trade" movement of the 70s/80s eviscerated American manufacturing; but, until then, my refusing to buy consumer products--which given the present economic realities are just about all made in China/Vietnam/India/etc--would do little but deprive me of consumer products.

farnsy
Posts: 209
Joined: Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:03 pm
Location: Fort Worth, Texas

Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#19 Post by farnsy » Sat Jul 31, 2021 7:12 pm

Before considering additional tariffs or other actions, we could start by ceasing government subsidies of Chinese imports. For example, at the moment it costs far less to mail something from China to my house than from 20 miles away to my house because the USPS picks up most of their tab as part of a program to encourage growth in developing countries. Imports also frequently do not pay sales tax (depending on how they are purchased), while domestic purchases do. To say nothing of the many regulations domestic producers and retailers must comply with that do not apply to foreign companies. First, do no harm. If we stopped actively tipping the scales in China's favor, I don't think we would need to worry as much about punishing them for what we consider unfair practices.

I personally don't like to try and solve macroeconomic problems by changing my personal spending choices. I have never seen that work. I don't mind if other people do it, though, because that doesn't affect me.

wild2020
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#20 Post by wild2020 » Sun Aug 01, 2021 1:08 am

Many products labelled as made in Germany or similar are actually made in China and then the last stage of assembly or quality control is done in the country named on the product, the product I avoid the most when it comes to Chinese manufacturers are food products as I do not trust their standards,

Personally I have tried a few stereos including one of the cheap 1x 3x objective types which was not bad

currently use a wild m8 I bought used it was certainly not ready to use although advertised as such I had to repair it and replace several parts but in the end I have great microscope for a decent price.

fociwm
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#21 Post by fociwm » Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:54 pm

I bought a Vision Scientific zoom stereoscope for home use from amazon. I have had it for two weeks by now. It is parfocal over the zoom range and I'm quite satisfied. I don't know if there is any product with a lower price than them on amazon.

They have only one zoom stereo head and thousands of configurations around this single head (https://www.visionsci.com/microscopes/i ... scope.html).

Scarodactyl
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#22 Post by Scarodactyl » Tue Aug 10, 2021 11:03 pm

They have 4 others listed under the 'stereo' category, each of which has exact equivalents from amscope or any other given supplier of chinese stereos.

PeteM
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#23 Post by PeteM » Wed Aug 11, 2021 1:39 am

fociwm wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:54 pm
I bought a Vision Scientific . . .
Eleven posts in the past 24 hours or so -- all flogging this stencil brand and providing pretty much inaccurate comments about the competition.

One might try buying something like the identical-appearing and priced "Parco Scientific" stereo microscopes - but they may well be the same Westland-Michigan-based company? Parco at least has some history of providing good service.

fociwm
Posts: 12
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#24 Post by fociwm » Wed Aug 11, 2021 2:58 am

PeteM wrote:
Wed Aug 11, 2021 1:39 am
fociwm wrote:
Tue Aug 10, 2021 9:54 pm
I bought a Vision Scientific . . .
Eleven posts in the past 24 hours or so -- all flogging this stencil brand and providing pretty much inaccurate comments about the competition.

One might try buying something like the identical-appearing and priced "Parco Scientific" stereo microscopes - but they may well be the same Westland-Michigan-based company? Parco at least has some history of providing good service.
Yeah, you may be right. I'm totally new to this field. It seems like there are many things I have to learn about these stencil brands and things. "Parco Scientific" indeed looks nearly identical. It even has nearly identical products at the almost identical prices at Amazon as well!! I feel dumb. Maybe I have to shut up for a while until I learn more.

PeteM
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Re: Cheap stereo microscope?

#25 Post by PeteM » Wed Aug 11, 2021 5:39 am

No problem. Just hoped you weren't spamming us.

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