I would like to hear comments concerning the Amscope 490 series of microscopes…construction, quality of the frame and optics, compatibility with other brands, etc.
The 490 is supposely a copy of the Olympus BH/CH series… is it and if so how does it compare construction and optics wise? and
Thanks
Amscope 490 microscope
Re: Amscope 490 microscope
They look similar. Spend your money on the original equipment.
lorez
lorez
Nikon 80i
Re: Amscope 490 microscope
LOL..I understand.
One of the reasons I am asking is to determine how much interchangeability there is between the brands/models…do Olympus parts fit Amscope/do Amscope parts fit Olympus?
Recently I had the opportunity to use an Amscope 490T. While most of my past experience has been with Zeiss/Leitz, I was impressed with the fit and finish of that particular Amscope scope.
I would love to see someone do a teardown comparison of the Amscope 490 series to the Olympus analog.
One of the reasons I am asking is to determine how much interchangeability there is between the brands/models…do Olympus parts fit Amscope/do Amscope parts fit Olympus?
Recently I had the opportunity to use an Amscope 490T. While most of my past experience has been with Zeiss/Leitz, I was impressed with the fit and finish of that particular Amscope scope.
I would love to see someone do a teardown comparison of the Amscope 490 series to the Olympus analog.
Re: Amscope 490 microscope
I doubt you'll find much interchangeability, not even objectives or correcting eypieces if the BH/CH has short barrel objectives.
As for parts (judging by my experience getting internal parts from Omax -like AmScope - a brand owned by the same distributor) you're more likely to find what you need with used Olympus parts on eBay.
The Amscope 490 is a decent microscope, but not built as well as the Olympus. The nosepiece is cheaper, the mechanical stage less robust, and the gibs to hold the stage tend to come loose. The focus does feel pretty nice. Whether that is due to design and build or lots of grease inside, I don't know. Haven't been inside on that model.
The design itself (both AmScope 490 and Olympus BH/CH) is pretty old - with a not-up-to-current standards illumination system.
Not sure if it was the AmScope, but the quality of some of the Chinese plan 40x objectives is pretty poor. These have a small recessed hole for the terminal lens - almost as if someone had drilled a 2mm hole through the end of the barrel and stuck a lens deep inside. These start out so-so and then prove impossible to clean.
Here, for example, is a recent Amazon review of the T490:
Phil
2.0 out of 5 stars Good product, non-existent customer service
Reviewed in the United States
on March 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
The microscope itself is fine but the 40x objective I received was blurry out of the box and they don't answer their phones or respond to emails. I don't know how to get them to respond so I'm resorting to a bad review.
One person found this helpful
The plan achromat objectives and recent upper-end scopes tend to be decent, so this may be a problem with older or cheaper versions. The old Olympus short-barrel objectives, while lacking the best of modern coatings, tend to be surprisingly good. The newer long-barrel objectives edge out the Chinese clones achromat to achromat, and plan achromat to plan achromat. The Olympus line then goes on to offer even better plan fluorite and plan apo options - sometimes affordable used.
As for parts (judging by my experience getting internal parts from Omax -like AmScope - a brand owned by the same distributor) you're more likely to find what you need with used Olympus parts on eBay.
The Amscope 490 is a decent microscope, but not built as well as the Olympus. The nosepiece is cheaper, the mechanical stage less robust, and the gibs to hold the stage tend to come loose. The focus does feel pretty nice. Whether that is due to design and build or lots of grease inside, I don't know. Haven't been inside on that model.
The design itself (both AmScope 490 and Olympus BH/CH) is pretty old - with a not-up-to-current standards illumination system.
Not sure if it was the AmScope, but the quality of some of the Chinese plan 40x objectives is pretty poor. These have a small recessed hole for the terminal lens - almost as if someone had drilled a 2mm hole through the end of the barrel and stuck a lens deep inside. These start out so-so and then prove impossible to clean.
Here, for example, is a recent Amazon review of the T490:
Phil
2.0 out of 5 stars Good product, non-existent customer service
Reviewed in the United States
on March 19, 2022Verified Purchase
The microscope itself is fine but the 40x objective I received was blurry out of the box and they don't answer their phones or respond to emails. I don't know how to get them to respond so I'm resorting to a bad review.
One person found this helpful
The plan achromat objectives and recent upper-end scopes tend to be decent, so this may be a problem with older or cheaper versions. The old Olympus short-barrel objectives, while lacking the best of modern coatings, tend to be surprisingly good. The newer long-barrel objectives edge out the Chinese clones achromat to achromat, and plan achromat to plan achromat. The Olympus line then goes on to offer even better plan fluorite and plan apo options - sometimes affordable used.