Best Lab Compound Monocular Microscopes
It comes with full optical glass elements, metal framework, 360 degree rotatable monocular head, and LED illumination. Widefield all optical glass elements includes single lens condenser with disc diaphragm.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Got mine very well packaged and fast shipping. I would highly recommend this product to ANYONE, especially a high school student because this one is the same quality as the ones we use in school AND it's only 80 freekin dollars!"
"I bought this to check fecal samples for worm eggs in my animals, to assess wool fiber quality, and to identify bacteria and fungus in cultures."
"Picture 1 is a fruit fly taken with the 40x objective lens. Picture 2 is a fruit fly taken with the 4x objective lens. Picture 3 is cheek cells stained with an IKI indicator with the 40x objective lens. Picture 4 is an onion root tip with the 10x objective lens."
"I also purchased a gram stain and bacterial growth kit and I am having waaaaay too much fun."
"It’s clearly a full size bug that could fit on the tip of a needle!"
"I give prepared slides, Greg's Microscope, The World in a Drop of Water, and AmScope The World of the Microscope A Practical Introduction with Projects and Activities along with it."
"Closing The Deal. Overall, I would highly recommend this product to nearly any entry level user it can come with a few draw backs for a more advanced user such as, inability to see inside cells clearly and lack of a binocular objective, which could be expected as it is clearly marketed as a monocular objective however I do think it could improve the ease and clarity of use. However, this scope has fully met and exceeded all of my expectations for this device and I am extremely happy with this product and would buy it again."
"Got for our teenage daughter as a gift with a box of 100 glass slides."
The AmScope M158C-E monocular compound microscope has a 10x widefield and 25x widefield eyepiece, a forward-facing nosepiece with three DIN achromatic objectives, Brightfield LED illumination, a 0.65 NA single-lens condenser, and a plain stage. A digital compound microscope is used for inspection and dissection specimens when two-dimensional images are desired, and where image capture, detailed records, or documentation is required. The microscope includes a 0.3MP camera that has a CMOS color sensor for displaying still and video images, or streaming live video to a computer or projector. The camera includes a Windows-only compatible image capture and editing software package that provides still image and live video capture and editing. Brightfield (BF) illumination allows the specimen to absorb light, resulting in a dark image on a light background. Specifications Head. Compound monocular. Eyepieces. WF10x, WF25x. Objectives. 4X, 10x, 40xS achromatic. Stage. Plain. Lighting configuration. Transmitted (lower). Condenser. Single lens. Diaphragm. Disc diaphragm. Light source. LED, 4.5V. Illumination type. Brightfield. Power. 110V/60Hz or three AA batteries Camera Specifications Resolution. 0.3MP. Image type. Still and live video. File formats. JPG, TIF, GIF, PSD, WMF, BMP. Sensor. CMOS. Mounting size. 23mm, 30mm, 30.5mm. Camera type. Brightfield. Computer connection. USB 2.0. Software. Windows. Compatibility. Windows XP, Vista, 7, and 8; and Mac OS (Driver Free). Microscopes are instruments used to enhance the resolution of an object or image. AmScope M158C-E microscope with plain stage WF10x eyepiece WF25x eyepiece 4x DIN achromatic objective 10x DIN achromatic objective 40x DIN achromatic objective (2) Stage clips 0.3MP camera USB 2.0 cable Software CD, Windows-compatible Dust cover Instructions. Monocular viewing head with interchangeable 10x widefield and 25x widefield eyepieces, fixed 45-degree vertical inclination to reduce eye and neck strain, and 360-degree rotation capability to provide a more comprehensive view and enable sharing.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I bought this microscope (AmScope 40X-1000X LED Cordless All-Metal Framework Full-Glass Lens Student Biological Microscope + Digital Camera USB Imager) new from AmScope through Amazon.com and got very quick too. After unpacking the box and connecting the power line, you may feel the light is not ON, even when you kept the switch in ON position. That is because you may need to set the power of the light in right intensity by moving the dial placed below the illuminating lens on your right side (almost near the bottom). For manual, going to AmScope's website directly is of no value, as you don't know the model number yet. Most likely your model (if you buy it from Amazon) is M150; but the supplied instruction manual will say it as XSP-116F (god knows why). Also before you buy this, you may like to visit AmScope's website to see other alternate choices."
"In order to reach the higher magnifications (up to 1000x)or view images on a computer, you have to replace the 2x eyepiece, which is held in place with an Allen-type set screw. An Allen wrench comes with the microscope, but the screw was tight and hard to remove. A mechanical stage allows you to make slight adjustments to the position of the slide, which is hard to do when you're just using your fingers."
"We ordered the scope along with some pre-assembled slides and other slides."
"The "AmScope 40X-1000X LED Cordless All-Metal Framework Full-Glass Optical Lens Student Biological Compound Microscope + Digital Camera USB Imager" could be used for most of the work I did while using a simple compound microscope if it was the only microscope that was available."
"Hello, if you download the ProScope software, the camera that is included with this microscope will work on a Mac."
AmScope M100C-LED 40x-1000x All-Metal Student Cordless LED Field Biological Compound Microscope with All Optical Glass Lenses AmScope M100C-LED is the most cost effective yet high quality biological microscope for young scientists and scientific enthusiastic age eight and up. The microscope provides sharp clear images and will last long enough to cover all the way from elementary to high school. The sturdy metal construct offers stable images at high magnification levels instead of shaking ones. AmScope M100C-LED features five levels of magnification settings that produce crystal clear image without any frustrations. The interaction between field of view (FOV), numerical aperture (NA), and working distance (WD) determines resolution. Microscopes are widely used in education, lab research, biology, metallurgy, engineering, chemistry, manufacturing, and in the medical, forensic science, and veterinary industries. Easy to take to field sites Powered by batteries or low voltage wall power for your children's safety Plug transformer included Excellent instrument that is easy to operate 45 degree inclined 360 degree swiveling monocular head with locked-in eyepiece Plain stage with clips and stain resistant finish Fully coated optical system High resolution offering sharp images Five Levels of Magnification: 40X-100X-250X-400X-1000X Two eyepieces included Built-in LED illumination system Single lens condenser and disc diaphragm Dual focusing control knobs Full optical glass elements All metal mechanical components Solid metal frame with stain resistant enamel finish Head: 45 degree inclined 360 degree swiveling monocular Eyepiece: WF10X and 25X Objectives: 4X, 10X, 40X Condenser: single lens with disc diaphragm Stage Dimensions: 3-1/2 inch x 3-1/2 inch Illumination: 110V wall power (power adapter included) or three batteries Manufactured under ISO 9001 quality control standard Excellent five (5) year factory warranty. 45 degree Inclined 360 degree Rotatale Monocular Head.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Light is provided by either batteries (3ea/AAA) or a wall outlet and there is a well placed easily manipulated switch on the base. You can drag this thing along on a field trip if you wanted to though I can't imagine why you would. But I bought the scope and an Amscope 50 pc prepared slide box and altogether my shipping was only $4something. The scope came with a transformer and 2 WF view finders though I have not yet figured out how to install the second. Harking back to not knowing how to install that second view finder, the "instructions" (I can hardly call them that) are something less than useless as another reviewer reported. I decided against forking out the money for a book about it figuring (rightly it turns out) there's plenty of free information available on the web. In doing the web research, I discovered that magnification for the 1000x might want immersion oil but to beware that it is not for all lenses and there's nought to tell you yea or nay on this scope."
"This video was taken by holding a video camera up to the eyepiece of our AmScope model M100C-LED, so the actual view using your eye isn't so tunneled. We looked at the louse at 400x also, but I couldn't get decent video at that magnification."
"We are really enjoying our microscope!"
"Great gadget for the budding scientist, has everything aperature to add on that you would need."
"My seven year old son loves this scope, I've had no issues whatsoever with it, neither has he, also purchased the prepared slides, along with a set of new ones for further investigation by the little guy."
"My girls love this!"
"Absolutely awesome microscope."
"Highly Recommended*****Fast Delivery*****Thank You*****."
Best Lab Compound Microscopes
This is an OMAX compound biological microscope with eight level magnifications from 40X to 2000X.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"FYI I'm writing this review by comparing the OMAX to name brand microscopes such as Olympus and Nikon because these are the microscopes typically available at any JC, SU, or university. The microscope is a slightly smaller than name brand microscopes, yet it does not fail to produce the same results as name brand microscopes. The microscope comes with a 5x, 10x, 40x, and 100x objectives. Again the OMAX come with 4 main objectives (5x,10x, 40x, and 100x) and 2 sets of ocular objectives (10x and 20x). UPGRADES - The ocular objectives are removable, so these can be swapped out for better ocular objectives, Also the main objectives (5x, 10x, 40x, and 100x) are removable, so these can be swapped out for better objectives. THE PACKAGE - The OMAX came with the microscope along with the 4 main objectives and 2 ocular objectives. The OMAX also came with a two ocular covers, so if one would like to store the microscope the ocular objectives can be removed and covers can be placed in the eye piece slots. All I had to do was plug it in and pop in the ocular objects to begin viewing things under the microscope. This is a great high quality microscope that produces the same results as name brand microscopes. Some people might be tempted to purchase a microscope for more money because of the rationale that more money equates to better quality but the OMAX delivers the same results as the Olympus and Nikon microscopes for a fraction of the price. If your looking to buy to buy a microscope to do college or professional work or use just looking to buy a hobby microscope look no further. With the OMAX i can view probably about 95 percent of the slide because the X axis does not have the same range as high end microscope, but this is not an issue for me. I was hesitant to buy this microscope because of the low price, but was pleasantly surprised when it came operated like and better than the microscopes on campus."
"Within one minute of opening the box, I used my Galaxy 5 phone camera and snapped this pic of the microbes on some old cheese."
"And, as we will see below, most microscope kits don't offer any intermediate magnifications between 1000X and the maximum magnification they offer (2000X or 2500X), so that maximum magnification doesn't really give you any extra resolution over a 1000X microscope. Compound microscopes obtain their magnifications by combining the eyepiece magnification with the objective magnification. The objective magnifications usually are: 4X, 10X, 40X, and 100X. The 100X objective cannot be used as is, it requires a special immersion oil (see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_immersion for explanation); so in inexpensive microscopes, this objective is usually missing, Regarding eyepieces, you usually get 10X or pairs of 10x+20X or 10X+25X. I still don't have an exact formula, as it depends on several factors including the wavelength of the illumination light, but a comment to this review pointed me to a rule of thumb that I also found mentioned in a Zeiss article on microscopy - that rule says that the maximum magnification that can be expected to be achieved with an objective would be 1000 times the numerical aperture value of the objective - see zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/articles/basics/resolution.html). The numerical apertures and maximum magnifications for the OMAX objectives are the following: 4X (0.10/100X), 10X (0.25/250X), 40X (0.65/650X), 100X (1.25/1250X). So, if we exclude the false magnifications, these are the magnifications that we can expect from each combination of objective and eyepiece (note that even this is optimistic, because we evaluated the maximum magnification, which we will probably not reach in practice): 10X: 40X (with 4X objective), 100X (with 10X), 400X (with 40X), 1000X (with 100X). A few more things you should know about this OMAX microscope: The objectives come pre-installed, but not everything is configured for optimal operation. There is a focusing rack stop screw that is supposed to help prevent the slides from being pushed into the larger magnification objectives (40X and 100X) - that screw will need to be adjusted as it does not come pre-set and on my sample it allowed the slides to be pushed into the high magnification objectives (40X and 100X - those objectives are spring loaded to prevent damage, but it is better to avoid it by also limiting the movement of the stage using this screw). A few accessories suggested: OMAX A Pair of Rubber Eyecups for Microscopes with 23.2mm Eyepieces. OMAX 60X Achromatic Objective Lens (spring) for Compound Microscopes. Some quick comments on these items: - The rubber cups are very nice and I wish they were included even if they had to bump the price of the package - they really make it more comfortable to use the eyepieces."
"I am a veterinarian that purchased this microscope for use in my clinic (for examination of blood, tissue, urine, fecal samples, etc)."
Best Inspection & Analysis
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"I was able to snake this thing up there and see everything that I was doing with my hand, and also lay under the car in a comfortable position while I watched what I was doing on my phone. Most of us are carrying around super high quality video monitors in our pockets, so I decided to give this device a try. Also those more expensive units have the cable connected to the screen which is usually mounted to some kind of handle. I have a magnet attached to the back of my phone and it just stuck right up to the pan on the bottom of the transmission. As to durability, I have only had it a week or so and it's holding up so far, although I can envision some problems over time with repeated flexing of the cable. The view you get with it is just like with your phone camera, meaning if you rotate the scope clockwise, the image will also turn which can be disorienting. I got the camera in the right orientation and then bent a "W" shape in the cable a few feet back from the end of the scope. The app allows you to show a mirror image of what you are scoping and you can get rid of the icons on the screen so they don't interfere with what you are trying to look at with the camera. Pros: Price, image quality for live video, stills and captured video, long cable length, WiFi connectivity. Cons: Cheap WiFi box, barebones app, resolution not really changeable."
"I bought this inspection camera for my Dillon XL650 bullet press to be able to inspect brass bullet cartridges while reloading them."
"Really impressed with the Depstech Wifi Endiscope."
"For the price it is fine, but if you're looking to use it for serious inspection inside of things, be sure you have a light to chine into the item or run in separately."
"I purchased this endoscope because I didn't want to take all my kids to the dr when they are already not feeling well, making them more vulnerable to other illnesses, just for their doctor to say "it's a virus, just let it run its course" I wanted to be able to look in their ears and see if they might have an ear infection on top of a virus."
"Focus range is extremely limited: 1.2" to 2.4" (3 cm - 4 cm-- same as what the company website says). I'm quite surprised that something with such a tiny sensor would have such a minimum depth of field (focus) (Technically these are different terms, but bottomline is: is it sharp enough to tell what it is? The blurry results from my ear nixed any ideas of DIY colonoscopies.... the other areas it was pretty useless. In the past I've needed a device like this to examine a sewer line, look under tight spaces. I would suggest buying a lower resolution, USB connected endoscope, with a greater depth of field (focus range)."
Best Lab Compound Binocular Microscopes
This is an OMAX compound biological microscope with eight level magnifications from 40X to 2000X.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"FYI I'm writing this review by comparing the OMAX to name brand microscopes such as Olympus and Nikon because these are the microscopes typically available at any JC, SU, or university. The microscope is a slightly smaller than name brand microscopes, yet it does not fail to produce the same results as name brand microscopes. The microscope comes with a 5x, 10x, 40x, and 100x objectives. Again the OMAX come with 4 main objectives (5x,10x, 40x, and 100x) and 2 sets of ocular objectives (10x and 20x). UPGRADES - The ocular objectives are removable, so these can be swapped out for better ocular objectives, Also the main objectives (5x, 10x, 40x, and 100x) are removable, so these can be swapped out for better objectives. THE PACKAGE - The OMAX came with the microscope along with the 4 main objectives and 2 ocular objectives. The OMAX also came with a two ocular covers, so if one would like to store the microscope the ocular objectives can be removed and covers can be placed in the eye piece slots. All I had to do was plug it in and pop in the ocular objects to begin viewing things under the microscope. This is a great high quality microscope that produces the same results as name brand microscopes. Some people might be tempted to purchase a microscope for more money because of the rationale that more money equates to better quality but the OMAX delivers the same results as the Olympus and Nikon microscopes for a fraction of the price. If your looking to buy to buy a microscope to do college or professional work or use just looking to buy a hobby microscope look no further. With the OMAX i can view probably about 95 percent of the slide because the X axis does not have the same range as high end microscope, but this is not an issue for me. I was hesitant to buy this microscope because of the low price, but was pleasantly surprised when it came operated like and better than the microscopes on campus."
"Within one minute of opening the box, I used my Galaxy 5 phone camera and snapped this pic of the microbes on some old cheese."
"And, as we will see below, most microscope kits don't offer any intermediate magnifications between 1000X and the maximum magnification they offer (2000X or 2500X), so that maximum magnification doesn't really give you any extra resolution over a 1000X microscope. Compound microscopes obtain their magnifications by combining the eyepiece magnification with the objective magnification. The objective magnifications usually are: 4X, 10X, 40X, and 100X. The 100X objective cannot be used as is, it requires a special immersion oil (see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_immersion for explanation); so in inexpensive microscopes, this objective is usually missing, Regarding eyepieces, you usually get 10X or pairs of 10x+20X or 10X+25X. I still don't have an exact formula, as it depends on several factors including the wavelength of the illumination light, but a comment to this review pointed me to a rule of thumb that I also found mentioned in a Zeiss article on microscopy - that rule says that the maximum magnification that can be expected to be achieved with an objective would be 1000 times the numerical aperture value of the objective - see zeiss-campus.magnet.fsu.edu/articles/basics/resolution.html). The numerical apertures and maximum magnifications for the OMAX objectives are the following: 4X (0.10/100X), 10X (0.25/250X), 40X (0.65/650X), 100X (1.25/1250X). So, if we exclude the false magnifications, these are the magnifications that we can expect from each combination of objective and eyepiece (note that even this is optimistic, because we evaluated the maximum magnification, which we will probably not reach in practice): 10X: 40X (with 4X objective), 100X (with 10X), 400X (with 40X), 1000X (with 100X). A few more things you should know about this OMAX microscope: The objectives come pre-installed, but not everything is configured for optimal operation. There is a focusing rack stop screw that is supposed to help prevent the slides from being pushed into the larger magnification objectives (40X and 100X) - that screw will need to be adjusted as it does not come pre-set and on my sample it allowed the slides to be pushed into the high magnification objectives (40X and 100X - those objectives are spring loaded to prevent damage, but it is better to avoid it by also limiting the movement of the stage using this screw). A few accessories suggested: OMAX A Pair of Rubber Eyecups for Microscopes with 23.2mm Eyepieces. OMAX 60X Achromatic Objective Lens (spring) for Compound Microscopes. Some quick comments on these items: - The rubber cups are very nice and I wish they were included even if they had to bump the price of the package - they really make it more comfortable to use the eyepieces."
"I am a veterinarian that purchased this microscope for use in my clinic (for examination of blood, tissue, urine, fecal samples, etc)."
Best Lab Compound Trinocular Microscopes
The advanced compound trinocular microscope 40X to 2500X provides a 14MP USB digital imaging system and a LED illumination system.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"The camera resoultion has 3 settings in the software: 4096X3288 (13.2 megapixels). 2048X1644 ( 3.3 megapixels). 1024X822 ( 0.8 megapixels). I found that for live, smooth video recording (and for focusing), I needed to use the lowest resolution for quick moving subjects. At first I thought that this and the 5-MP microscope were the same scope with a different camera but, after looking at the details, it appears that the controls and heft of this one is a notch above the less expensive (though I'm sure a good quality) 5 Megapixel CS-M83ES-C50U version."
"Impressed with this microscope's optics!"
"If you are wanting a great microscope with a great camara you will love this one."
"The 14 MP camera is amazing and it allows for you to digitally zoom in which allows you to get a even closer view! The only very small detail that I can complain about is that the focus is just a bit off from the camera to the eye piece but that's not a big deal."
"Cons: It comes with camera software but you must purchase an additional TS-M1 micrometer slide to calibrate the scope camera so the software is ready to use. A plus to this is these are $10 slides and inexpensive only if your calibration needs are within tolerance of .01 mm (10 micrometers) but the microscope dealer should inform the consumer of the whole package requirements to get at least a slide measurable."
"I had a problem with the computer disc that came with it but customer support was excellent, I received the links to download the disc from internet within five minuets of contacting OMAX."
"Needed a work around with several attempts so that software would work with it."
"Microscope is great, camera is great, software could be improved."