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."
"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."
"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."
"I am a veterinarian that purchased this microscope for use in my clinic (for examination of blood, tissue, urine, fecal samples, etc)."
"Very good microscope for the price!"
"Bought for my daughter whos 5."
"Clear image of the individual cells with oil immersion."
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!"
"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."
"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."
"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."
"Very high quality and solid metal frame."
"My biggest disappointment is the optics are not very clean but good enough for looking at bugs, and goo with my five year old grandson."
"We homeschool and I needed something to get the job done well for biology without spending a fortune."
Features: Built-in 1280x1024 pixels (1.3MP) USB digital camera with advanced software applications Digital binocular viewing head with adjustable interpupillary distance 4 DIN achromatic objectives 4X, 10X, 40X(S), 100X(S, Oil) Double layer mechanical stage with NA1.25 Abbe condenser & iris diaphragm Coaxial coarse & fine focus knobs and variable intensity transmitted LED illumination.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This is a superbly built microscope!"
"Good quality for the price, I am having issues with my USB working - sometimes does, sometimes doesn't, and I've only had it 1 week."
"This is a really nice microscope!"
"I do like this microscope."
"This is a really marvelous piece of equipment for the price."
"I'm a beginner, and this was really easy to set up and get started with."
"I bought this for 8th grade budding scientist!"
"Very high quality for it's price."
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."
"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."
"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."
"I am a veterinarian that purchased this microscope for use in my clinic (for examination of blood, tissue, urine, fecal samples, etc)."
"I put a drop of my blood on a slide and went looking around in it at 1000x seeing things I had no idea of. One thing, I wish it had come with a manual."
Best Lab Compound Monocular Microscopes
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!"
"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."
"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."
"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."
"Very high quality and solid metal frame."
"My biggest disappointment is the optics are not very clean but good enough for looking at bugs, and goo with my five year old grandson."
"Long story short, I guess I was stupid for thinking that a microscope would come with glass slides included."
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."
"This thing is awesome!"
"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."
Best Lab Stereo Microscopes
The AmScope SE400Z professional stereo microscope has interchangeable pairs of 10x and 20x widefield eyepieces, a 1x objective, LED lighting, and a boom-arm stand. The interchangeable pairs of WF10x18mm and WF20x10mm eyepieces combine with the 1x objective to provide 10x and 20x magnification, and a longer working distance for inspecting large-scale specimens that require handling or repair. A stereo microscope, sometimes called an inspection or dissection microscope, has low magnification and a long working distance that enables users to manipulate the object being inspected. Specifications Head. Binocular. Magnification. 10x, 20x. Objective power. 1x. Eyepieces (DIN, 30.5mm). WF10x18mm, WF20x10mm. Focus. Bilateral coarse. Microscope stand. Boom-arm stand. Vertical working distance. 9" (13.5" overall pillar length). Boom arm. 12" working distance (17" overall length). Head rotation. X- and Y-axes. Illumination type. Upper, reflected. Light source. 1W LED on adjustable gooseneck. Power. 110V-120V, UL listed. Microscopes are instruments used to enhance the resolution of an object or image. AmScope SE400Z stereo microscope with boom-arm stand WF10x18mm eyepieces, 30.5mm, one pair WF20x10mm eyepieces, 30.5mm, one pair 1x objective (2) Eye guards LED light Dust cover Power cord Instructions. 9" vertical working distance and adjustable 12" boom arm enables users to adjust the microscope on the X- and Y-axes.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"It is about 1" too short for me to place my PCB pre-heater under the head (an Aoyue model 853A) and still have adequate height to focus the image. The focus is literally less than 1" from the end of the microscope, making it pretty much useless for assembly / inspection work. Prior to purchasing the this AmScope, I used a stationary magnifier and reading glasses for my assembly work (at home). As with any wearable magnifiers, when the distance between your head and the work shifts the image will loose focus. I know this because I have a pair of surgeon's glasses I use at work for PCB inspection and (limited) assembly. The problem is going with a higher magnification will amplify any head movements and make it much more difficult to maintain focus on an object. Even guys who do assembly for a living have told me 2 hrs with surgeon's glasses is about the best you can do before taking a break."
"I use the 10X to solder and repair surface mount devices and it does a good job for that kind of work. A day later I received a new microscope that worked fine out of the box....but someone added a sticker to the outside of the box that covered the download code for the manual (the microscope doesn't ship with a hard copy manual, you have to enter a code from the outside of the box to download it from AmScope's website). Argh.... On the other hand, if you need a manual, the device probably is too complicated."
"So far, I've been impressed that this is a quality product."
"The biggest practical setup problem was finding the right focal distance - about 10 inches.The Celestron camera I bought at the same time worked straight away with my Mac, which was nice, though the magnification is a bit more than ideal for my mission - surface mount electronic assembly."
"I don't think I'll ever use the 20x, but the 10x are perfect for what I need this for (hand-soldering / repairing tiny SMD components, e.g. with 0.5mm pin pitch)."
Best Lab Handheld Digital Microscopes
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."
"I like this unit."
"When my husband was changing a filter on my car, he accidentally dropped a screw into the abyss and used this to find it (never would've found it otherwise)."
"So while it won't compete with endoscopes in the several hundred dollar range, it will get you an answer for a lot less, and not leave you worried you will damage a very expensive scope."
"The image quality is quite good on my iPad and it’s nice the display and camera are separate from each other."
"Used it a few times so far to find tools or hardware dropped in confined spaces."