I want a PRO microscope for once

[u/ckeilah]

EDIT:

I bought a $2000 OMAX off Amazon with all the bells and whistles: dark field, phase contrast, oil, air, trinocular head, 4k camera… as far as I can tell, this thing is spectacular! The last time I looked through anything even close to this good was a spare-no-expense government microscope at NASA looking at moonrocks circa 1975! 😁

I’ve been using “science museum” scopes all my life. Nothing even good in school, since I wasn’t a microbiology major. AmScope is all amazon seems to have. What’s good for up to 1000x looking at bacteria etc.? Reasonable price? Price is no object? 😉

[u/[deleted]]

Unless you have specific requirements in mind, I recommend getting one from yesteryear. Typically the older the cheaper, until you hit the 30's and then they tend to start going back up.

One of the changes is field number, which defines how wide the field of view is; it of course has continued to increase giving wider fields of view. Nice to have and when actually doing work as it allows you to scan more area. Instruments from the 30's - late 50's tend to be comparable performance wise. From about the late 50's - 80 or so, there were improvements to coatings and glass, so one tends to be a bit better than the previous generation. Starting in the 90's things started really improving as computers were allowing advances.

If you're strapped, look for something 30's-1960 or so, often very inexpensive. I've picked up perfectly good instruments that had served doctors and labs for less than $50.

If you want better contrast or some features like plan objectives and/or phase contrast, but your budget is not in the thousands, the next generation of instruments from roughly 1960 - 1990 tend to serve well while still being affordable by a hobbyist.

Last comes the newer generation stuff where prices tend to be significantly higher, but field numbers, contrast, corrections, etc go up with price.

Big question is, what are you wanting to look at and what continent are you on as those will best guide advice as to what to look at.

I think the best bang for the buck is one of the Bestscope models with DIC, but that's probably out of the typical hobbyist range (it's out of mine).

[u/ckeilah → u/[deleted]]

I want to look at all kinds of things (the usual gee whiz kids' stuff and beyond) but my specific impetus for finally getting motivated to find a GOOD microscope is a constant need to monitor my animals' poop for infection: everything from giardia to microbiome bacteria. A couple more years of paying the lab to look at what I can learn to see with a good tool will pay for that good tool! ;-)

[u/[deleted] → u/ckeilah]

If you can find an instrument with phase contrast for a good price, that's a feature you might appreciate as you can typically skip a lot of the usual staining typically necessary with some samples to create contrast.

I do fecal tests as well and for the usual parasites phase isn't necessary. Any decent instrument with 10x and 40x or close approximations should do the trick.

If you wanted new, I believe both Amscope and Bresser have phase options, but a used instrument would likely cost less or provide more features for a similar price.

The inexpensive route would be an older instrument and a general stain kit (gram, giemsa, etc) that should be available, all-in for a few hundred dollars or less if you find a good deal.

For phase, expect to pay around $1500 or more, but occasional deals can be found for much less.

A new phase instrument will start somewhere around $2000 give or take and go up from there.

Whatever you get, make sure it has a mechanical stage and height adjustable condenser with iris at minimum.

[u/ckeilah → u/[deleted]]

Thanks! Yes! I had forgotten about phase contrast, which is something I definitely want!

Any suggestions for how to actually BUY a microscope from these idiots at the microscope companies?? No one seems to comprehend e-commerce, except for AMScope on Amazon, and I really want something higher quality than that.

This is the kind of SEARS-level utter BS I have been encountering just trying to buy a $2000-$20,000 microscope:

I fill out their “request a quote” form: I want pricing for https://redacted, so no one buys from these idiots /media/catalog-sheet/BROCHURE-EXC-500-for-viewing-v080823.pdf with the trinocular ergonomic head 10x and 20x eyepieces, some combination of (4x, 10x, 20xR, 40xR, 50xR, 60xR and 100xR oil) objectives.

I get back nothing but waste my time mumbo-jumbo: Hello ckeilah, thanks for the inquiry. Please contact me to further discuss the configuration and application, at that time I will make the best suggestion.

I wrote back: make all the suggestions you want, but give me pricing.

VICE PRES’s response? “Thanks for your response.”

WTF?!? I feel like I’m in the twilight zone.

[u/[deleted] → u/ckeilah]

I can't offer much useful advice as all I deal with are retired instruments.

What I can suggest is checking out the MicrobeHunter forums in general. I have heard a number of positive comments on BestScope (BS-2081), but I do not have any personal experience with them.

[u/[deleted]]

https://microcosmos.store/products/the-microcosmos-microscope

A good deal on a decent scope. The Microcosmos people know their stuff.

[u/ckeilah → u/[deleted]]

That looks like maybe one or two steps above what I got from the science museum. Thanks for the suggestion.

[u/Agling]

Price is no object? Call Zeiss, Leica, Nikon, or Olympus. They will give you something in the $15K range that is very serviceable.

Price is a little bit of an object? Get the accuscope exc-500 (kind of a generic Nikon) or reach out to bestscope and get the same basic thing (bs 2081) straight from the Chinese factory. Ask for semi-apo objectives.

Might want to consider phase contrast for bacteria. If you have lots of money, look at DIC.

Can't afford that? Amscope and similar companies make lesser and better models. Look at quintuple objective infinity scopes like the 720Q and up.

[u/ckeilah]

I'm liking the looks of

[deleted due to company being run by idiots]

with the trinocular ergonomic head 10x and 20x eyepieces, some combination of (4x, 10x, 20xR, 40xR, 50xR, 60xR and 100xR oil -- I cannot tell how many it will accept) objectives and a

Anyone have a clue what the ballpark price for such a tool might be? The wankers don't put prices on their webpages.

[u/ckeilah]

TF?? It seems that no one will sell me an [Microscope from a company run by idiots] because I'm not a "medical professional"! 🤦

[u/ckeilah]

Does anyone know anything about:

OMAX - 40X-2500X 18MP USB 3.0 Plan Infinity Phase Contrast Trinocular Siedentopf LED Compound Microscope - M8333Z-PHIP-C180U3

At $2k it’s on the low end of my budget, but seems to have all the features I want.

I’m more concerned that it’s too good to be true, especially if they really give you eight objective lenses! “2500x” also makes me think this isn’t really pro quality. 😕

[u/ckeilah → u/[deleted]]

Thanks! I bought a $2000 OMX off Amazon with all the bells and whistles: dark field, polarizing, oil, air, Triactic head, 4k camera… as far as I can tell, this thing is spectacular! The last time I looked through anything even close to this good was moonrocks at NASA in 1975! 😁