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Microscope recommendations for successful high-quality photographic and video work                                                         

Buying a microscope is a daunting task. While the instrument should be of high quality, the cost usually has to fit within a set budget. On top of that, it is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of the extensive range of products on the market and even harder to get an overview of what’s available in the first place. The number of microscope manufacturers is large, and each of them offers several different instruments.

The brief guide we have developed should help you gain a broad overview of what’s available on the market. Our list is based on our own personal experience and is not in any way intended to be exhaustive.

Generally, we tend to recommend branded microscopes (Nikon, Zeiss, Olympus, Leica, etc.), which can be purchased new or used, depending on the available budget and field of application. The market for used microscopes is huge and with a little patience and effort it is possible to acquire top-quality instruments at very reasonable prices.

Photographic documentation using laboratory microscopes:

There are a few things that should be taken into consideration when purchasing a microscope that will be used for photographic documentation: The most important of these is the microscope’s optical system, which ideally should be infinity-corrected. In this type of optical system, the image is fully corrected in the photo tube of the microscope. 

Microscopes with finite optical systems are less suitable for creating photographic work and video sequences. Depending on the make and model, the objective lenses of microscopes with a finite optical system display various image aberrations, which are corrected in the eyepiece of the microscope. Therefore, these aberrations are not noticeable when viewed with the naked eye. As each type of microscope has a different image aberration, it is impossible to provide adapter solutions with the relevant correctors. For this reason, the microscope’s image aberrations may show up on the photographs and video sequences. Accordingly, the recording quality of microscopes with finite optical systems ranges from perfect to inadequate. The only way to find out is by trial and error.

If you are planning to use the microscope for photographic documentation on a regular basis, we recommend investing in an instrument featuring a trinocular head (photo tube) with C-mount connection (ideally with an optical factor of 1x).  If the microscope does not have a photo tube, it is always possible to mount a camera to one of the two eyepiece tubes. The image quality of this solution is equally good as that produced when attaching the camera to the photo tube. However, you can only use one eyepiece if you choose this option. 

The quality of the microscope lenses is probably the most important factor in the success of any photomicrograph. As a minimum requirement, so-called plan achromats should be used. More highly corrected and much more expensive objective lenses like plan fluorites or plan apochromats are intended for research and scientific purposes. Although they offer some advantages, they are not strictly required for standard applications.

Depending on the area of use, affordable contrast applications such as dark field, phase contrast and polarisation are available. Ideally, the necessary accessories can be inserted in a separate interchangeable condenser or into the condenser’s filter slot.

Photographic documentation using stereo microscopes:

Normal stereo microscopes have two separate optical paths (Greenough principle) and are therefore designed for visual observation through the eyepieces. The three-dimensional image is created by the human brain, which combines the information received from both eyes into a single image. When a camera is attached to a stereo microscope, only one of the two optical paths can be used. As a result, it is not possible to obtain a three-dimensional image of the specimen, and the image quality is poorer than in laboratory microscopes, which is also partly due to the beam orientation in the peripheral areas of the lens.

Telescope style (Abbe principle) stereo microscopes are more expensive, but much better suited for photomicrography. 

In this group of microscopes, too, the quality of the microscope lenses used is a key factor affecting the quality of the image taken. A manually adjustable iris diaphragm is also a plus.

Our LM macroscopes and LM photo microscopes are interesting alternatives to traditional stereo microscopes because they feature a central optical path and have been developed specifically for photography applications.

1) Entry-level microscopes

Manual microscopes for standard requirements at an attractive price.

a) Laboratory microscopes

The microscopes should have plan objective lenses and an infinity-corrected optical system.

• Dark field and bright field,

• Phase contrast

• Polarisation contrast

b) Stereomicroscopes

These microscopes are based on the Greenough principle and feature a zoom of approximately 7x, thus yielding an effective magnification of up to 100x.

2) Microscopes for more sophisticated requirements

Instruments for more sophisticated applications. Depending on the configuration, additional modules and objective lenses used, there is some crossover between group 2 (microscopes for more sophisticated requirements) and group 3 (top-grade microscopes).  It is not always possible to make a clear distinction because many microscopes of this class can be turned into top-grade instruments by upgrading them.

a) Laboratory microscopes

The microscopes should have infinity-corrected plan objective lenses.

The following microscopy methods should be possible:

• Dark field and bright field,

• Phase contrast

• Polarisation contrast

• Flourescence

b) Stereomicroscopes

These microscopes are based on the telescope principle (Abbe) and feature a zoom of approximately 15x, thus yielding an effective magnification of up to 200x. The lens objectives used are apo lenses.

3) Top-grade microscopes

Motorised microscopes and/or microscopes with special research and scientific features for working on difficult specialist tasks.

a) Laboratory microscopes

Instruments belonging to this group mostly feature a heavy, solid stand that is firm in all positions to avoid movement and vibration while working. In addition, the stand usually has a lot of space for additional modules.

The following microscopy methods should be possible:

• dark field and bright field,

• Phase contrast

• Polarisation contrast

• Flourescence

• DIC

• Interference

b) Stereomicroscopes

These microscopes are based on the telescope principle (Abbe) and feature a zoom of approximately 25x, thus yielding an effective magnification of up to 200x. The lens objectives used are apo lenses.

4) Macroscopes

17.07.2015
update: 02.06.2016