Nikon stereo scope conundrum: old vs. new

From: Henrietta (elgallo_at_ucdavis.edu)
Date: 02/16/05 

Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2005 18:39:53 -0500

Help! I am going to purchase a stereo microscope, I am looking at 2 models
of Nikon scopes.
The new one is the SMZ-1500, very nice scope with a very ugly price tag.
The old one is a used SMZ-2T, I have never worked with it, looks nice on
the picture, great condition and very nice price tag.
My application: count freshwater zooplankton in the 50 - 250 micron
range. The zooplankton has been preserved with iodide in DI water, and
staining them to see them is easy. I had previuosly used a SMZ-1000 to do
this and it worked out great for the big stuff, ok for the small stuff.
In your expert oppinion, for the HUGE price difference, I am better off
getting the SMZ-2T with 15 or 20X eyepieces, or would you just invest in
the brand new SMZ-1500 scope? My biggest concern is chromatic
aberration.
Any help would be great.
-erika.