Re: Moving from Used to New...

Don:

This is the type of information I was looking for. Thank you.

Here are my two cents:

1) You do not need a research grade frame. Forget the BX-51 with FLUOR
lenses. Especially new, that one is beyond your budget.

2) Kevin's suggestions to look at the Nikon 50i is the best one, if you want
to buy a new scope. I also live in CA. The Nikon dealer in Burlingame
(Technical Instrument SF) is a decent place. Give them a call. They have a
web site at http://www.techinst.com/. The address is:

Technical Instruments
1826 Rollins Road,
Burlingame, CA 94010
650.651.3000 - Telephone
650.651.3001 - Fax
info@xxxxxxxxxxxx

You better call them rather than sending an e-mail. Talking to people brings
more than waiting for replies. I am sure they will send you a quote for the
50i with phase contrast. But remember, when buying new, benchmark these
scopes with YOUR slide set.

3) If you want to get an idea about prices, please let me know. I got the
E400 with phase and I am very very happy with it.

4) Forget a mint condition Zeiss research frame for this horrendous amount
of cash, especially when dealers ask for 14,000. You can do better with a
mint condition older Olympus or Leitz. Don't buy a used Nikon before the
Eclipse series (no Labophot and no Optiphot, since the older Olympus from
the 90ties are better). The Nikon Eclipse CFI60 systems are great.

5) Look at the Orthoplan from Leitz. There are a few available that look
pretty decent. For more information on Orthoplan contact the Yahoo group
RealMicroscopy (see http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RealMicroscopy/).
There you will also find information on how to find documentation for
various older scopes. Contact these members also with issues related to your
no longer working frames.

6) If you purchase a new scope, get your favorite lens in phase and
non-phase. For instance, I purchased a phase contrast 40x lens and a 40x
Fluor lens. I dislike the softness of contrast when using phase contrast
lenses in BF. I have two pairs for both, my Nikon and my Ortholux.

7) Only take a demo unit with full warranty.

8) You only need a research frame when you intend to upgrade it for DIC.
Otherwise the laboratory grade instruments will serve you well. Stay away
from scopes using a diode array since they don't work with phase.

9) Buy a dedicated DF condenser if needed. I like the Leitz for DF a lot.

10) It's fun to look for a new scope having a budget of $7000. Take you time
and visit the dealers if possible.

Cheers,

Gregor


<vc94545@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1165427695.881773.139390@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

GTO wrote:
I am not too happy about this thread because it's moving into the
completely
wrong direction. Here is why.

Without specifying which of your interests make working with an LM most
enjoyable for you and without telling us about your experience and
equipment, your post will not enable us to help you.

What is it you'd like to know beyond what I've already said? I'll
expand what I've said in case it'll help with my original question.

First, I'm just an amateur. My main interests are examining live
protists and bacteria found in pond water and other sources. I also
enjoy making permanent mounts of insects and insect parts. I primarily
use brightfield, darkfield, and phase contrast techniques.

I have a Zeiss Universal of late '60s vintage. I bought the stripped
stand at a university surplus sale. It was in fairly poor condition and
required a lot of work to get it back in shape (repainting, replacement
of two stripped gears, removal and replacement of congealed lubricant,
and filling many dings with Bondo). I built the rest of the scope up by
bidding on parts on eBay. This was a real pain in the *** because half
of what I got was either misrepresented or defective (such as "like
new" objectives with obvious signs of delamination) and had to go back
to the seller for a refund. It took me almost a year of searching to
find everything I needed to make a working scope.

In the four years that I've been using it, I've had to replace an
objective that started to show signs of delamination, realign the
binocular head (which keeps going out of alignment), and do other
piddly maintenance that I'd prefer not to have to do. It's similar to
owning a '57 Chevy--you have maintenance tasks you just don't have to
worry about with modern cars.

Since I like the overall look and feel of the Universal, I thought I'd
take a look at better examples offered by dealers that had been
refurbished and offered with a warranty. I asked a dealer for a quote
on a Universal in excellent mechanical, optical, and cosmetic condition
with phase objectives and condensers. The quote I got back was $14,000.
Yes, you read that right--$14,000 for a used microscope nearly 40 years
old.

So the bottom line is not that I'm opposed to buying or using used
equipment, it's just that I'd rather not take the "erector set"
approach by buying parts on eBay and building a scope, and the price
quotes I've gotten from dealers in used equipment go beyond the
ridiculous to the insane.

I realize that modern microscopes may not be built to the standards of
mechanical robustness and precision of the scopes of yesterday, but
with modern materials and computer aided design, they should work at
least as well and will have factory support. Plus there's that
satisfaction similar to owning a new car after having driven used
junkers for years.

Did I leave anything out? What else can I tell you that'll help you to
help me?



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