Re: First microscope

On 19 Sep., 15:40, "challengecry...@xxxxxxxxx"
<challengecry...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hello,

I'm looking for my first microscope, which will be a stereo
microscope. I''ve searched among major brands (Nikon, Olympus, Leica,
Zeiss...) and the only one that fit my budget (around 1000$) is the
Leica EZ4. Having looked at brochures, this microscope seems to be a
good product. I've also found that Motic (less-known brand) has one
from about 300$ less. Would you suggest me to get the Leica? I
wouldn't mind paying 300$ extra if it's for getting a good experience.
I know that a bad microscope could lead me to give up this hobby.

Also, the basic EZ4 comes with 10x eyepieces, which give magnification
of 8x to 35x. Upgrading to 16x eyepieces or more quickly raises the
price...Here's my second question: Will a magnification up to 35x be
useful to observe details that we don't see or have difficulty to see
with naked eyes? Would additional 15x magnification for couple
hundreds more be recommended? My only concern is that I don't want to
get a magnification/experience that could have been almost as good
with a cheap magnifying glass.

Thanks a lot.

As a stereo for beginners the EZ4 offers an excellent magnification
range. The 8x gives you enough field of view to get an overview on the
specimen (diameter you'll see is: 25 mm) and the zooming function to
go as high as 35x gives you enough power to see the details you want
to observe.

The 16x Eyepieces offer less field of view to start with but give you
a higher mangification. I personally would recommend the10x over the
16x Eyepieces unless you want to observe very small samples.

One of the most crucial parts of a stereo is it's illumination. The
EZ4 offers you LED illumination that give you a "cold light". This
means that the samples do not dry out easily and are not exposed to UV
light that usually come from tungsten or halogen bulbs. Motic is
offering a Halogen bulb for the incident illumination. Switch it on
for 10 Minutes and then try to re-adjust the illumination -- you'll
get a burning experience 'cause it's hot.
Another advantage of the LED illumination of the EZ4 is the the
daylight colour they offer. The specimen can be observed under
"daylight" conditions and the colors are true colors. With halogen or
tungsten colors tend to be yellowish.

The LED have a much longer life time than conventional illumination.
Safe 300 $ in the first place but spend it over time on spare bulbs.

The EZ4 is the best stereo in its class money can buy.

Stephan

.

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