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Techniques for CollectorsGood stereomicroscopes for collectors on a budget?

28th Jul 2015 04:39 UTCEric Carlson

Hi all,

I'm looking for a good used stereo-microscope in the below 500 USD range. I'm not sure what style of optics to get, and what brands are good. I'm not sure whether to look for a simple Greenough scope or one with continuous zoom capabilities. Is a greenough scope with just two different magnifications good enough, or do I need continuous zoom for looking at micromounts? Looking at this article ( http://www.microscopyu.com/articles/stereomicroscopy/stereointro.html) it sounds like both greenough and (especially) CMO suffer from rather bizzare distortion effects. How bad are these?

Also, what manufactures are good? I've heard that meiji, olympus, nikon, and Bausch & Loumb are good manufacturers. I've also heard that LOMO has a very good price/quality ratio (their SF-50ts looks particularly nice), but I can't even find their products for sale on their "official distributer's" website. Also, looking on ebay there are also a ton of very low priced chinese knockoffs. I've heard that the quality on these is highly variable, some ok quality, others complete trash. Does anyone have experience with these?

Looking for used microscopes that I can afford on ebay, I've seen an original B&L stereozoom microscope with a fiber optic light offered for around 250 USD and a meiji emt 10x/20x with LED ring light for around 220. Are either of these a good deal?

28th Jul 2015 17:30 UTCD. Peck

Hi Eric,

Either of the used Meiji or the B & L could be a good deal. But maybe not. Both are good scopes, but condition is very important. A stereoscope that has, say, been knocked off a desk can be badly misaligned and that makes it a bad deal. In buying a used scope only buy from a highly trustworthy dealer; or spend several hours using it yourself before purchasing.

Meiji and B&L are both good brands. I don't know much about Nikon or Olympus, but I imagine they are good. I like the EMT rather than the zoom scopes. There is less to go wrong, and a 1x/3x, or 2x/4x objective turret plus paired 15x and 10x objectives gives a useful range of magnification. My scope is a 1x/3x turret used almost exclusively with 15x oculars and occasionally a doubling lens.

I recently purchase a used Meiji trinocular EMT with paired 15x oculars and a doubling lens. It cost me about $700 and half of that was because I purchased new oculars and doubling lens for it. But I bought it from a trusted dealer who sells mostly new and used Meijis. A used and reconditioned Meiji EMT can be had for $300 to $400 plus shipping. If you want to pursue this discussion with me, send me a PM.

Don

28th Jul 2015 18:41 UTCWaterDog

I've been using a LOMO MBC-10 (MBS-10) microscope for about 18-20 years. It has been a solid scope with excellent optics. The optical design is a Galilean drum with five magnification levels. The optional camera mount works with most DSLRs which can use a C-mount adapter. The optional 2x converter works okay but cuts the working distance and depth of field past the point of diminishing returns. The original lamp sucks so plan on buying a LED or halogen desk lamp or two (I bought a used fibre-lite) to replace it. These scopes pop up on ebay occasionally. There is one listed right now.

28th Jul 2015 19:16 UTCeugene reynolds

hi yaaa eric,,,contact min.resc.co,, email add.....minresco.com,, they seem to have all info you need on scopes.... gene r.

28th Jul 2015 19:34 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Just to second what Eugene wrote: minresco.com (Mineralogical Research Co.) are very knowledgeable about the characteristics and maintenence of microscopes. Being on a tight budget, I recommend their used refurbished scopes, which cost far less than new ones, but should nevertheless still last for many years.

28th Jul 2015 19:57 UTCRobert Farrar

Eric,

I have access to and use B&L, Meiji, and Olympus at work. All are well-suited to micro mineral examination. I have used all of these for fossil preparation as well. My personal favorite would be Olympus SZ-III. The optics seem to be better suited to me, and I can work longer hours with an Olympus SZ scope than the others before eye-strain sets in. I recommend that you try a few different scopes, if possible, before buying. Ergonomics and adjustability will be nearly as important as optics. Pay careful attention to the adjustability of the stand and to the working distance between the microscope and what you are viewing.

I have bought several microscopes on eBay, with varying results and from hobby microscope reconditions with good results. If the seller sells many scopes they will usually be somewhat aligned and ready to go. High quality oculars are a must. Some replacement lenses don't compare at all to the originals. A good fiber optic lamp, or two, are essential. I often use a ring lamp and a gooseneck fiber optic.

Bob

28th Jul 2015 21:42 UTCDon Windeler

I'll add another pointer to MinResCo. When I was looking to find a scope, Gene was very helpful; he didn't have any used scopes at the time, but put me on the trail of a used Olympus SZ-III that I did eventually purchase. I am not a hardcore user, but have been happy with this instrument to date. (My photos are not very good, but that's mostly because I have taken the leap into stacking yet.)

One site I found useful while hunting was Absolute Clarity, which had this guide to purchasing a stereoscope. (They used to explicitly list the brands they considered dogs, but it looks like someone made them be more circumspect.) The other bit on there is their segment on "Evaluating your Stereo Microscope", which had some useful diagnostic tests to run when checking out a used scope. These guys also sell instruments, but I have no opinion on that -- just found their educational content worthwhile.

Good luck!

Cheers,

D.

29th Jul 2015 16:27 UTCD. Peck

I bought my Meiji from Absolute Clarity. So did a number of my friends. They are, to paraphrase their name, Absolutely Reliable.

30th Jul 2015 03:31 UTCD Mike Reinke

I'm one of Don's friends, and he nailed it on that one. I'm very happy with my AC purchase.

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