Microscopes are exciting, wonderful tools that can open our eyes to the unseen world of fascinating microbes and also aid us in the quality control of manufacturing processes. The uses are diverse and many of the discoveries made by microscopes are paramount to our modern-day living. I believe the first hurdle that comes to microscopes is understanding a bit more about microscopes themselves and this guide is meant to do exactly that.

Let us begin by separating microscopes into two main categories, namely compound, and stereo microscopes.

Compound microscopes are the most recognizable types of microscopes. We associate them with scientists and medical laboratories. We associate them with slides and cells. These types of microscopes possess the capability to reach tremendous magnification ranges between 40x-2500x (depending on the combination of objective and eyepiece lenses used). They are able to view thin layers of translucent objects from plant sections to tissue cultures and everything in-between. They are wonderful pieces of educational tools and should form a crucial repertoire in a child’s learning syllabus especially in the biological setting. They should also be integral units in our local vet and farmer’s tools of equipment, from stool analysis to live blood and sperm analysis. For a great introductory compound microscope, you can take look at the B120 series.

Stereomicroscopes often do not get the spotlight they deserve and actually account for around 50% of the market share for microscopes. They have an exceptionally wide variety of uses and can be used in biological, industrial, engravers, welders, soldering, hobbyists and many more industries. They possess much lower magnification ranges compared to compound microscopes and the most popular magnification range is 3.5x-90x. They come with several stand settings and can also be configured to meet your specific needs. Stereo microscopes often have much larger working distances than compared to compound microscopes and this allows much larger specimens and objects to be placed under the lenses. These microscopes are absolutely essential in quality control operations, dissection labs and circuit board productions, to name just a few. Take a look at our most popular model the SM-4NTP-144-10M

This is just a basic introductory to microscopes and forms the introduction for our microscope guides, look out for more future blogs as we go more into depth about different types of compound microscopes, accessory options for stereo microscopes and the different types of cameras available.

BennyZA is always happy to assist you with any microscope questions you may have and we are available to assist you in configuring the perfect microscope for your application.