Microscope Buyer's Guide

  1. Make a list of your needs, including any specific/unique requirements to direct your search.                                          
  2. Establish a comfortable budget range to help i...
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Is it time to replace your microscope?

You’ve had that microscope for many years. It’s your favorite - you rely on it to get the job done. However, even the best microscopes don’t last forever. So how do you know when its time to say...

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Navigating The Chinese Microscope Landscape

If you chose A or B, may I suggest classes in geography, history and current events. Of course its China – in one way or another (parts and components are often ordered from China and then assem...

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How To Buy A Microscope - Don't Buy A Microscop...

Purchasing a microscope online can be a confusing process. Our experts at Microscope Central can help simplify this process and provide valuable information to help you make a wise purchase deci...

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What Determines The Cost?

While searching the internet for a microscope you will find microscopes from all different price ranges. With an untrained eye one may see a microscope from one company for $100 and see what loo...

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Buying A Used Microscope, Tips & Information

Searching for a great deal on a microscope?  Worried about sacrificing quality and longevity for affordability?  Maybe it’s time to look into a used microscope, which can offer high quality at a...

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False or Empty Magnification

Are you seeing microscopes claiming to provide magnification up to 2500x for a compound microscope, and 180x for a stereo microscope? The highest useful magnification for a compound microscope i...

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How To Buy A Microscope C-Mount

A microscope c-mount adapter is what mates a microscope camera to the microscopes trinocular port. The camera threads onto the top of the c-mount and the c-mount is attached and secured to the m...

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10 Considerations When Buying A Microscope

  1. Make a list of your needs, including any specific/unique requirements to direct your search. Keep in mind that most microscopes are highly configurable – almost any microscope can accept a ...
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Leica DM750 - 10 Reasons Why It's A Great Choice

TheLeica DM750is a superb laboratory grade microscope – certainly one of the best all-around ...

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Why Would I Want A Refurbished Microscope?

I’d really like a Porsche 911. Who wouldn’t? But lets face it - that kind of state-of-art design and engineering comes with a hefty price tag. Yet, if I really wanted to, I could still make it a...

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Pathology Microscope For Your Home

One of the many lessons learned from the Covid-19 Pandemic is that even when we can’t physically be in the office, important work can and will get done – remotely. Businesses, Schools, and Gover...

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Three Gems

The 4 C’s - They are the focus of any diamond purchase. Well, sometimes its the 5th C – Cost! But I digress. If you are a jeweler, the 4 C’s help you set price and form the basis for the convers...

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5 Great Middle/High School Microscopes

I enjoy making lists. My Top 5 90’s Albums? That’s easy!

Hmmm…that leaves no room for The Bends, Superunknown, Ill Communication. Maybe it’s not so easy. 

But I can definitely put to...

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Veterinary Microscopes

Selecting a microscope may not be at the top of every veterinarian’s to-do list. There are a lot of reasons to put it on the back burner…lack of formal microscopy instruction, limited experience...

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Extending Your Microscope Budget

If you are looking to buy a microscope, a key criterion is always cost. It is a real consideration because, lets face it, not many billionaires are buying scopes. While we all wish we had more t...

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Seeing Clearly Now

I admit it…I have been obsessing about 100x objectives lately. Whether its my blog about Managing ...

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Time To Take A Stand

If you are purchasing a stereo microscope, then yes - it is literally time for you to select the appropriate stand. Unlike a compound microscope which remains in a fixed position, stereo microsc...

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Beer & Wine Making Microscopes

Microscopes are used in many applications, including Beer & Wine-making where they play a crucial role in quality control. They can help a beer/wine maker detect an infection before it is notice...

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Zooming in on Client Needs: Think Pink

I. Miller Microscopes, which brings you microscopecentral.com, has been in the business of microscopy for over eight decades - and just as technology has evolved, so too have our capabilities to...

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Social Distance Microscopy (SDM)

Social Distance Microscopy (SDM) - Is this really a thing?  In truth, I think I just made up that phrase. However, as with everything in 2020, things move quickly.  If its not already part of th...

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Engaging Students: The Latest Camera Technology

Today, students live an increasingly technological existence. Mobile technology connects them to each other and the world. This is the case more than ever in the age of COVID-19. In many ways th...

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Going Digital

Digital Microscopy…sounds cool, but what is it?

In simple terms, a digital microscope uses a digital camera to o...

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Microscope Cameras & Mega Pixels - Does It Matter?

 Its Time To Purchase A Camera

Welcome to the world of digital microscopy. You have already hopped on your laptop and started your search for the camera that will deliver ...

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Choosing A Microscope Camera - What To Look For

Microscope cameras make it possible to capture, record and share incredible images as increased sensitivity, speed and field of view have driven digital microscopy to new heights.  However, as w...

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Wastewater Treatment Microscopes

Wastewater treatment is the removal of harmful matter from sewage, so that the water that can be safely reintroduced to the environment or reclaimed for other uses. It is accomplished through a ...

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Microscope Customization

For many applications a microscope right out of the box will suffice.  The standard binocular with 4x, 10x, 40x, and 100x oil objectives or a stereo zoom on an LED stand cover a wide range of ne...

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Microscope Central’s 5 Truths

If you work long enough with microscopes, you will learn certain truths.  Here are 5 in no particular order.

1)  When it comes to an intricate instrument, dust is not your friend (when is ...

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Microscope Magnification

We’ve all heard the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Well, in microscopy one might say “a microscope is only worth 1000x”.  

How can that be? After all, there are ads prom...

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Microscopes - LED vs Halogen

Just like everything else, microscopes are moving to LED.  While most current models are now manufactured with LED, there are still many Halogen options – both new and refurbished.  So you may a...

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History of the Microscope

The first microscope was invented in the 1590's when Zacharias Jansen a Dutch spectacle maker was experimenting with spectacle lenses. After aligning several lenses and placing them in a tube th...

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Types of Stereo Microscopes

All stereo microscopes are binocular (having two eyepieces) which allow for steroscopic vision. Stereoscopic vision gives the perception of depth and 3-dimensional data. Stereo microscope uses o...

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A Closer Look At Stereo Microscopes

Dissecting microscopes are incredibly versatile and are used in thousands of research and educational labs across the globe. They come in both traditional and digital forms, each with their own ...

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Parfocal

To simplify, if acompound microscopeis parfocal, it means that when you change magnification sequentially (ex. 4x to 10x to 40x to 100x), it will only require a very slight turn...

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Phase Contrast Microscopes

Phase contrast is one of more popular contrast techniques developed in the 1930's by Frits Zernike. This technique helps make unstained objects such as bacteria, protozoans, blood cells, sperm, ...

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Darkfield Microscopy

Darkfield microscopy is a technique to enhance contrast and make unstained samples visible under the microscope. The condenser for a darkfield microscope is designed to deliver a hollow intense ...

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Polarized Light Microscopes

Vehicula at mePolarized light microscopes make bifrefringent crystalline structures visible without staining. Birefrigent structures when illuminated under the microscope give off color effects ...

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Microscope Objectives Types | Objective Lenses ...

Vehicula at metBuying a microscope can be confusing when looking at the microscope objective types. You will notice terms like Achromatic, Sem-Plan, Plan, Super High Contrast, PlanApo, Apochroma...

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Microscope Reticles

A reticle, often called a eyepiece micrometer is a circular piece of glass with information printed on it. When inserted properly into an eyepiece appears in focus in the field of view. Reticles...

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Embryo Transplant Information

Similar to a surrogate mother embryo transplant is a technique where embryos a collected from one female and then transferred to another. This allows females with a desired trait to have a great...

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The Unique Characteristics of Metallurgical Mic...

Metallurgical microscopes offer researchers high magnification capabilities along with different reflected and transmitted light options. With these microscopes, researchers have the ability to ...

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Microscope Ergonomics

Using a microscope on a daily basis is demanding on the human body. It requires consistent, proper positioning of the head as well as hours of concentration and focused viewing through the eyepi...

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Tissue Culture Microscopes: Their Benefits and ...

To study and work with live cells you need a medium that helps encourage their growth. Many choose to use Petri dishes or other vessels, but the one tool you must have in your arsenal is a tissu...

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Dermatologist Using Microscopes

Dermatology is a wide field of science that focuses heavily on skin conditions that are caused by autoimmune diseases, as well as the different skin cancers that impact people. The field also co...

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Troubleshooting Common Microscope Issues

Common Issue:

The slide is upside down

The stage height stop is set too low

The coverslip is missing or is too thick/thin

A dry objective has oi...

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How To Center For Phase Contrast

In order to achieve a phase contrast image your microscope must be set-up with the proper phase contrast components. These components must be properly aligned and centered. Each objective must b...

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How To Center For Koehler Illumination

Kohler illumination was developed in 1893 by August Koehler. Koehler illumiation is the optimal illumination of a specimen by creating homogeneous light without the light source visible in the f...

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Calibrating A Microscope

Calibrating a microscope requires two things, a stage micrometer and a reticle. Your reticle should already be installed in your eyepiece. In order to calibrate your reticle follow the following...

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Get The Most Out Of Your Microscope

Prepare your slide - don’t forget to use a coverslip as microscope optics are c...

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How To Clean Your Microscope

Before cleaning your microscope you must first be able to recognize dirt and debris that could be affecting the image quality.

The closer any dirt is to the object or to a camera sensor, t...

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Managing Microscope Oil Mess

A common classroom complaint is the inevitable mess students make when using the 100x oil objective on their microscopes. Sure, immersion oil can be messy, but it plays a critical role in micros...

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