You all have been so helpful in the past, that I'm going to bother you again :-)
This is really three related questions (well, many, many questions on
three related topics :-)) about good microscopes (and books about
microscopes) for various purposes; for me (serious amateur with
non-biological scientific background), for beginning adults, and for kids.
As I begin to convert my boring grass lawn to native plants and whatever
wildlife can survive in an urban environment, and as new fungi and insects
and soil organisms come to live in my yard, I'm feeling the need for a
decent microscope or two to watch the process in greater detail. It's
been a long time (20 years?) since I've used any 'scope much, and that was
mostly for chemistry and some minerology, not biology. My current planned
uses are generic snoopiness, biological and otherwise; at least to be able
to identify mosses and fungi, and watch soil critters wiggle around, and
maybe eventually try to identify soil bacteria and other subterranean
decomposers, but I expect that the uses are likely to expand, as these
things tend to do. I've used some moderately good microscopes in the past,
so I think I'd be frustrated with the lowest end (unless it's improved a
lot in the last couple of decades?), and I would probably prefer to buy a
good standard skeleton that I can add to as my needs expand and as I get
the $$. What features should I be looking for other than general
sturdiness and good optics? Are there keywords to help determine good
optics? I kind of gather that achromatic is not top of the line, but might
be adequate (but adequate for what?) Oh yes, I need my glasses these
days, so I should take that into account (astigmatism, as well as getting
near-sighted). Are most companies now honest enough to use magnifications
linearly rather than by area, or do I have to double check and be
suspicious? Who are the good makers, and are there good sources of used
instruments? Are there any good books that talk about buying microscopes
the way there are about cameras? I've seen some how-to-use microscope
books (what do you recommend in that line?), but none yet on the details
of construction, features, and makers. There are so many similar titles
listed in Books in Print that I can't sort out what's what, much less
which are useful.
Assuming that I can only afford to buy one 'scope for the foreseeable
future, is a dissecting microscope more useful than a compound? If so,
what magnification/s (if I can't find an affordable zoom)? Is 20x or 40x
good enough to measure spore diameters? Can one live without stereo on a
dissecting scope? If a compound is more useful, what magnifications are
essential? I can't draw worth a darn, so it would be best to be able to
mount a camera. Is there any real advantage to three noses over two, or
four over three? Is oil immersion necessary, or just something to add on
later if I become an addict (I'm assuming I can add objectives at
leisure). How about a condenser? I vaguely remember it as being
indespensible, but I don't remember enough about why... I assume that a
mechanical stage is a mere frill, at least to begin with?
Are there any makers to avoid? Is anything made by the high end such as
Bausch & Lomb or Leica good, so I'd only have to think about features, or
do they also have low quality models to stay away from? Do you know
anything about Wolfe or Swift, the lines sold by Carolina Biological
Supply?
On the related questions, I'd like to find some inexpensive 'scopes and
good introductory books that I can recommend on my web site for use by
young children, older childen, and adults who might be enticeable into
realms other than television, especially perhaps gardeners (who seem on
the whole a group that might have a high percentage of enticeable
people). Carolina has a 20x mono dissecting microscope from Wolfe for $85
that on the surface seems ideal as a first 'scope, especially for little
kids who wouldn't be able to cope with making slides. Is it really sturdy
enough for kindergardeners (can it be dropped)? Are the optics clear
enough to be useful and avoid frustration? Is 20x a good magnification
range for general purpose? Is there something better? What would be a
good introductory compound microscope? What's the minimum features and
paraphanalia (microtome, slides, cover slips, some stains?) needed to get
people hooked? What are interesting things I could list for people to
look at to get started? (Such as the mesh marks on opium, er, bread poppy
seeds :-))
I've always though that microscopes should be a common household item, and
it's a little frustrating that prices still seem out of reach for the
non-dedicated, in spite of the advances I've noticed in photographic
optics. I'm hoping that I just haven't been looking hard enough or in the
right places.
Many thanks for any and all advice!
--
Allyn Weaks
allyn at u.washington.edu
PNW Native Wildlife Gardening: (under construction)
http://chemwww.chem.washington.edu/natives/
