Guide to Stereo Binocular Microscopes
For the most intricate repairs of jewellery, miniature paintings; for inspection of PCBs, prints, photographs, stamps, coins, medals; for identification of gemstones, plants and insects.
** See all microscopes ** Hobby and Pocket microscopes **
Professional microscopes (including a specialist gemological microscope)
Secondhand microscopes and microscope accessories
Contents
Magnifications, Depth of Field & Working Distance
Magnification, Dimensions, Weight, Comments
Related Articles
Magnifications, Depth of Field & Working Distance
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8X |
10X |
20X |
30X |
40X |
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Product ref. |
Field of view (20p. coin) |
Depth of field. |
Field of view (20p. coin) |
Depth of field. |
Field of view (20p. coin) |
Depth of field. |
Field of view (20p. coin) |
Depth of field. |
Field of view (20p. coin) |
Depth of field. |
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1/5 |
1mm 3 175mm |
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micr-8X |
All |
10mm |
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micr-10X-30X |
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All |
3mm |
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TWE |
A bit less than 1mm |
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½ |
5mm |
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TWENT |
2½ 60mm |
TW |
a fraction of 1mm |
FIELD OF VIEW: how much of a 20p coin you can see without having to move it. The letters refer to the word TWENTY on the coin.
DEPTH OF FIELD: how much stays in focus without having to re-focus:
- the 8X stays in focus as you move the item up to 10mm closer / further way, so you can hold an item in your fingers, move it about, and keep it in focus.
- at 10X (depth of field 5mm) you can manoeuvre an item in your fingers and keep it in focus, providing you have a steady hand.
- at 20X the item has to be kept flat, good for inspection, OK for untangling a hairspring, too powerful for general work on watch movements.
- at 30X or more the item has to be flat to stay in focus, so for gemstones you must refocus to see the surface of a stone or to see an inclusion.
WORKING DISTANCE: the maximum distance from the objective lens to the table. Also think about the general format of the microscope. Would a "swan-neck" arm (micr-8X) give you enough space to work? Or maybe the long-arm version (micr-10X) is better for large or 'lumpy' objects. Or if you are working with small flat objects, then any of the other models would be fine.
Magnification, Dimensions, Weight, Comments
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Product ref. Price includes VAT |
Size, mm H - W |
Weight, g Item weight not posting weight |
Magnification |
Comments |
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micr-stx-20X |
260 - 110 |
720 |
20X |
As a miniature microscope, this is good to use in place of a 20X jewellers loupe. Although the optical quality is not as good as our other microscopes, its better than any 20X loupe, its small enough to carry around in a bag and the light is battery-operated. I would rate the quality, being a) good and b) stereo, as being better than the £89.00 Zeiss lens...though, of course, it won't actually fit into a pocket. |
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micr-8X |
420 - 150 |
4,200 |
8X |
Good for general inspection. The best for repair jobs on the smallest of items, but I mean really small, e.g. miniature paintings, PCBs, very tiny jewellery repairs, and fine work on watch movements, e.g. untangling a hairspring, oiling a jewel (its too powerful for general work). It has the same superb optics as the other microscopes, below, but the price is kept down by having a simple swan-neck instead of a rack-and-pinion mechanism, and by not having its own light (use a table light). |
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micr-10X-30X |
300 - 120 |
2,950 |
10X 30X |
10X magnification is the standard magnification for stamps and coins, postcards and paintings, paper and printing, fabrics and any other sheet material. 10X is also the absolute maximum you can actually work under, providing the items are relatively flat, e.g. for untangling a very small hairspring or oiling a really tiny jewel in a watch movement. 30X is good for very fine inspection work, e.g. to check the condition of the edges of a jewel in a watch movement. The light is mains-powered. |
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465 - 130 |
7,350 |
10X |
Everything I say about 'working under' a 10X, above, applies to this microscope too. This one has the advantage of of a tall stem to keep the lenses high (allows you to work with large objects), and a long arm you can position it over awkward objects (e.g. PCBs or paintings). It's more comfortable for working on movements, it positions easily over a lathe. The light is mains-powered. |
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310 - 150 |
3,750 |
20X 30X |
Best optical quality and sophisticated lighting for gemstones, see item description. |
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All of these microscopes are binocular (two eyepieces, you use both eyes) and binocular (two objective lenses for stereo vision). |
Photographs
THE FOLLOWING PHOTOGRAPHS give a very approximate idea of what you will see (find a 20p coin for reference). I took them by placing the camera to the eyepiece, really not the best way to take a photograph through a microscope! In reality, you will see a far greater area than shown in these photographs (see 'Field of View' above); in reality the image will be spectacularly stereo, something you cannot appreciate by looking at a picture on a monitor.
micr-gem Left: at 20X. Right: at 40X
Related Articles
- How to choose a magnifier (plus everything you would ever want to know about magnifying lenses)
- How to choose a jewellers' loupe (including examples of what you will see through loupes)
- How choose a binocular headband magnifier (from simple hobby model to a professional surgeon's / dentists models)
- How to choose a magnifier for the partially sighted (specialist low vision aids including lenses and video magnifiers)
- How to choose a video magnifier (from small pocket-size electronic readers to a large table model)
- How to choose a UV loupe (ultra violet light)
- Calculator (Excel format) - enter the magnification, it tells you the working distance, or enter the working distance, it tells you the magnification.
- Professional USB microscope attachment (it replaces the eyepiece of your microscope)