lissa318 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Any recommendations on where to buy a decent microscope and magnifying glass for a beginner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snolly50 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Any recommendations on where to buy a decent microscope and magnifying glass for a beginner? I have been very pleased with a vintage Bausch & Lomb Stereoscope, equipped with 20X eyepieces and .5 ancillary lens. This provides the adequate lens to stage relief needed to prep material. It also is receiving heavy use in sorting Lee Creek material. This rig was purchased via eBay. I have also purchased a second unit which I bought just to obtain the fiber optic light. I resold the scope head and stage. Going the vintage device/eBay route will require careful shopping. I note that several forum members report use of a "new" Amscope units. I am sure that others will speak up here to provide you with more experiences. It may be helpful if you post your major intended use. Good luck, have fun. 2 Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, also are remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullsnake Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Depends on your budget. I like ebay. Having said that, get advice here on TFF to find one suitable for your purpose. There are many styles and options! 1 Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 A loupe is really handy for scanning samples in the field as well as at home. I'm in the market for one myself ( http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/35872-what-loupe-do-you-use/?hl=loupe ). A 'triplet' seems to be the favorite of many. A binocular microscope is really nice to have for fossils of all sizes. You can get some great photos just by holding the camera up to the eyepiece. You may have seen this: http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/33865-adventures-in-microscopy/ 1 Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 A loupe is indispensable. You can spend as little as a few bucks, or as much as $40 for a quality instrument, for example one manufactured by Bausch and Lomb. I second Snolly50's endorsement of the B & L Stereozoom scope. They are constantly on Ebay. $100 to $150 seems to be a reasonably price for one with a base and eyepieces in working condition. They are built like tanks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 Thanks everyone! Appreciate the feedback! Just to clarify regarding the loupe, is this the kind that would be most beneficial then? And I'm seeing all different levels of magnification... This one is 20%. Would this be adequate for ostracods, fishscales, etc? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000OVHUPS/ref=mw_dp_img?is=l&qid=1366210593&sr=8-20 I read on your link Missourian that some prefer 10. Thought? Thanks again as my eyes are killing me after straining them the last 2 days! lol Is it possible to take pictures through a loupe or no? I think I will get one of these first and take my time with trying to find a good and decent priced microscope? I will be posting that prior to buying also as I have not a clue and value everyone's input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 If I had to pick just one, I would choose a 10X. The 20X will have a very small field of view. Be aware that if you buy the really cheap loupes on Amazon you can't trust the magnification values advertised. Ones labeled 20X or 30X are often 10X. But then again they are dirt cheap. You can trust the magnification values of Bausch and Lomb, or Belomo. I do prefer the folding loupes on a lanyard for work in the field, but I often reach for the watchmaker's loupe in the lab(dining room table). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 Thanks and good to know about the cheap ones! I was planning on spending a little more and getting a better one anyways... The watchmaker loupe huh? Will check those out too. I think I will be using it at home the majority of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgodwin37 Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 10x is the standard in geology. 20x can be a pain in the butt to use, I have one that I rarely use. Also have a 7x that I like as well, larger field of view. All are hastings triplets. There are also some decent handheld microscopes (some with lights) that some people use. I think some are pretty cheap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikecable Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 Belomo and B & L are good mid-range brands. You can spend twice as much on Zeiss or Leica glass, but I don't think you will see that much difference unless you were using it for hours at a time. I believe optics (microscopes, telescopes, binoculars, cameras, or eyeglasses for that matter) are very much like wine or used cars. There is a huge difference between a 2 buck bottle of rotgut, and an $8-$20 bottle of wine. There is a very small difference between a $20 dollar bottle of wine and a bottle that costs a C-note. And an even smaller difference between that $100 dollar bottle of wine and a thousand dollar bottle of wine. I had this point proven to me in my college days. I'd been invited to dinner by a gentleman known to be an oenophile. I did my research in the very early days of the Internet, and very carefully picked out a Llano Estacado Cabernet Sauvignon from the 80's--probably about 15 bucks at that time--a couple of hours pay for me. The gentleman appreciated my effort to indulge his passion, and opened a bottle from his cellar that cost 500 dollars. Very little difference if any, and as he said it was as much snobbery or scarcity as anything else. The same thing with used cars--if you are buying your 16-year-old-daughter a used car to get around town, there is a big difference between a $1000 used car and a $5000 used car. Around town she will be safe in one, not so much in the other. Buying her a Maserati isn't going to make her safer or a better driver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetrolPete Posted April 17, 2013 Share Posted April 17, 2013 A good, cheap and portable microscope that I use is from here:http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/9c42/?pfm=Search&t=pocket%20microscope It works from 60x to 100x (although mine is currently stuck at 60x, which is perfectly fine for my use). I take pictures from my phone through the microscope's eyepiece and it works pretty well, I get pictures like this: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 17, 2013 Author Share Posted April 17, 2013 Belomo and B & L are good mid-range brands. You can spend twice as much on Zeiss or Leica glass, but I don't think you will see that much difference unless you were using it for hours at a time. I believe optics (microscopes, telescopes, binoculars, cameras, or eyeglasses for that matter) are very much like wine or used cars. There is a huge difference between a 2 buck bottle of rotgut, and an $8-$20 bottle of wine. There is a very small difference between a $20 dollar bottle of wine and a bottle that costs a C-note. And an even smaller difference between that $100 dollar bottle of wine and a thousand dollar bottle of wine. I had this point proven to me in my college days. I'd been invited to dinner by a gentleman known to be an oenophile. I did my research in the very early days of the Internet, and very carefully picked out a Llano Estacado Cabernet Sauvignon from the 80's--probably about 15 bucks at that time--a couple of hours pay for me. The gentleman appreciated my effort to indulge his passion, and opened a bottle from his cellar that cost 500 dollars. Very little difference if any, and as he said it was as much snobbery or scarcity as anything else. The same thing with used cars--if you are buying your 16-year-old-daughter a used car to get around town, there is a big difference between a $1000 used car and a $5000 used car. Around town she will be safe in one, not so much in the other. Buying her a Maserati isn't going to make her safer or a better driver. A good, cheap and portable microscope that I use is from here:http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/9c42/?pfm=Search&t=pocket microscope It works from 60x to 100x (although mine is currently stuck at 60x, which is perfectly fine for my use). I take pictures from my phone through the microscope's eyepiece and it works pretty well, I get pictures like this: IMG_1196.JPG Thanks Mike! And I see what you mean... LOL I got 2 b&l loupes. A 5 and a 10 for now! Thanks for the tips. And Pete. I am going to get one of those too... For the money that is certainly useful and that picture looks great!!! May I ask how small it is in actuality? And it is a jaw right? Please forgive my newbieness... I have learned so much on here and continue to daily! Thanks for the link as I have bad eyes to begin with so this may be very beneficial to me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 (edited) And it is a jaw right? Please forgive my newbieness... That is a conodont from the Pennsylvanian of KC. It is about a millimeter in size. If you find those in black shales, then you know you're dealing with a relatively deep marine deposit. Edited April 18, 2013 by Missourian Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 18, 2013 Author Share Posted April 18, 2013 Conodont huh? Something new for me to look up... Thanks Missourian! And apologize for guessing jaw... At least i didn't say calamite?! lol That is a conodont from the Pennsylvanian of KC. It is about a millimeter in size. If you find those in black shales, then you know you're dealing with a relatively deep marine deposit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgodwin37 Posted April 18, 2013 Share Posted April 18, 2013 Conodont (cone shaped tooth as named by Pander) elements are essentially part of the grasping apparatus of an extinct jawless free swimming organisms. These elements are used worldwide for Biostratigraphic correlations (with about a 1-3 million year resolution, depending on what ate you are dealing with, for instance we are working on refining the upper part of the Visean, or Middle Mississippian in the southern Mid-continent). They are also used for paleoecological reconstructions as various species have been tied to certain deposition depth ranges, and there is also a abundance and diversity model that is applied to the Pennsylvanian cyclothems of the Mid-continent as well as other strata.....sorry, I spend countless hours picking these from residues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 19, 2013 Author Share Posted April 19, 2013 Conodont (cone shaped tooth as named by Pander) elements are essentially part of the grasping apparatus of an extinct jawless free swimming organisms. These elements are used worldwide for Biostratigraphic correlations (with about a 1-3 million year resolution, depending on what ate you are dealing with, for instance we are working on refining the upper part of the Visean, or Middle Mississippian in the southern Mid-continent). They are also used for paleoecological reconstructions as various species have been tied to certain deposition depth ranges, and there is also a abundance and diversity model that is applied to the Pennsylvanian cyclothems of the Mid-continent as well as other strata.....sorry, I spend countless hours picking these from residues. Don't be sorry and thanks for educating me! Leave it to me to say jaw on a jawless organism? lol I looked them up and saw they haven't been found in the group that I have just recently started looking at... I do like learning about different things as who knows? You did mention Pennsylvanian in certain strata? Pennsylvanian and Permian are both around Pittsburgh. Thanks for the info! If I find any in my drunkard group it may mean something... Or may not be present? Either way learned something new! BTW, countless hours picking from residues sounds almost painful... LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgodwin37 Posted April 19, 2013 Share Posted April 19, 2013 It's not bad (except when they samples are pretty silty and I either have to run them through heavy liquids or just sit and spend an entire day on one sample), otherwise it's can move pretty quickly in clean limestones or can be fun in samples with high abundance and diversity. But in the end the work we are doing is refining the accepted stratigraphic nomenclature and correlations, so it's an end justify the pain type of situation. Back on topic, I wold just get a 10x hand lense and a cheap 20x-40x microscope at home. My 20x hand lens is smaller than the tip of pinky and the field of view just irritates me. When I am trying to look at something at that magnification it nice to put it under the scope. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lissa318 Posted April 20, 2013 Author Share Posted April 20, 2013 (edited) It's not bad (except when they samples are pretty silty and I either have to run them through heavy liquids or just sit and spend an entire day on one sample), otherwise it's can move pretty quickly in clean limestones or can be fun in samples with high abundance and diversity. But in the end the work we are doing is refining the accepted stratigraphic nomenclature and correlations, so it's an end justify the pain type of situation. Back on topic, I wold just get a 10x hand lense and a cheap 20x-40x microscope at home. My 20x hand lens is smaller than the tip of pinky and the field of view just irritates me. When I am trying to look at something at that magnification it nice to put it under the scope. Thanks for the advice!!! I did order a 5x and 10x loupe for now. That is as far as I've gotten. I would like to find something I can take better close up pics with? I asked above if possible through a loupe but didn't get a response on that yet... Being fairly new at this being able to get decent picd to help with a potential ID is important for me... Otherwise I have a bunch of rocks laying around that I just am not sure about??? Hahaha! Need to be able to take better pics or need a bigger table... Edited April 20, 2013 by lissa318 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgodwin37 Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 You should be able to through the 5x, and maybe the 10x, I've never done it so I can't speak as to the quality of the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missourian Posted April 20, 2013 Share Posted April 20, 2013 I asked above if possible through a loupe but didn't get a response on that yet... It's possible, but it's a matter of holding the loupe and phone cam just right. It's hard enough with a microscope sitting on the table. Context is critical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jualhadun87 Posted April 21, 2013 Share Posted April 21, 2013 Depending on your definition of cheap, I have been very happy with AmScope microscopes. You can order them off Amazon or Ebay for around $150-$180 for a decent quality, well built stereoscope. They typically do 10x 20x 30x and 60x with the objective being 1x and 3 x and coming with 10x and 20 eye peices. I love this scope for fossils as it works nice for prep work on non micro fossils but also works great for sorting and handling macro and micro fossils and detailed examination of microfossils after sorting. The one I purchases also has top and bottom incidental LED illumination, white and black double sided plate and a frosted plate for bottom illumination. Its small, mostly metal, heavy and solid built and mine also has built in rechargeable batteries so you can unplug it and use in the field or other areas where you dont want to mess with the cord. I actually love the cordless feature as I dont have to constantly drag a cord across my work bench. The stereo effect gives you a more 3 dimensional feel and is more comfortable. I have a DSLR camera mount that works great with it and havent had the slightest complaint about the unit. AmScope seems to sell their scopes as kits based of a core body with different sets of accessories and features. The same base stereoscope comes in different sets depending on whether it has the battery option, multiple sets of eyepieces, LED vs incandescent lighting, mechanical stage, digital imager etc. Just as a general note, unless you want to blow a ton of money, I wouldnt waste your time with a digital imager at all. Its alot cheaper and more effective to use a DSLR mount IF you already own a DSLR. Hope that helps PS, dont buy the scopes right from AmScopes website, the prices are way way way higher, its great for reference though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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