What type of microscope?

[fishguy]

I am looking for input on what type of microscope I should get for prepping fossils like trilobites, ammonites from Montana, and other fossils from the Midwest. What magnification I would need. Any suggestions would help me decide.  I mainly use air scribes but have done some cleaning with picks.   

[Kane]

If you perform a search here on the forum in 'Fossil Preparation', there are several topics dedicated to this very question.  

 

In a nutshell:

* Excessively high magnification is not required; in fact, it would be a hindrance. An operational range of 10x -100x should be fine for what you're doing, but the most important consideration is not magnification, but working distance from the object. A Barlow lens is a must as it halves the magnification, but doubles the distance required between the objective lens and the object.

* A stereo/binocular scope is best. I use an OMAX trinocular (the "third eye" is really just a port for picture taking, if that is something you are interested in doing). 

* A boom stand is also important; a conventional scope that usually can just accommodate slides will definitely not fit a specimen for prep! Being able to swing the arm of the scope over the specimen is very handy, and particularly necessary if you are using a blast box for scribing and abrasion. 

 

A good scope will run you a bit of money (think $500 and up). If you wanted a more affordable solution, there are a range of digital USB scopes that can be had for well under $100, but you might find they have some serious limitations. 

[Ptychodus04]

Make sure you get a true stereo scope. If you get a microscope with a single lens objective, you lose all depth perception, even if there are 2 oculars.

 

I have never prepped at a magnification higher than 20x.

[Sagebrush Steve]

I agree with these posts.  Amscope is another popular brand that is reported to be very good quality and not too expensive.  Get a true zoom scope either with a continuous zoom or multiple steps.  And a Barlow lens is important.  The most common one has a magnification of 0.5X.  It doubles the working distance away from the specimen, giving you more room to manipulate things like air scribes or air abrasive units.  It also cuts the magnification in half.  But you can get other magnifications, too.  Another potentially useful one has a magnification of 0.3X, further reducing the magnification but giving you even more working distance.  Since you will primarily be working with magnifications between around 5X and 20X, the reduction in magnification from the Barlow lens shouldn’t be a problem.

 

You can also find good bargains on the used market from our favorite auction site.  Brands to look for are Nikon, American Optical, or the best-of-the-best, Leica/Wild. Be sure it is a stereo microscope.  I would recommend it have 10X eyepieces.  If you are thinking of going that route and find a possible candidate online, feel free to ask for our advice here.  We can tell you whether it should meet your needs, although we won’t be able to comment on prices.

[Haravex]

I must add to this that amscope do amazing microscopes I have one currently at either 10 or 20 times magnification and it performs its job flawlessly with a nice working space of around 6 to 7 inches

[jpc]

I will also throw my two farthings in:

 

• Barlow Lens
• Boom stand
• Binocular
• continuous zoom
• Mine goes to 30x and I wish it would go higher, but only rarely.  It gets tough to work at that speed.  That is for wee things like Cretaceous maamals.  

[Sagebrush Steve]

7 hours ago, jpc said:

I will also throw my two farthings in:

 

• Barlow Lens
• Boom stand
• Binocular
• continuous zoom
• Mine goes to 30x and I wish it would go higher, but only rarely.  It gets tough to work at that speed.  That is for wee things like Cretaceous maamals.  

Can you swap out the 10X eyepieces for 15X or 20X eyepieces to increase the magnification?

[jpc]

3 hours ago, Sagebrush Steve said:

Can you swap out the 10X eyepieces for 15X or 20X eyepieces to increase the magnification?

if you can, that would be good.  But you might be pushing too much magnification.