Magnification
The range of magnifications provided by the device is from minimum to maximum.
The magnification of the microscope is calculated by the formula "the magnification of the eyepiece is multiplied by the magnification of the objective." For example, a 20x objective with a
10x eyepiece will give a magnification of 10*20 = 200x. Modern microscopes can be equipped with multi-objective turrets, zoom lenses (see below) and interchangeable eyepieces — so that in most models the magnification can be adjusted. This allows you to adjust the device to different situations: when you need to consider small details, a high degree of magnification is used, but to expand the field of view, the magnification must be reduced.
Detailed recommendations on optimal multiplicities for different tasks can be found in special sources. Here we note that many manufacturers go to the trick and indicate the maximum value of the magnification by the degree of magnification achieved with an additional Barlow lens. Such a lens can indeed give a serious increase in magnification, but it is not a fact that the image will turn out to be of high quality; for more details, see "Complete set".
Lens
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Zoom lens. Lens with variable magnification. Such optics allow you to smoothly change the overall magnification of the microscope within certain limits, without changing the objective/eyepiece and without even looking up from observations. On the other hand, zoom lenses are more complicated and more expensive than constant magnification optics. Therefore, they are mainly used in stereoscopic microscopes (see "Type"): in the repair, assembly and other tasks for which such devices are used, the ability to smoothly adjust the multiplicity is extremely useful.
— magnification factor. The magnification provided by the lens. This parameter, along with the magnification of the eyepiece, affects the overall magnification of the device (see above). Most biological microscopes (see "Type") are equipped with several different magnification objectives on the turret; this allows you to adjust the degree of magnification as desired by the user. The standard magnification options for such lenses are 4x, 10x, 40x, 100x.
— Achromat. One of the varieties of colour correction used in lenses. The need for colour correction is due to the fact that light of different colours is refracted differently by lenses, and without additional measures, the image in the microscope would be blurred with iridescent stains. Achromatic is one of the simplest types of colour correction; in such optics, colour distortions in yellow and green are corrected
.... Achromatic lenses have simple design and low cost. However the image quality in them is far from perfect: such a lens gives a clear image only in the centre of the image, the width of the sharpness zone is about a third of the total width of the field of view, and red-blue streaks may appear along the edges of the image. However, this is quite enough for general acquaintance, initial training, and often for more serious tasks.
— Planachromat. An improved and improved version of achromatic lenses (see above). Plan achromats provide additional correction of the field curvature, due to which the area of a clearly visible image in such lenses is at least 2/3 of the total width of the field of view, and often even more. It is these lenses that are recommended for serious study and professional use.
— Rim diameter. The size of the thread used to mount the lens. A larger bore usually means a wider lens, which means higher aperture and better image quality. On the other hand, the large size affects the dimensions, weight and cost of optics. In modern microscopes, diameters from 20 to 35 mm are mainly found. Knowing the size of the thread, you can purchase replacement or spare lenses for the device.In box
Additional equipment supplied with the microscope.
— Camera. In this case, we mean a
removable camera installed either on the main optical channel (to use an external screen as an eyepiece), or on the third additional channel of the trinocular (see "Eyepiece"). In addition, there are also built-in cameras (see the relevant paragraph). Some models supplied without a camera allow you to purchase it separately, but this configuration option is generally more convenient.
— Adapter for smartphone. A device that allows you to install a smartphone on a microscope so that the camera of the device “sees” the image in the eyepiece. Thus, you can take photos and videos on your smartphone, as well as use its screen as an eyepiece — for example, if you want to show the image to several people at once.
— A set of accessories and preparations. A set of accessories for working with a microscope. Such a set usually includes at least slides and coverslips; in addition to them, the kit can be supplied with preparation tools, various auxiliary compounds (resin for gluing, oils and liquids for immersion lenses), as well as ready-made preparations for testing the capabilities of the microscope and initial training in working with it.
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Lens Barlow. An additional lens that is installed in front of the eyepiece and changes the overall magnification — usually upwards, but vice versa is
...also possible. To calculate the overall magnification when using such optics, you need to multiply the initial magnification of the device by the magnification of the lens: for example, a 200x microscope with a 1.6x Barlow lens will give 200 * 1.6 = 320x magnification. This is partly why Barlow lenses have a very low magnification — even it gives a significant increase in magnification. The second reason is that it makes sense to increase the overall magnification only up to a certain limit — above this limit, the optics will only stretch the image without increasing the detail. Actually, in many microscopes, this is exactly what happens if you set the device to the maximum magnification and install a Barlow lens. So this device should be considered more as a tool for adjusting the magnification at medium magnification, and not as a way to increase the maximum magnification.
— Cover / case. Case for storage and transportation of the microscope. Covers are called soft cases, they are mainly designed to protect against pollution; cases are made of hard materials, they are more bulky, but they are also able to protect the device from shocks and shocks.
