Thursday, February 26, 2015

Prostate Gland under Microscope

The prostate secretes fluid that nourishes and protects sperm. The images below of the prostate gland were captured using a biological microscope and a basic microscope camera.

Microscopy image of the prostate gland.
Prostate gland under the microscope at 40x.

Prostate gland under microscope at 100x.
Prostate gland under the microscope at 100x.

Prostate gland under the microscope at 400x.
Prostate gland under the microscope at 400x.
The prostate gland is one of many prepared slides that Microscope World offers.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Hematology Microscopes

Hematology microscopes are used to view blood cells, bone marrow, blood proteins and hemoglobin in order to diagnose, treat, and prevent diseases related to the blood.

Hematology microscopes for viewing blood and bone marrow.
Hematology Microscope
Hematology microscopes are typically coated with an anti-fungal material and often have an ergonomic head as shown above. Magnification of 40x, 100x, 400x and 1000x is used to view blood cells and the blood components. Hematologists deal with diseases such as Malaria, Thalassemia, Leukemia, Clotting Disorders and Anemia.

Image: Pathology Information Educational Resource

Friday, February 20, 2015

Small Intestine Microscopy Images

In the small intestine of the human body a network of capillaries transport nutrients including amino acids and carbohydrates. The images below were captured with a high power compound digital microscope.

Microscopy image of small intestine capillaries at 40x.
Small intestine capillaries captured at 40x under a compound microscope.

Capillaries under the microscope at 100x.
Small intestine capillaries captured at 100x under a compound microscope.

Small intestine capillaries under the microscope at 400x.
Small intestine capillaries captured at 400x under a compound microscope.

The microscope prepared slide of small intestine capillaries can be found in the Histology Microscope Prepared Slide Kit from Microscope World.

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Histology Microscopes & Pathology Microscopes

Histology microscopes are used to study cells and tissue in both plants and humans. Pathology microscopes are used to study diseases in human tissues, cells and bodily fluids. Histology and pathology microscopes require a precision setup for viewing thing slices of tissue. An ergonomic head is usually ideal since comfort is important for viewing many slides throughout the day.

Ergonomic pathology and histology microscope.
RB40 Trinocular histology and pathology microscope with ergonomic head.
Some features commonly found on histology and pathology microscopes include:
  • Anti-fungal coating on microscope stage and frame.
  • Magnification ranging from 125x - 400x.
  • Ergonomic viewing head for comfort.
  • Mechanical stage with clinical specimen slide holder.
  • Light focusing on rheostat and condenser.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Mustard Seed under the Microscope

The Capsella is a genus of herbaceous plant and biennial plants in the mustard family. These Capsella seeds were captured under a biological microscope. The Capsella (mustard seed) prepared slide is part of the Fruit and Flower prepared slide kit.

Image of mustard under the microscope at 40x.
Capsella (mustard) captured at 40x magnification under a biological microscope.

Mustard Capsella under the microscope.
Capsella (mustard) captured at 100x magnification under a biological microscope.

Mustard under microscope at 400x magnification.
Capsella (mustard) captured at 400x magnification under a biological microscope.

Monday, February 9, 2015

Dermatology Microscopes

Dermatology microscopes are biological microscopes that require a magnification in the lower range for viewing thin slices of skin samples.

dermatology microscope for professional use
Dermatology Microscope
The MT4000D dermatology microscope shown above includes the following for dermatologists:
  • Plan Apochromat 1.25x, 4x, 10x, 20x, 40x objective lenses.
  • Anti-fungal coating on microscope frame.
  • Low-position mechanical stage for ease of maneuvering slides.
  • Long-lasting LED light with intensity control.
  • Magnification of 12.5x, 40x, 100x, 200x and 400x.

Thursday, February 5, 2015

Plant Seed Embryo Under the Microscope

The images below are of a Capsella of a Bud of a flower. These images are of the cotyledon, a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant. Upon germination, the cotyledon may become the embryonic first leaves of a seedling. The images were captured using the Richter Optica UX-1D Plan Achromat digital high school microscope.

Microscopy flower image
Capsella of Bud captured at 40x magnification under the UX-1D microscope.

Microscopy image of flower captured at 100x.
Capsella of Bud captured at 100x magnification under the UX-1D microscope.

Capsella bud captured at 400x under the microscope.
Capsella of Bud captured at 400x magnification under the UX-1D microscope.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Best Student Microscopes

There are several important factors to look into when purchasing a student microscope. Quality is important and you can find a great article here about evaluating microscope quality. Other than a high quality microscope, here are a few factors that are important:
  • Both coarse AND fine focusing. Once you are viewing specimens at 100x magnification or higher, having a fine focusing knob is essential for getting a crisp and clearly focused image. Inexpensive kids microscopes will only have a coarse focusing knob. The fine focusing knob eliminates quite a lot of frustration for both children and adults.
  • Consider the light. Both LED and halogen light sources are cool. If you are looking at living samples, this is the best way to keep those samples alive! LED bulbs last much longer than any other type of bulb. Fluorescent and tungsten lights heat up when in use. Additionally, is it important for you to have a cordless microscope? Many microscopes now are rechargeable and this makes them more kid-friendly, as you don't have cords stretched from a table to a wall outlet when the microscope is in use.
  • Do you need to capture images? There are a number of digital kids microscopes available from WiFi microscopes, and LCD tablet microscopes, to USB digital microscopes. If you want to capture images, decide whether you would prefer to view your images on a computer next to your microscope, or on a tablet mounted directly on your microscope. Keep in mind that you can often convert a standard microscope to digital after purchasing, if you don't wish to invest in a digital microscope up front.
  • Consider the Optics. To be completely honest - any kind of plastic optics are horrible. Eyepieces and objective lenses should all be made of glass. If you are looking at a kids microscope under $50 it probably has plastic optics (as well as plastic parts, which break easily). Looking through plastic optics is similar to looking through an extremely dirty window. 
  • Consider the Magnification. Anything above 1000x in empty magnification and is unnecessary. You can view bacteria, blood cells and Protozoans all at 400x. More magnification is not better.

Best Student Microscopes

Richter Optica F1 kids microscope
F1 Student Microscope
#1 - Best Kids Microscope:

F1 Student Microscope


#2 - Best High School Microscopes:
Richter Optica HS-1M high school student microscope features.
HS-1M High School Microscope

HS-1M Basic High School Microscope


UX-1 Plan Achromat High School Microscope

Richter Optica UX-1 Plan Achromat High School Microscope
UX-1 Plan Achromat Microscope



#3 - Best Digital Microscopes:

UX1-LCD Tablet Microscope for High School
UX1-LCD Tablet Microscope
UX1-LCD Digital Tablet LCD Microscope

  • Coarse & Fine Focusing
  • Cordless, Rechargeable, LED Light
  • Glass Optics, Metal Parts
  • Includes Mechanical Stage
  • Includes Touch-Screen Android Tablet
  • 40x, 100x, 400x, 1000x
  • Plan Achromat Objective Lenses
  • Microscope Operates with or without use of Tablet
  • Capture and save images and video
If you are looking for a specific student microscope setup please contact us for further information.