Welcome to the website devoted to the subject of advanced biological microscopes. Let us first analyze the meaning of our topic. A microscope used for biology is generally a high power compound light microscope. It has usually about three, four, or maybe five compound objectives that pick up the light and magnify it. It then has a pair of eyepieces to “compound” the magnification to a high power.

A biological microscope typically is viewing at a magnification of 100x, 400x, and sometimes up to 1000x. The specimen is placed on a microscope slide and a thin microscope cover slip is placed over it. This comprises the description of a typical compound light microscope that would be considered to be an advanced biological microscope. Different grades of compound microscopes exist. One can find a simple toy microscope at a science store that will go up to 400x, but the quality of the optics will be less than desirable.

A student compound microscope typically has only one eyepiece, and thus is called a student monocular biological microscope. A higher grade student microscope may have binocular eyepieces allowing both eyes to view the specimen. Still many differences can separate the common student binocular microscope with a true advanced biological microscope. The quality of the optics is one issue that determines the resolution and clarity of the biological specimen’s magnified image.

In addition, improvements in the light path, including the addition of Koehler illumination system, rack and pinion adjustment on the light condenser, and physical size of the microscope body all play a role in distinguishing between a student grade and a professional advanced grade of biological microscope.

A medical clinic, veterinary office, and health testing laboratory all will have the same requirements for a good quality high power compound light microscope. A simple student microscope will not meet their demanding needs. They should make their microscope purchase with care. A name brand microscope is sometimes a viable solution to ensure the optical quality of a clinical microscope.

However, most often the high grade name brand microscopes will be too expensive for the budget. A reasonable quality Chinese made microscope with the best features and options can be found at reasonable prices. If you are in the market for an advanced biological microscope, be sure to carefully select your optical equipment.