AmScopeB100B-MS Compound Binocular Microscope, 40X-2000X Magnification, Brightfield, Tungsten Illumination, Abbe Condenser, Mechanical Stage

This microscope is better than it looks in pictures, it's made of metal and has a perfect size to be used even by a kid.It seems to last a lifetime but it is not a professional equipment. It lacks the possibility to change/upgrade lighting system, (fine focus wheel slightly shifs the image*), condenser lens is slightly mis-aligned. But being reasonable, such claims could only be asked from a real pro. The objectives are really nice: sharp clear, bright, no colour aberations. Considering the limitation of lighting system, x40 and x100 ones cannot show their real value.In the first half an hour after opening the packet I was able to look in a drop of water (on a concave slide) from my fish bowl and saw jungle there. My 11 year daughter have a thrill of horror after seeing a metazoa (cyclop?) who's eating a little something. She had got fascinated and that's what I actually watching from this purchase.I hope we will enjoy for many yeasa from now on the universe opened by this tool, but for the others who are looking for a microscope I would suggest another one for the same price: http://www.amazon.com/AmScope-Compound-Biological-Microscope-40x-1000x/dp/B007LBFLSM/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=2MQAIRS1KO6GP&coliid=I1L6332N8CEHHOOther recommandation would be to negotiate a low magnification in favor of a better lighting system. Don't look after 1600x, 2000x or 2500x but look after rack and pinion adjustment for condenser, darkfield condenser, coaxial coarse & fine focusing etc. Peace!P.S. *After a couple of days of using I observed that the little shift of image caused by the fine focusing knob it's no more visible, maybe it needed a little running...

I'm a research scientist and know high quality microscopes in my lab and even for the classroom are pricey. This is a very economical microscope that is of excellent quality. My kids and I have had a blast looking at pond water (algae, paramecium, round worms), small ticks (Here we used it to see if the entire tick was removed...it was), molds (hyphae and spores), budding yeast, etc. My ten year-old is picking up a lot of info and my 4 year-old is also enjoying it...who knows how much he is picking up and who cares, he's engaged. I am making the slides, finding the items, and focusing, all that will come with time for the kids.I did not find it difficult to assemble, but I have some experience there. It seemed pretty intuitive to me. It came in about 4 parts that were preassembled (body, stage, eye piece unit, slide holder). The light is very bright/effective, even at 100x and it comes with one replacement bulb. There is a lever to control the light passing up through the lenses. Not sure why one would want to use the color filters...these remain in the styrofoam packaging. All four objectives are excellent and you can use either the 10x or 20x eyepieces, which are also clear.I got tired of waiting for the university sales where they sell their old microscopes. Getting a new 'scope is even better!You will need microscope slides and cover slips, but those are also easy to find on Amazon. It comes with immersion oil for the 100x objective. It does not come with lens paper or cleaning solution to remove the oil off the lens or for general maintenance of the lenses.

Item arrived on time, well packaged and in perfect condition.This microscope is well made and of metal construction. I have wanted a microscope for many years but the models I found in local hobby shops were either way too expensive or cheaply constructed of plastic. Thanks to Amazon, I was able to find and select this quality product. Upon receipt, I performed the simple assembly within 10 minutes and was viewing paramecium, amoeba, planaria and other creatures in a drop of water from my backyard pond in no time at all. After about a month of ownership, I purchased a Celestron digital USB imager for less than 50 bucks and I can now view and photograph excellent images as well as create videos of anything seen through this microscope using my PC. The microscope comes with both 10X and 20X eyepieces as well as color filters (which I would love to know how to use if anyone can advise me how to mount them) and a fantastic X / Y micrometer type clamping device which allows one to find an object, note its coordinates, move on and return to it easily rather than moving a slide with your fingers and possibly creating a mess. If you are looking for a well made hobby grade microscope for a very reasonable price, this is it. Do not be put off by the fact that this is not a well known name brand.

Solidly built and reasonably precise mechanically. However, the mechanical stage clip assembly was shipped out of alignment. I doubt this piece went through a final QA as it would not lay flat on the stage when it was mounted and would not hold a slide since it was raised about 2mm above the stage, allowing the slide to slip out underneath it.After adjusting the set screws that hold the clip bar to the moving mount, I managed to adjust it to nearly level with the stage. Enough to hold the slide in place. Still, it is not 100% flush with the stage and with extended use it has a tendency to raise up and let the slide slip out again. German engineering it's not. Note - if this type of adjustment is needed, you'll need an extra small philips screwdriver, like those used for fixing eyeglasses.Other than that, the optics are fine and the coarse and fine focus knobs work well with some patience and practice. The light on this does get quite hot, so if you think you'll be working with live specimens you may want to consider an LED version. Also, there is no way to vary the intensity of the light other than adjusting the iris, which is not ideal in some situations. At first, I didn't think this would be a big deal, but now I wish I had spent a few more bucks to have the extra ability to fine tune the amount of light projecting though the condenser.