FortMyersSteve
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2018
- Messages
- 15
I want to get a microscope to identify the microscopic living things in my aquarium, which is a brackish aquarium that simulates the environment of the canal that I live next to in Southwest Florida. So I want something one could use to identify things like copepods, microscopic algae, etc.
This is my first microscope. I have looked on microscope advice forums, but the array of choices is bewildering. Monocular, stereo, tri-ocular; digital or old fashioned; if digital, built in camera or iPhone attachment; 40
; 1,00; 2,50 (if you are seeing little pictures of Yoda, those were supposed to be a zero followed by the letter in the alphabet that falls between W and Y - I don't know what gives with the images). I know I don't want a $15,000 research microscope, and a SEM is out of the questions. I tried to quickly get up to speed on the fluorescing type, dark field, and the type that forms images from refractions (forget the name). I can afford a $3,000 microscope, but don't really want to spend that either if a $500 microscope or $100 microscope is fine for my purposes. The digital things that allow you to take pictures and video look sort of cool. But then if it is not simple plug and play, I'd rather just get the old fashioned kind. I don't want another toy that takes me weeks to deal with compatibility issues. I read in one place that if you want to take pictures, you should buy a microscope without a built-in camera, because microscope technology has not changed in 50 years and camera quality changes every 3 years. But I don't actually see any microscopes that are designed for cameras that don't come with one built in. I also read that you need USB 3.0 to do good video, but lots of digital microscopes just say they have USB, which I assume means 2.0.
If it's relevant - 1. monocular is the same to me as stereo, because I have an eye condition (strabismus?) which makes me look with only one eye at a time - no stereo vision. 2. I have an iPhone, I think a 7; and 3. I have both a MacBook Pro and a windows computer, but use the Mac more . But I'm ok with a student $100 monocular scope with no computer connection if it will let me clearly see copepods and is well made enough to last.
Help!
This is my first microscope. I have looked on microscope advice forums, but the array of choices is bewildering. Monocular, stereo, tri-ocular; digital or old fashioned; if digital, built in camera or iPhone attachment; 40
; 1,00; 2,50 (if you are seeing little pictures of Yoda, those were supposed to be a zero followed by the letter in the alphabet that falls between W and Y - I don't know what gives with the images). I know I don't want a $15,000 research microscope, and a SEM is out of the questions. I tried to quickly get up to speed on the fluorescing type, dark field, and the type that forms images from refractions (forget the name). I can afford a $3,000 microscope, but don't really want to spend that either if a $500 microscope or $100 microscope is fine for my purposes. The digital things that allow you to take pictures and video look sort of cool. But then if it is not simple plug and play, I'd rather just get the old fashioned kind. I don't want another toy that takes me weeks to deal with compatibility issues. I read in one place that if you want to take pictures, you should buy a microscope without a built-in camera, because microscope technology has not changed in 50 years and camera quality changes every 3 years. But I don't actually see any microscopes that are designed for cameras that don't come with one built in. I also read that you need USB 3.0 to do good video, but lots of digital microscopes just say they have USB, which I assume means 2.0.If it's relevant - 1. monocular is the same to me as stereo, because I have an eye condition (strabismus?) which makes me look with only one eye at a time - no stereo vision. 2. I have an iPhone, I think a 7; and 3. I have both a MacBook Pro and a windows computer, but use the Mac more . But I'm ok with a student $100 monocular scope with no computer connection if it will let me clearly see copepods and is well made enough to last.
Help!
