Favorite, easy to learn microscope?

[madteaparty]

With my DS, all middle school biology labs were outsourced to Landry two day intensive (RIP) and AMNH programs. I cannot get out of learning how to use and actually using a microscope with DD. Plus, argh, she really loves this stuff. I am an utter noob and have no idea what I am looking at, usually. So let's assume $$ is not an object and also that I will get the prepared slides, but also want to be able to (say) look at leaves and our pond water under the thing.  Which microscope should I get?

Thank you

[kristin0713]

My kids actually really like using a pocket microscope. And they can take pictures of what they are looking at though the phone's camera. 

[madteaparty]

On 10/28/2021 at 7:06 PM, kristin0713 said:

My kids actually really like using a pocket microscope. And they can take pictures of what they are looking at though the phone's camera. 

Any particular ones they prefer? Stocking stuffer idea!

[kristin0713]

This is the one we have.  

[BotanyBae]

Amscope is a quality and budget conscious option for both dissecting and compound microscopes. You can find decent models in the $200-$300 range. I'm a botanist and use Amscope's at home now that I no longer have easy access to the lab scopes, and I've been very impressed with them.

For the compound microscope (the one you use with slides), make sure it has 4x,10x, and 25x power in the objectives and 10x in the eyepiece. Many also have a 100x "oil immersion" objective, but this is rarely needed at a middle or even high school level. I opted for the Amscope trinocular head, in part because I could peak in when DS was using it to make sure it was on what I wanted him to see, and also so I could hook it up to a computer camera (was included with the scope). Also, always get one with it's own light source. There is no good reason to use cheap and old fashioned varieties that depend on a mirror to reflect a light source. 

Dissecting microscopes don't need slides. You can stick nearly anything small beneath them to view easily. I personally use them for dissecting flowers and plants for identification, but they also work great for petri dishes (ex. bacteria growth projects) or insects. If you go this route, choose a microscope with both a back light and an above light, as some things are better viewed when lit from underneath while others can be seen better when lit from above. A 2x-4x objective range combined with a 10x eyepiece should be plenty. Amscope has some dual powered models that can run off electricity or a battery, which is neat if you want to take a scope into the field or on a camping trip, but it isn't a required feature. 

[Idalou]

We use a National Optical compound. It's several years old, but everyone loves it. However, I have seen enough pond water critters to last a lifetime. At the moment there is an old Listerine bottle full of water that has been sitting in a closet for several months...I'm not sure what they expect to find.