Day 25: When the mechanical stage arrived yesterday, it occurred to me that although I've featured photos of what I've seen through the new microscope so far, I hadn't properly introduced my new toy. Suffice to say that I am delighted with it, particularly because it allows me to share images with my readers, letting them explore strange new worlds right alongside me.
For those of you who are detail-oriented, it is an AmScope M200. It came with two eyepieces, 10x and 25x. The available magnifications are 40x, 100x, 250x, 400x and 100x (a duplicate occurs when changing eyepieces because 10 x 10 = 4 x 25). The 0.3mp camera which came with the 'scope replaces the eyepiece and seems to give a higher magnification yet, but I am not certain of the factor. Admittedly, that's pretty low-end despite what you might think from the images I've posted so far, and therefore I intend to upgrade to a 2.0-3.0mp camera at some point (maybe a birthday present-to-self). An X-acto knife set serves as my dissecting kit, and of course I have a selection of petri dishes, slides and stains waiting for specimens.
As for the mechanical stage, at high magnification, it is almost impossible to move a slide with any degree of accuracy by hand. The mechanical stage holds the slide firmly and with the twist of a knob, allows it to be moved laterally or side-to-side with precision. The tissue can therefore be centered in the field of view so that when moving to a stronger objective, only minor adjustments need to be made.
Back when I was in high school, this 'scope would have qualified as "professional grade." Technology has put science in the reach of almost everyone, so what are you waiting for? Go exploring!
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