(This post contains affiliate links to Amazon, because many readers have asked me where I got my microscope, and if I’m going to link to Amazon to show them, I may as well use an affiliate. I never recommend products that I don’t love – hence the scarcity of affiliate links on my blog.)
I have wanted a microscope for some time now. I have a four year old at home who loves science and I also have wanted to create videos for my blog of microorganisms. I saved up some cash and ordered this one from Amazon! It’s a OMAX 40X-2000X Digital Lab LED Binocular Compound Microscope with Built-in 1.3MP USB Camera and Double Layer Mechanical Stage. And I am in love with it.
Here are a few things I really wanted in a microscope:
- Good quality objective lenses that include a 100X (oil immersion) lens. An oil immersion lens is usually not on student microscopes but works great for a station in a classroom (that the teacher sets up) to show bacteria or very small cells.
- I wanted the ability to hook up to my MacBook Pro computer easily. This was an absolute requirement for me. I want to be able to make videos and record pictures of what I see.
- I wanted a camera attached to the microscope AND eyepieces. Some microscopes only come with the camera and no actual eyepieces like a normal microscope. There are cheaper “digital microscopes” that only have a camera and no eyepieces, but they’re just not for me.
- Stage clips to help keep slides from shifting plus fine slide adjustment knobs to move the slide without actually touching the slide. Moving a slide under 400x is so nice to be able to do without totally losing your field.
- Great reviews on Amazon. This is a must and a lot of the reviews for this one said they were professors at colleges who ordered it and loved it. I read a TON of amazon reviews and there was even one microscope company that had this review on every single microscope they make: “Good gift! my wife love it very much!” OK, crossed that company off my list.
This is the one I ordered. I read the reviews and ordered it with my prime shipping (one day!)
The camera is soooo good. And the best thing is I don’t even need to install their software (my MacBook Pro doesn’t even have a CD drive). I just open PhotoBooth and it works!
Here’s a video I made with my microscope, in 10 minutes. It took me only a few minutes to also edit it in iMovie and remove the audio, which consisted of me asking my 4 year old not to move the slide while I took the video.
These paramecium were in a puddle in my back yard! Check out that guy with the huge food vacuole; you can even see his cilia.
I plan on posting more microscope videos on my Facebook page to help other science teachers have high quality videos to show their students during microscope demos. Like and follow me on Facebook to keep seeing cool microscope videos like this one!
