AmScope OMAX 40X-2000X Lab LED Binocular Compound Microscope with Double Layer Mechanical Stage and Coaxial Coarse/Fine Focusing Knob

First: the highest magnification objective lens is oil immersion only. You must put a drop of oil on your slide cover and then lower the lens into the oil to focus on anything. You must NOT do that with the other three lenses.This is what allows the 2000x mag: light goes through oil instead of unsteady air. It's a fantastic feature at this price. Don't worry though, you can be happy just using the other 3 lenses, which is what I plan on using mostly.**If you didn't know what oil immersion objective meant-know is the time to research 'microscopy techniques' along with 'microscope slide preparation' and 'cell staining' techniques and 'dark field' vs 'light field'-- illumination'. Basically: this is a 'real' microscope, and you should learn how to operate it in the proper manner to use it at its fullest. With that said, except for the 4th lens they throw in (oil immersion) a little kid could easily figure out all the features. There is supposed to be a slip of paper with address to download a manual-but I didn't see it. There are tons of omax videos on you tube if you need help.I chose the LED light because: they run cold so it won't kill live pond cells like a hot halogen would. They also last longer.So, how is this scope? Well it's better than what I used in high school and Chem I in university. It's way better than my 4 cheapie Tasco-style garage sale scopes and my homemade macrobellow system.Assembly was easy: loosen knob at top to remove top cover. Remove clear cap on underside of head unit. Place head unit on top of scope and re-tighten knob. Pop in the eyepieces: my 20x were **really** tight and hard to install, but it's 40 degrees here and the metal holes that they fit into may have contracted a bit. Just be patient and they'll go in. That's it!! Oh, and plug it in for light.The objectives are parfocal, meaning when you switch between them you only have refocus using the fine-focus knobs a little. Great feature which makes using it even more of a pleasure. There is a dimmer switch for the LED, and also a diaphragm under the stage-which was half closed when shipped: slide it open for even more light. Again, if you don't know what these terms mean you should start researching 'how to use a microscope'.Optics appear flat and focused edge-to-edge, which is the opposite of many telescope mirrors I deal with~but that's another story. Each eyepiece spins for diopter adjustment, and the eyepieces slide apart for interpuppillary adjustment. Focus with one eye closed using the focus knobs, then switch eyes and focus that eye buy turning that eyepiece itself. Now open both eyes: both will be focused but you'll have double vision: slide the eyepieces further and closer apart. At some point the double vision goes away and in a snap you get a very wide-field view: a single view. It a little like those 'magic eye' optical illusion posters: once you get it-you get it. But it might take a few minutes of fiddling.Delivery: I just joined amazon prime as a guest and this was the first thing I bought. It arrived (to Detroit) in less than 48 hours. It came with all the accessories listed and a nice cover too. It comes with a green filter in case you get chromatic flaring: but that's why the scope doesn't cost **literally** 15x more (at a minimum).I love this microscope, and wished I had bought it earlier. A hearty 5 stars!!!

I have a B.S. in Biology from 1977. I have never used my degree for anything except as a hobby. I have a small goldfish pond about 10 ft X 5 ft. I took a pond water sample and found a couple of protozoan in the slides that I made. A picture of one of them is shown in "customer's pictures" for this microscope here on Amazon. I have only had the microscope for a week but am enjoying it very much so far. I plan to use it mostly for medical study and bacteria cultures, but haven't started that yet.The mechanical stage is very good for referencing objects on your slides. It is smooth and precision. The Oil Immersion lens is excellent on this scope. The focusing is also smooth and precision. I took the picture shown for this product at Amazon with a digital camera 12.1 mp by holding the lens against the eyepiece and snapping a picture. It works pretty good and takes decent videos too. It is hard to align the lenses perfectly by hand, so I will make a plastic adapter that will keep them both centered.I reviewed several microscopes before purchasing this one, and I have not been disappointed. It is better than the ones we used in high school and college. I would recommend purchasing this microscope. I purchased through Amazon and the microscope arrived in about a week and a half. It ships from Canada through UPS.

I've owned this for about 10 months . I bought it because of the power of magnification even though I would of liked something with a camera. I used it about 7 times connecting to the same power outlet , and now the LED light is out, it seems you're supposed to have the manufacturer/seller replace the light source, that means you have to MAIL IT BACK ! Really, to change a light bulb? I reached out to info@microscopenet.com , waiting for a response. My microscope is in great condition as I take care of it. I also want you to know that the lenses can be hard to clean and seem as though you could never get them clean because there's always objects that shouldn't be there, either in one lens, or both. If you need the manual you can request it through the email I provided above and put in the model number m82es - x. I just bought more oil to use with a microscope and now I'm not even sure if I'll have a working microscope.Update: I received my light source back from the company, I went to use it the light came on for a few seconds then went right back out. Waste of time and money.