AmScope T340B-DK-LED Siedentopf Trinocular Compound Microscope, 40X-2000X Magnification, Brightfield/Darkfield, WF10x and WF20x Eyepieces, LED Illumination, Abbe Condenser, Double-Layer Mechanical Stage

This is a great Microscope! My 10 year old daughter has been set on becoming a Paleontologist since she was around 6, so for her birthday this year we decided to get her a Microscope. My friend who is a gemologist suggested that we get a binocular microscope. I started doing some research and decided that I also wanted a camera port so we could easily photograph what we were seeing. Some more research into halogen vs LED, quickly pointed out the superiority of LED for longevity of bulbs and since they are much cooler they avoid overheating delicate specimens. I then learned about Darkfield... Just do an internet search for images using "Microsocope and Darkfield" and you will see why I decided this was a "must have" feature (we use darkfield as the default mode for just about everything we view) I also wanted a microscope powerful enough to see really interesting things (so minimum 1000x). I then started searching and quickly narrowed it down to this microscope, and we have been super happy with it. I separately purchased an AmScope 3.0 MP camera AmScope 3.0 MP USB2.0 Microscope Digital Camera + Software 3.0 MP, Compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8 and Mac OS 10.6 & Up, figuring I could upgrade the camera later if necessary. We are really happy with the camera, and for us 3 MP is more than enough - It works perfectly with this microscope. We hook up a laptop and are able to see on the computer what the person looking through the binocular lenses is seeing so no one is bored. The ToupViewX software that comes with the camera is amazing as well, It has all kinds of features to let you filter the image, lay down rulers, zoom, etc. It is for both Windows and Mac, although the Windows version is much superior - the Mac version appears to be a port and not all features are yet there. My nephew is a biology student at U of Md and when he came to visit he was very excited to use this microscope and commented that this microscope was better than what they use. He showed us how to get the most out of the microscope, including how to use the oil when zooming in with the most powerful lenses. Considering all you get, the price is great! It arrived right on schedule, well packaged and in good condition. I also ordered various prepackaged slides with interesting things to look at so we could get started right away. My daughter is really happy with it, and loves showing it to friends. The only two improvements I think I could make to this Microscope: 1. It would be nice to have a light above the specimen as well which could be used when looking at thick objects that aren't transparent - this is not standard on most microscopes, and we just keep a separate lamp nearby to shine on those objects. and 2. It would be nice to be able to separately adjust the focus for the camera so it would exactly match the focus of the eye pieces - this is, perhaps, more a limitation of the separate camera than the microscope, and perhaps there is a focus attachment available I don't know about.

Granted I've only used this 'scope for about an hour, but I love it. It is SOOOO much better than a handheld model. The image is very high quality. the focus adjustment between the top tube and the binocs is nearly perfect. I can't wait until someone in the house is bleeding to see blood cells for the first time in my life.This microscope is WAY MORE than I need. This leaves many opportunities to learn things other than identifying insect larvae. I can't wait until I can afford at least a 10MP camera. I'd actually like an 18MP, but being 2X the price of a 10MP, I'm unlikely to remain patient enough to take all the time it takes to save for the 18MP usb 3.0 model. I haven't used credit since 2003 so it takes patience to buy something expensive.My only complaint is that it didn't come with a manual. What's that about? Looking at the 2 filters that came with the 'scope I don't see where they fit. I'd like so insight into maintaining the unit and part numbers in case I need to replace anything or order some different items like eyepieces and objectives.

I already upgraded this scope in several ways, including the phase contrast kit, but the biggest upgrade you can get is the 60x PLAN objective they sell for $70. It gives near oil performance without the preparation and cleanup of oil, or you can use it as an intermediary for oil. Overall this is a great microscope, and if you are getting this you want to get the Amscope 5MP camera, as the higher resolution ones seem to have more issues with USB bus bandwidth. The 5MP camera is cheaper than the 12MP and takes perfect video and pictures at 2952x1944 which provides plenty of room for digital zoom. This is a best bang for buck microscope that includes darkfield out of the box, but if you want to do phase contrast consider the T490 because it supports the Turrent-Phase contrast kit, which is much easier to use than the standard one.

So yes, I am a novice, but reading the reviews here, if they are to be believed, it seems like even children can operate these.For one thing, the manual makes little sense and is not very detailed. It's like poorly translated chinese or something, and it takes a while to try to figure out what they're saying. For example:* Turn the objective till hear the "Kai. Kai" sound, make sure the objective enter the objective center.For all the parts and pieces, this manual was definitely inadequate. I understand there was a password-protected manual on the AMScope site, but I have no information about that, so I'm stuck right now with the information I have at hand.

The microscope is fine however mine did not come with a manual and according to AmScope, Amazon forgot to provide me a download key for the purposes of downloading a manual. I returned this item, however, because the Amscope camera that I purchased did not work properly. I bought the AmScope MD35 separately and the software was funky with my 64 bit Windows 7 platform - even though the software is supposed to function fine. I'm only leaving this comment in the event someone else is considering the same setup.

Very good entry-level microscope, quality of manufacturing and packaging gets an A+. Used to observe bakers yeast with reasonable resolution. With additional overhead lighting the general structure of decapsulated integrated circuits was visible, bit the resolution is probably inadequate for identifying individual gates on all but the simplest ICs. As an example control logic on windowed AT27C010 EPROMs could not be elucidated via images from the scope, but this is likely asking to much from an entry-level device. Overall I'm very satisfied.

Everything looks fine except I received two 20x lenses but without 10 x len and manual instruction. Besides, it's better to pack in a more secure way.