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This fixed power microscope review goes out to the home hobbyists that just need a little more oomph of magnification than they can get with their loupes. Sometimes there’s a detail on your watch that’s just a little too small for a normal loupe to see–that’s where an AmScope fixed stereo microscope will solve your problem without breaking the bank. Easy to assemble, easy to use, and effective for a myriad of home uses (watch repair, electronics repair, circuit boards, general inspection, gem setting, firearm cleaning, and so on…), this fixed stereo microscope solution from AmScope gets the job done on time, every time.

The AmScope SM-4TZ-144A Professional Stereo Zoom Trinocular Microscope is our number one pick for budget-minded professionals. The AmScope SM-4TZ-144A Stereo trinocular microscope is our number one pick for professionals and serious hobbyist seeking the best blend of value and quality. View & download of more than 12 Amscope PDF user manuals, service manuals, operating guides. Microscope user manuals, operating guides & specifications. AmScope Microscope Buyer's Guide Compound and Stereo Reviews and Comparisons. Amscope Microscopes offer both microscopes and accessories. It is a company that crosses borders and reaches professionals, microscope enthusiasts and students with ease.

Let’s dig into it.

AmScope Stereo Fixed Power Microscope Review – Model “SE400-Z“

So the loupes aren’t cutting it. Most loupes are pretty low magnification, which is great because you get a long working distance from it. But if an imprint or part is too small to see (let alone place!) with a loupe, the SE400-Z is what you need.

A fixed power microscope is a microscope that only has a few settings to choose from. Usually, this is done by changing an objective lens. On compound microscopes, that’s done by simply rotating the turret where the objectives are mounted to. For this microscope, the objective itself is fixed in place, so there’s no changing of the objective. What you change on this particular fixed power microscope are the eyepieces. The microscope itself comes with a 1x objective lens. Now, you might say, that seems rather pointless, since 1x offers no magnification. While this is true by itself, you also have to factor in the eyepiece magnification. Total magnification is eyepiece magnification times objective magnification. The fixed power microscope model SE400-Z comes with both 10x and 20x eyepieces, giving you two possible magnification options.

The 10x is best used to start, which is how you find your target area on your sample. If you then need more magnification, simply pop out the 10x and insert the 20x, as they slide in (once the locking screw that it ships with is removed). Those of you that follow my blog or are microscope enthusiasts might be screaming in your head right now, right? “But MicroscopeGenius, if I’m using eyepieces to create magnification, isn’t this microscope based entirely off of empty magnification, which is bad since it doesn’t offer any additional resolution (image clarity)?” Yes, you are absolutely correct–HOWEVER, this is a low power fixed stereo microscope. A compound needs extremely high resolution to provide detail for very fine (microscopic) samples. A fixed power stereo microscope simply isn’t designed to view those kinds of things, and thus, using empty magnification is okay, even if it is not ideal.

So, now that we’re good with the magnification offerings, the next thing we need to look at is the working distance. I’m not going to go into detail on optical quality, as this is a low power microscope–your sample is going to be clear. There simply isn’t as high of a resolution need, so lower quality optical elements will suffice. Remember, while this SE400-Z from AmScope is a great unit for it’s price, there are far better quality stereo microscopes on the market. This fixed power microscope is designed to be economic and get the job done, which it does well–just not as well as a more expensive variant. By dropping flexibility in magnification and working distance, you get a much lower cost–which hobbyists like coin collectors and stamp collectors will greatly appreciate.

This neck style is what you want with your fixed power microscope. This SE400-Z has the bright white LED gooseneck.

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Anyway, so working distance. Since this unit has a single fixed power objective that’s a low magnification value (1x), the working distance is quite high. This unit, at either magnification, will focus at about 9″ away from your sample. So whether you’re trying to set a stone in a piece of jewelry, solder on a circuit board, or check a mispress on a coin, you’ll have plenty of room to manipulate your sample with hands or tools. That’s pretty much all there is to it–plenty of space to work makes for a solid fixed power stereo microscope. Go you, SE400-Z!

The only thing I have a qualm with is the light source. Now, the SE400-Z comes in two versions–the halogen “wand” and the LED gooseneck. You want the LED gooseneck. Every link on this page will direct you to the LED gooseneck, as pictured here as well. The wand light, although halogen, is worthless. It hardly illuminates at all–granted, low magnification, you don’t need much to view with the eyes. But, if you go to use a USB camera, you won’t be able to see anything, even with the exposure time set to as high as possible. Make sure you get the LED gooseneck style, which has much better illumination. Cameras like the MU130 will work, no problem. You can also get it in a package with a USB camera, but usually these are AmScope’s older MD series cameras (which miss a lot of features and thus are of lower quality). Don’t bother, just pick up an MU series instead (I recommend the MU130).

Obligatory “get this camera if you want one instead of the prepackaged one” post of the MU130

All in all, for the price, there’s nothing optical on the market that maintains the quality and functionality of the SE400-Z. Personally, I feel I need a little more flexibility with my microscopes, and I love multitaskers when they’re available (and don’t sacrifice functionality, which is rare in microscopy). The SE400-Z does one job, and does it well–with or without a camera.

To get pricing, more information/reviews, or to get your fixed power microscope, check it out on Amazon here: SE400-Z

As always, leave me questions, suggestions, or comments below! I love to hear from you!

The M158C-E ($124.98) offering from AmScope seems to be one of their most popular holiday gift items, as each year they run out of stock of these by the time December 1st rolls around. So, if you want to get this AmScope student microscope for your young scientist to be, I highly suggest placing your order as early as possible to make sure you get it in time.

For a young student, a compound microscope can be a wondrous device as a window to the microscopic world. While adult supervision may be needed for the first few uses with this AmScope student microscope (or any student microscope for that matter), once they learn how to make a slide, mount the slide on the microscope, and focus using the knobs on the unit, they can basically do it all by themselves. I recommend adult supervision with the microscope for any student below the age of 12 or so, with some exception depending on your child’s maturity level.

AmScope Student Microscope Review “M158C-E”

In looking for a quality microscope when gifting, you want to get a unit that is made of metal for stability, and has glass optics for optimal clarity. This unit has both of those features.

You’ll also want a unit that has both coarse and fine focusing mechanisms–the coarse used for getting the sample almost into focus, and the fine for cleaning it up until it’s crystal clear. This AmScope student microscope also has both of those features, so we’re still in the clear in terms of this being an absolutely great holiday present to give to light up a child’s face.

The AmScope student microscope model M158C-E with the camera installed. ($124.98 on Amazon)

For magnification, I always recommend up to 1000x. You can view just about anything you would want to in that age group with 1000x or less, so having all the powers you need right of the bat keeps them entertained with the microscope for as long as possible (more options means more things to play with, of course!) Having a 1000x setting created by using a 40x objective and a 20x eyepiece like the M158C-E AmScope student microscope does allows you to view at 1000x magnification without the hassle of using a more advanced oil immersion lens (which is not included with this unit) at the only cost of resolution (you have less resolution than you do with a 100x oil immersed objective and a 10x eyepiece than this combination).

The light source helps the M158C-E really shine bright among the rest in the industry. It’s a bright 3 watt LED light source, so you get a bright white light for your samples to be clearly identified and viewed, without any danger of heating up your sample (and maybe killing it if it’s alive!), or for smaller children touching the light source and getting burned (LEDs don’t emit heat, so they’re safe here!) While bright white LED light doesn’t imitate natural sunlight, so your colors in your sample may appear slightly different than with the naked eye, the difference is hardly noticeable for the level of microscopic use this unit would be getting. If getting it perfect for images is your goal, you’ll need a more powerful microscope (and probably one with oil immersion and a halogen light).

The camera that comes equipped with this is the MD35, which is a 40x device (fixed power) that slides into the eyepiece and interfaces the image of the microscope with a Windows XP, 2000, Vista, or 7 equipped PC. Windows 7 isn’t officially supported, but I was able to get it working with their website software download (from the bottom of any page). It’s a bit highly magnified, but for most applications, that isn’t too big of a deal.

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MD35 camera that is included with this unit. 40x device, fits 23mm, 30mm, or 30.5mm ocular tube sizes.

All in all, if you plan to look at tap water for bacteria, small bugs like ants/moths/butterflies, or even some basic blood or cheek cell scrapings, this AmScope student microscope would be the way to go. Animal breeders can also use them for animal semen and fecal smears too if needed, so this microscope is not limited by any means to only young audiences or home school teachers/students. Even many elementary schools and junior high schools could benefit from this level of microscope–it’s quite universal.

At the holiday discounted price of $124.98, this will blow out any in store model microscope you can find, and last for many, many years. They include a 5 year warranty if there’s any problems with it, as with all of their products, so longevity isn’t something I typically worry about when I buy from AmScope.

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You can find this AmScope student microscope model for sale (with priority processing for those last minute holiday gift orders) and more user reviews here: M158C-E.

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If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please leave them below! I love hearing from my valued readers, and will always be happy to help answer anything that I can.