When you pay for a microscope like this, you have to assume you’re not getting an Olympus or a Nikon, which is the case. I use this microscope at home, for diagnostic pathology review and CME. Works fairly well for that. However, it’s not parifocal between magnifications. If you expect the image to stay sharp between 4x and 10x, this is not the microscope for you. On the other hand, its not wildly off, so I don’t think it’s that much of a problem. The camera is not parifocal with the microscope either, so you have to focus it separately on the computer screen, which is not easy. I tried taking several pictures moving the focus know slightly between each picture, and then did stacked them using other software. That worked pretty well, but it’s added work. Also, I have not been able to use the Mac version of the software because it’s not approved by Apple and the OS will not let it run, but the Windows version, which also has more functions, works. The software is not great, but functional, once you get the hang of it. You do have to do the white balance adjustment, but one you set it, you don’t have to do it again. If you don’t know what this is, and your pictures are horrible, you need to read more about photo microscopy. The other major problem with the camera, and the microscope itself, is that, at 4x, there is a central hotspot and significant vignetting. There is a claim of even Koehler illumination, but this is not true at 4X. This is not as noticeable at 10x, and absent at 40x. The images were also too bright. You need to set the exposure to “Manual”, and adjust it yourself. This made much better pictures. As for overall sharpness, a tough of increased vibrancy and sharpness with Photoshop or Lightroom works well, after you’ve done your focus stacking. Images taken with more expensive microscopes often need this too. I tried the oil immersion lens. Worked well. It’s not used often, but when you need it, you really need it. Pictures are a tad soft, and lack contrast, but you can fix that in your favorite picture remediation software. The microscope itself is built like a tank, and is quite heavy and solid. If need be, you can use it as a weapon. Overall, although not a premium microscope, the view through the eyepiece, and the pictures you take, are serviceable, assuming you know what you’re doing. Clearly, the ability to see what you need to see is not dependent as much on the quality of the microscope, as to the ability of the person looking through it. If you know how to use a microscope, you’ll do ok. This means knowing enough to overcome its limitations.
