Microscopes

Compound · Stereo · Inverted · Phase & Fluorescence

Clinical, teaching and research microscopes — matched to the specimen, the head type and the optics tier your bench actually needs.

Authorized dealer for every brand here·Ships from US inventory·Objectives and adapters configured before it ships
Popular Configurations

Start With a Common Setup

Six of the most-specified instruments. The full range, with filters, is below.

Student PRO CompoundStudent PRO CompoundLW Scientific · 3 DIN objectivesDM Dual-Mag Stereo, 10x/30xDM Dual-Mag Stereo, 10×/30×LW Scientific · dual-LED standRevelation III-A BinocularRevelation III-A BinocularLW Scientific · 40×–1000×BioBlue Binocular EducationalBioBlue Binocular EducationalGlobe Scientific · classroomLUMEON Physician MicroscopeLUMEON Physician MicroscopeMcKesson · clinic benchiScope Phase Contrast, ZernikeiScope Phase Contrast, ZernikeGlobe Scientific · live unstained cells
Buying Guide

How to Specify a Microscope

Open only what you need. The specimen decides the instrument, and the optics follow from it. The full walkthrough by application is in how to choose a laboratory microscope, and LW Scientific objectives, eyepieces and heads are listed by part number in the LW Scientific microscope part-number guide.

Choose by what you are looking at clinical · teaching · stereo · contrast methods

Clinical & hematology

Blood smears, urinalysis, microbiology and cytology on a bench that runs all day. Binocular heads, 40×–1000×, plan or semi-plan optics for a flat field edge to edge.

Teaching & education

Classroom and training benches, where the head type decides how you teach — monocular for one student, dual-view for side-by-side instruction, LCD when the whole room needs the same field.

Stereo, dissection & inspection

Low magnification with working distance and depth — dissection, embryo transfer, QC and electronics inspection. You look at a whole object, not a slide.

Phase, fluorescence & inverted

Contrast methods for specimens brightfield cannot show — unstained live cells, cultures in flasks, motility work and fluorescent labels.

Objective classes explained achromatic → plan → infinity-corrected
Objective class What it does Choose it for Stocked on
Achromatic (DIN) Corrected at two wavelengths; the centre is sharp and the outer edge softens. Teaching, routine screening, general-purpose benches. LW Student PRO, LW Revelation III-A
Semi-plan Roughly the central 80% of the field reads flat. A step up from a classroom scope without a research budget. Globe BioBlue, entry compound
Plan Essentially the full field is flat and in focus at once. Clinical work where you scan a slide methodically — differentials, histology. LW Revelation III-A PLAN, Globe iScope PLi
Plan infinity-corrected (PLi / EPLi) Parallel light path between objective and tube lens, so adding a camera or contrast module does not shift focus or magnification. Any bench that will grow — camera today, phase or fluorescence later. Globe bScope / iScope, LW i-4 Infinity
Head types monocular · binocular · trinocular · dual-view
Head type Configuration Choose it for
Monocular One eyepiece. Single-user teaching and entry benches; the lowest cost into real optics.
Binocular Two eyepieces, no camera port. The clinical default — comfortable for hours of slide reading.
Trinocular Two eyepieces plus a third vertical port. Anything documented, shared or measured. The port takes a C-mount camera.
Dual-view / teaching Two viewing heads on one instrument. Instructor and student see the identical field at the same time.
Have us spec it for you objectives, head type and camera adapters together

Tell us the specimen, the magnification you need and whether images have to leave the microscope. We confirm objectives, head type, condenser and any camera adapter together before you order.

Do I need a compound microscope or a stereo microscope?
It depends on whether you are looking through your specimen or at it. A compound microscope runs light through a thin, usually mounted specimen at 40× to 1000× — blood smears, tissue sections, bacteria, cell cultures. A stereo microscope lights the specimen from above at roughly 7× to 55× and gives you working distance and a three-dimensional view — dissection, embryo work, soldering, QC inspection. If your sample sits on a slide, you want compound; if you need to hold, turn or manipulate the object while you look at it, you want stereo.
What is the difference between achromatic, plan and infinity-corrected objectives?
Achromatic (DIN) objectives are sharp in the centre of the field and soften toward the edge, which is fine for teaching and routine screening. Plan objectives hold focus flat across essentially the whole field, which matters when you scan a slide systematically for a differential or a histology read. Infinity-corrected plan optics (PLi or EPLi) add a parallel light path between the objective and the tube lens, so you can add a camera, a phase module or a fluorescence attachment later without shifting focus or magnification. If the bench will grow, buy infinity-corrected the first time.
Binocular or trinocular — is the third port worth it?
The third port is only worth paying for if images leave the microscope. A trinocular head carries a vertical photo port that takes a C-mount camera, so you can record, share, measure or archive what you are seeing, and a second person can view on a monitor instead of waiting for the eyepieces. If nothing is ever documented, a binocular head puts the same money into better optics instead.
When is phase contrast actually necessary?
Phase contrast earns its cost on living, unstained specimens. Cells in culture, sperm motility analysis and unstained wet mounts are nearly transparent under brightfield, and staining them either kills them or takes time you do not have. Phase contrast converts those invisible refractive-index differences into visible contrast. For fixed and stained slides — most routine histology and hematology — brightfield already shows you everything phase would.
Can I add a camera to a microscope I already own?
Usually yes. A trinocular head takes a C-mount camera directly through the photo port. A binocular head needs an eyepiece-tube adapter, and a DSLR needs a T2 ring matched to your camera body — Canon EOS and Nikon D mounts are both stocked. The variables that decide compatibility are the tube diameter (23.2 mm is the common standard), whether the port is infinity or finite, and the reduction lens that matches the sensor to the field of view. Send us the microscope model and we will confirm the exact adapter before you order.

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