How to Choose the Right Microscope?
Choosing the right microscope is an important task and is influenced by a number of factors as discussed in the succeeding paragraph.
- Magnification: Make a choice about the magnification level that is required to be achieved. For magnifications upto 1000x, light microscopes are a better choice. For magnifications upto nanometer level, electron microscopes seem to be preferred.
- Application: Selection of right type of microscope largely depends on its usage. Whether a microscope is to be used for medical research, forensics or educations largely define the selection of appropriate type.
- Type of Specimen: Decide upon what kind of specimen is to be used under the microscope, whether a thin sample or thick sample is to be used. Other factors such as staining, kind od sample viz organic or material also influence the selection of right microscope.
- Contrast Method: Majority of organic samples do not have intrinsic contrast capabilities. Thus scopes with capability to generate contrast are available. It is to be decided first whether phase contrast or fluorescence is suitable for a particular sample.
- Image Quality and Resolution: For resolutions to the tune of 0.1 nm, electron or scanning probes are more suitable whereas light microscopes are suitable for fairly higher resolutions. Similarly, decision is to be made if 2D or 3D imaging is required.
- Users: Selection of a suitable microscope depends also on its users. Students and research scholars who are generally beginners and inexperienced may want to start with a compound microscope and slowly graduate to more complex systems.
- Budget: Budgeting and cost play an important role in the selection of a microscope. light microscopes are the cheapest to start with due to their less complex build as compared to other types of microscopes such as Electron microscopes or Scanning Probe microscopes.
Types of Microscopes
Microscopes are essential tools in various scientific fields for observing objects and specimens at the microscopic level. There are several types of microscopes, each designed for specific applications and offering unique capabilities such as Optical Microscope, Compound Microscope, Electron Microscope, and Scanning Probe Microscope etc.
In this article, we will learn about various Types of Microscopes including their working principles as well as application in the real world.
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