The compound monocular microscope is one of the most versatile and commonly used instruments in a lab setting. It is essentially a microscope with two lenses, one for viewing the specimen, and one for viewing the image produced by the first lens. This type of microscope allows for viewing of both the specimen and the image at the same time, which is why it is so widely used. There are many different types of compound monocular microscopes on the market, and some of the most popular brands are Olympus, Nikon, and Leica.
Choosing the right compound monocular microscope is difficult as there are many different factors to consider, such as budget, brand, magnification, and features. To make it easier to find the exact compound monocular microscope you’re looking for, we rounded up the best compound monocular microscopes on Amazon, according to thousands of customer reviews.
Check out our favorite compound monocular microscopes in the list below, and keep reading for our buying guide.
Our Editor’s Best Compound Monocular Microscopes Reviews
- Magnification: The M150 series microscope delivers 40X, 100X, 250X, 400X and 1000X magnification for educational and hobbyist exploration
- Versatile & Portable: Use this portable microscope with LED illumination at home, school or in the field; use with an outlet or with batteries
- Durable Construction: Features all-metal framework and a 360 rotatable monocular head, ensuring reliable performance for students and enthusiasts
- Optical Precision: Equipped with full optical glass elements and a precise ground glass lens, the compound microscope offers sharp, high-resolution images
- About AmScope: We have the industry's leading collection of microscopes, microscopes cameras, accessories, and other related products
- 【MAGNIFICATION SETTING】Available magnification settings of 40X, 100X, 250X, 400X, and 1000X through aberration-correcting 4X, 10X, and 40X glass objectives with wide-field 10X and 25X eyepieces
- 【Dual lllumination】Dual illumination system allows you to examine both transparent and solid specimens; cool LED lights protect eyesight and live specimens
- 【Excellent material】Rugged design with metal arm and base, carrying handle, and cordless capability make this compound microscope a practical pick for field experiments
- 【Suitable】Designed forDesigned for students/kids/adults/beginner/amateur scientist/hobbyists, perfect for science fairs, at home experiments, and school lab experiments
- 【Features】Fully rotatable monocular head for easy shared use or one-on-one instruction in the classroom. Our customer service is ready at all the time, please contact us if you have any problems
- 100X-2000X High Magnification: Wide field Eyepiece WF25X and 2X Barlow lens work with 3 metal achromatic objective lenses: 4X 10X 40X, providing 6 levels magnifications: 100X 250X 1000X/200X 500X 2000X
- Adjustable Dual LED Illumination: Use bottom light to see translucent specimens and top light to see opaque objects; 100 V to 240 V AC power (included) or 3 AA batteries (not included). Please avoid using low battery
- 5 Color Filter Disc: Works to incease contrast, black ambient light or remove IR/UV radiation
- Co-axial Coarse and Fine Focus: Solid all-metal frame. Rotate coarse focus to find the image quickly and then rotate fine focus to find the image clearer precise and shaper. Usually move the stage up to focus when magnification increases
- Ergonomic Design: True 360° rotatable head for children and adults observing together. 38° tilting eyepieces helps to reduce eye and neck strain. Please don't take too close to the eyepiece while watching to avoid seeing your own eyelash
- Multiple magnification options:Equipped with a 2X magnifying glass, when used with a wide-angle eyepiece, the 10X, 25X eyepiece can become a 20X, 50X effect. It can also be used with objective lenses of different magnifications, 4X, 10X, 40X, to meet various needs, up to 2000X magnification
- Precision adjustment:Two focusing knobs allow you to raise or lower the stage for fine adjustments to achieve precise focus and clear vision.Coarse Focusing works to find the image quickly and Fine Focusing adjust to find the image clearer precise and shaper;360° rotatable eyepiece, convenient for multiple people to observe together
- LED top and bottom light source:Not affected by external light, our biological microscope can be used at any time. The upper light source is suitable for observing opaque objects, and the lower light source is suitable for observing specimens. This microscope can be used in various positions using AA batteries, mobile batteries(Type C port) and AC adapters(Input: 100-240V)
- Complete accessories:Comes with an instruction manual and a microscope exploration kit, so even children and beginners can use it easily. In addition to observing the included preparations, you can also create living biological cell samples yourself. Use your mobile camera to take and record photos of the organisms you observe
- Suitable for various scenarios:This biological microscope is suitable for kids aged 8-12,beginner,students,adults,hobbyists and school,laboratory,education.Let's enter the microscopic world and observe the mysteries of nature's organisms
- Lab compound Microscopes : Equipped with 10X, 16X and 25X widefield eyepieces, this microscope offers versatile magnification options ranging from 40X to 2500X. Ensure that your samples are observed and analysed in detail.
- Premium Achromatic Objectives: The microscope features four high-quality DIN 195 achromatic objectives (4X, 10X, 40X, and 100X) that produce sharper and clearer images.
- NA1.25 Abbe Condenser: The condenser includes a filter for adjusting aperture size, enhancing image sharpness while accommodating various objectives.
- Ultra-Precise Focusing: The microscope boasts a solid metal frame with both coarse and fine focusing knobs, ensuring precise focus adjustments and clearer images.
- Dual-view with 7" LCD Screen: Features a 7-inch LCD screen and non-removable 5MP camera. Capture images and videos effortlessly using the included video capture card, streamlining the process for easy documentation and analysis.
- Constant Temperature Mechanical Stage: The stage allows temperature adjustment between 10-50 degrees, ensuring optimal conditions for observation.
- 7'' LCD hanging screen: offers enhanced convenience while watching specimen image, as the screen rotation is more flexible. The hanging screen image effectively resolves the issue of limited viewing angles.
- Enhanced Magnification: Equipped with 10X and 25X widefield eyepieces, this compound microscope offers versatile magnification options, including 40X, 100X, 250X, 400X, 1000X, and 2500X.
- Premium Achromatic Objectives: The microscope features four high-quality DIN 195 achromatic objectives (4X, 10X, 40X, and 100X) that produce sharper and clearer images.
- NA1.25 Abbe Condenser: The condenser includes a filter for adjusting aperture size, enhancing image sharpness while accommodating various objectives.
- 【40X-2000X High Magnification】The Deesoo microscope for kids and adults features two eyepieces (10X and 25X) that can be used individually or combined with a 2X Barlow lens. With three achromatic objectives (4X, 10X, 40X) and 10 magnification settings, it allows you to explore the fascinating world of science at magnifications from 40X to 2000X.
- 【Dual Illumination System】Equipped with top and bottom LED lights, this microscope offers both incident and transmitted illumination. The top light is perfect for observing opaque objects, while the bottom light is used for examining specimens. The LED light sources ensure a clear and bright view, with adjustable brightness according to your needs.
- 【High-Quality Images with 5-Color Filter Wheel】The professional optical microscope comes with a 6-aperture, 5-color filter wheel. It eliminates infrared/ultraviolet light and blocks ambient light, providing high-resolution color-corrected images. The filter wheel is easy to rotate, allowing you to choose different filters for observing different specimens and achieving the clearest results.
- 【Complete Accessories】This microscope kit includes a smartphone adapter that allows you to capture real-time images of the microscopic world through your phone's camera. It also comes with a 360° rotatable eyepiece, making it convenient for both kids and adults to observe together. You will receive 1*microscope, 1*WF10X eyepiece, 1*WF25X eyepiece, 1*set of operating accessories, 1*instruction manual, 1*phone holder, and 35pcs microscope slide set.
- 【Science Education Tool】The portable Deesoo microscope with a magnification range of 40X to 2000X allows you to bring experiments anywhere. Designed for kids, students, adults, and beginners, it is an ideal choice for science education at home, school, and laboratories. Our microscope is designed and manufactured under strict quality control to provide a great customer experience. If you have any questions, please contact us, and we will resolve them within 24 hours.
- 【Compound Microscope】Digital wireless compound microscope and 1.3MP camera with USB 2.0 output for capturing or displaying images on a computer or projector, this 40X-2000X biological microscope is designed to help students/children/adults/beginners/amateur scientists/hobbyists explore the wonderful world of life.
- 【Magnification Settings】 Wide angle WF10x and WF20x eyepieces with 2X lenses combined with three achromatic objectives of 4x, 10x and 40x provide 40x 100x 250x 400x 1000x/ 80x 200x 500x 800x 2000x magnification. You can reveal a wealth of detail in your samples and find incredible views of the world that cannot be explored with the naked eye.
- 【Dual Illumination System】The microscope has incident and transmitted LEDs, and the brightness of the light source can be adjusted by turning a knob. The LED system ensures a long battery life, making it ideal for those long field trips. With variable intensity LED illumination, you have more flexibility to view a wider variety of specimens. A conventional power cord is also included.
- 【Ergonomic Design】 Monocular viewing head with interchangeable 10x wide-field and 25x wide-field eyepieces, fixed 45-degree vertical tilt to reduce eye and neck fatigue, and 360-degree swivel capability for a more comprehensive view and sharing, rugged design, metal arm and base, carrying handle, and wireless capabilities make this microscope a practical choice for field experiments.
- 【Satisfaction Guarantee】BOGRINUO prides itself on the high quality of its products - customer satisfaction is very important to us, so if you have any dissatisfaction with your monocular microscope, please contact us and we will guarantee a solution!
- [Dimmable Dual Light] Perfect STEM science gift for students. The kit is better than ever with an expanded accessory kit that allows you to begin exploring the world at once. Dual light design makes it possible to observe both solid objects like insects and translucent objects like cells
- [80X-2000X Wide Field Magnifications] It uses premium glass objective lenses that let you see crisp and clear images. The 2X additional lens provided increases the magnification levels further to 2000X
- [Quick Start Guide System] The system helps beginners to quickly get sharp images by easily matching colors of objective color ring and other parts. Besides, microscope is marked with focus guide to assist in quickly focusing
- [Multiple Humanization Designs] 45°inclined ocular tube with 360° rotatable head lets you observe comfortably and share view with friends. Coaxial coarse & fine focusing knobs. Equipped with "one-touch" spring-loaded stage clips, which is easy to place a slide. Spare bulb is included for replacement
- [Microscope Science Kit] The kit also includes prepared slides & blank slides, practical tools like tweezers, materials for hatching brine shrimp, a free smartphone holder used for photomicrographing, and so on. Moreover, it’s equipped with a sturdy ABS case which is easy to store, carry and transport
- Economical Microscope: The AmScope B120 Series is a high-quality, LED binocular compound microscope, an economical choice for both students and professionals
- Educational Value: Offering magnification from 40X to 2500X, this compound microscope excels in educational environments, labs, and clinics
- Illumination Excellence: Features LED light with a specialized fly-eye lens, providing bright, daylight-balanced illumination
- Digital Integration: Includes a 5MP USB microscope camera with professional software, allowing for the capture and analysis of images
- About AmScope: We have the industry's leading collection of microscopes, microscopes cameras, accessories and other related products
Best Compound Monocular Microscopes Buying Guide
Before choosing the best compound monocular microscope you should consider following options:
1. Objective Lens: The objective lens is the one that captures light and forms an image. This is the lens you will use most often.
It is important that this lens has a large focal length so that the image is magnified to a larger size. If the focal length is too short, the image will be small and hard to see. It is also important that the lens is fully coated to reduce glare and produce a sharper image.
2. Eyepiece Lens: The eyepiece lens is the lens you look through to view the object. This lens is important for two reasons: its focal length and its eyepiece ratio.
The focal length of the eyepiece should be short so that the image is magnified to a large size. If the eyepiece has too long of a focal length, then the image will be small and hard to see.
The eyepiece ratio is the diameter of the eyepiece divided by its focal length. The larger the eyepiece ratio, the more area is captured in the field of view. A longer focal length eyepiece will magnify the image but will limit the field of view.
3. Diagonal Lens: The diagonal lens is a specialty lens that magnifies the image captured by the eyepiece. This lens is useful when you need to examine something at a distance.
It is important that this lens also has a short focal length and a large eyepiece ratio. Otherwise, the image will be too small.
4. Interpupillary Adjustment: Interpupillary adjustment is the mechanism that adjusts the distance between the two eyepiece lenses so that the microscope can be used by users with different eye spacing.
This adjustment is extremely important for users with eyeglasses because they will need to be able to see through both eyepieces at the same time. If the eyepieces are too close together or too far apart, then eyeglass wearers will not be able to use the microscope properly.
5. Illumination: Illumination is the lighting system used to illuminate the object and the surrounding area.
There are two types of illumination: transmitted and reflected. Reflected illumination is the most common and uses a light source that shines directly down on the object.
Transmitted illumination uses a light source and a sheet of glass that transmits light through the object and makes it easy to view.
6. Magnification: Magnification is the ratio of the size of the image to the size of the object.
A higher magnification allows you to see small details, but it also makes it harder to view the object. The best magnification depends on the type of object you will be examining and how much detail you need to see.
7. Stage: The stage is the area below the eyepiece lens where the object will rest. This is the only part of the microscope that you can’t see.
It is important that this area is smooth and flat, otherwise the object will not stay in place when you move the slide. The stage should also have a light so that you can see the entire area in the dark.
What else you should know about compound monocular microscopes
1. What are the best compound monocular microscopes for beginners?
The best compound monocular microscopes for beginners are those that have a high level of magnification, a large field of view, and a sturdy build.
2. What are the best compound monocular microscopes for students?
The best compound monocular microscopes for students are those that have high magnification power and are easy to use. Some of the best compound monocular microscopes for students include the Celestron 44302-A compound monocular microscope, the AmScope 40X-1000X All-Metal Optical Glass Lenses Student Biological Compound Microscope, and the Swift SW380T Compound Monocular Microscope.
3. What are the best compound monocular microscopes for professionals?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as the best compound monocular microscope for professionals will vary depending on the specific needs and preferences of the individual user. However, some of the most popular compound monocular microscopes for professionals include the Nikon Eclipse Ci-L, the Leica DM6000 B, and the Olympus BX53.
4. What are the best compound monocular microscopes for advanced users?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as different users have different preferences. However, some of the best compound monocular microscopes for advanced users include the Olympus BX51, the Nikon C1Si, and the Leica DMLB2.
5. What are the best compound monocular microscopes for research?
There are a number of great compound monocular microscopes for research. Some of our favorites include the Nikon Eclipse Ci-L Compound Monocular Microscope, the Olympus CX41 Research Compound Monocular Microscope, and the Leica DM750 Compound Monocular Microscope.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best compound monocular microscopes. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best compound monocular microscopes will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.