How to Care for them field microscopes, which are usually handy stereoscopic microscopes, can be exciting to use when you are working on your research away from your school and laboratory. A stereoscopic microscope is a simple, low power microscope: this kind of microscope will consist of low power lenses, a stage on which to mount a large, non-sectioned specimen, and an external light source. A stereoscopic microscope is useful for field work because it does not have to be plugged into an electronic source in order to work, nor does it require expertise to operate. Because it can resolve the surface or a few details about non-sectioned objects, specimens do not have to be sliced thinly, mounted onto slides, and stained.
A stereoscopic microscope, however, does not have enough magnifying power to see cellular organelles, or sometimes, even whole cells. Moreover, it needs an external light source, so that researchers who are using the stereoscopic microscope as a field microscope also need to work when they have all the available natural light that they need; if they must work at night, they will need a good flashlight, or they need to find a place to plug in an electronic light source, such as a halogen lamp.
Despite these disadvantages, however, stereoscopic field microscopes can be useful for field researchers in anthropology, the life sciences, and archaeology. It can allow researchers to work immediately, make preliminary findings regarding a specimen, and document their findings immediately especially when they have to deal with living specimens or archaeological finds that should not be removed from the field.
Using the Field Microscope in Your Field Work
A field microscope is easy to use. All you need to remember is that you need an external light source in order to illuminate your specimen. First, place your specimen onto the stage of the stereoscopic microscope. Focus on it using the objective of the field microscope, taking care to balance your focusing between the coarse and fine adjustment knobs of your microscope; take care, moreover, to ensure that edge of your objective does not hit the specimen.
Do not over-illuminate your specimen. Extremely large and intense amounts of light can make your specimen bright, but it can make you miss details that will be lost when light strikes the specimen.
Extremely large and intense amounts of light can also generate large and intense amounts of heat: this can damage biological specimens, change the color of minerals, and even cause some specimens to degrade much faster. Instead of focusing a lot of light onto your specimen, choose, instead, to play with shadows: when you focus light at a certain angle onto your specimen, it might allow you to see certain details that you might otherwise miss had you placed the light at another angle.
Taking Care of your Field Microscope
As mentioned above, watch that your objective lenses do not graze the surface of your specimen. You may scratch the glass of your lenses, or you may damage your specimen, or both may happen. When you have finished viewing your specimen, remove it from the specimen stage, and dust off any earth, grime, flakes, or feathers that the specimen leaves – any trash that your specimen leaves behind can clog the corners and crevices of your microscope, damaging your microscope and making it difficult to operate later on.
Moreover, these pieces of dust and grime can make it easier for molds and fungi to latch onto your microscope, and damage your lenses.
Store your microscope in a cool, dry place. You might want to carry it around in a box, and cover it with a protective plastic jacket, whenever you are out in the field. When you return to your office or laboratory, return the microscope to its place in a cupboard or display cabinet, and make sure that it is free of dust and grime. When carrying the microscope around, make sure that you support it well, taking care to keep it upright, and taking care to keep it from jiggling, so as to keep any spare parts in place.
Be updated on accessories that you might need for your stereoscopic microscope.
Talk to your stereoscopic microscope manufacturer about what accessories fit your budget and needs. Moreover, have a regular repair and maintenance schedule for your microscope in order to keep it in good working order.
These are only a few tips that you might want to take into account when you use your field microscope. If you are able to use your field microscope well, keep it protected from damage, and store it safely, you will be able to use it for a much longer time. Read more on this topic