School Microscope: Parts, How to Use It and Which Model to Choose for the Classroom

Equipping a school lab comes with a problem you won't find in any catalogue: the microscopes will pass through the hands of dozens of pupils who have never focused on a slide before. Slides get dropped, the wrong knob gets turned, the light gets left on and the microscopes are carried from one classroom to another. That's why you shouldn't choose a school microscope on magnification alone. What matters just as much is how well it stands up to daily use and how easy it is for a first-time user.

In this guide we go through the parts of a school microscope, how to teach pupils to use one and what set-up each stage needs, from the very first hands-on session through to A level and vocational courses with lab practicals.

Parts of a school microscope

Before comparing models, it helps to be clear about what each part does, because that's exactly where one microscope differs from another.

Optical system

• Eyepiece: the lens you look through. On Euromex school models it is a WF 10x wide-field eyepiece, with an 18 mm field of view on the entry-level series and 20 mm on the laboratory series. A wider field means you see more of the specimen at a glance, which makes it easier to find what you're looking for.
• Objectives: the lenses above the specimen, mounted on the nosepiece. Their quality determines how sharp the image is. Achromatic objectives are the standard in education. Plan objectives also correct field curvature, so the image stays in focus right out to the edges.
• Nosepiece: the rotating part that holds the objectives. Depending on the model, it has 3 or 4 positions.
• Condenser: focuses the light onto the specimen. Its numerical aperture (N.A.) affects the resolution the whole system can achieve.

Mechanical system and illumination

• Head: monocular (one eyepiece) or binocular (two). A binocular head is more comfortable during long sessions.
• Stage: the platform where the slide sits, held in place by clips or by a mechanical stage that moves it with control knobs.
• Coarse and fine focus knobs: the coarse knob brings the specimen into range quickly and the fine knob sharpens the focus. Every model in this guide has both.
• Illumination: LED on every model, so it doesn't heat the specimen and uses very little power.

How to use a school microscope step by step

This is the routine worth teaching pupils from their very first practical. It prevents most broken slides and the frustration of not being able to find anything.

• 1. Place the microscope on a stable table and plug it in, or switch it on if it runs on battery.
• 2. Always start with the lowest-power objective. Turn the nosepiece until it clicks into place.
• 3. Secure the slide on the stage with the clips, with the specimen centred over the light opening.
• 4. Looking from the side, not through the eyepiece, use the coarse focus knob to bring the specimen close to the objective without letting them touch.
• 5. Now look through the eyepiece and slowly move the specimen away until the image appears.
• 6. Sharpen the image with the fine focus and adjust the light intensity.
• 7. To increase magnification, centre the area you're interested in, turn the nosepiece to the next objective and refocus using only the fine focus knob.
• 8. When you've finished, return to the lowest-power objective, remove the slide, switch off the light and put the dust cover on.

400x or 1000x: what a classroom really needs

This is where most budget gets wasted. At 400x (10x eyepiece multiplied by a 40x objective) you can clearly see plant and animal cells, tissues, protozoa from a drop of pond water, pollen or stomata. That covers most practicals at primary school and in the first years of secondary school.

1000x requires an oil immersion objective, which is more delicate to work with. It makes sense when the syllabus includes bacteria, blood smears or detailed histology: A level science, vocational lab or healthcare courses, and schools running university-level practicals. If your pupils are 12 or 14 years old, you don't need 1000x. A good 400x microscope that's sturdy and easy to focus will teach them far more than a higher-spec instrument they can't operate.

Recommended models for the school lab

Getting started on a tight budget: MicroBlue

The MicroBlue Monocular Microscope is Euromex's entry-level range designed for teaching: 400x magnification, achromatic objectives, a WF 10x/18 mm eyepiece, a 3-position nosepiece, an N.A. 0.65 condenser and specimen clips. Its big advantage in the classroom is that it has rechargeable batteries and can run cordless, so it can be used at any desk without extension leads or cables trailing across the floor.

If you'd like to go a step further within the same series, the MicroBlue Monocular Microscope moves up to a 4-position nosepiece and an N.A. 1.25 condenser, which makes better use of the objectives' resolution.

The best balance for secondary school: EcoBlue

The Ecoblue Monocular Microscope keeps 400x magnification with achromatic objectives, an N.A. 1.25 condenser and a quadruple nosepiece mounted on ball bearings, so it turns smoothly and clicks precisely into place. The monocular head is inclined at 45° and rotates through 360°, so two pupils sitting opposite each other can take turns without moving the microscope. Its WF 10x/18 mm eyepiece includes a pointer, which is very handy for the teacher to point out the exact structure pupils need to observe.

A level and vocational courses at 1000x: bScope

The bScope series is designed for intensive use in secondary schools, universities and small laboratories. The bScope Monocular Microscope offers 1000x magnification with E-plan objectives, a WF 10x/20 mm eyepiece, an N.A. 1.25 condenser and NeoLED illumination. Its focus and stage controls are positioned low down so you can work with less fatigue, and it has a cable storage system that makes carrying it between classrooms safer. If you're after plan objectives, the version of this Monocular Microscope keeps all the other features.

Binocular school microscope: BioBlue.Lab

When practicals run long or the school has an advanced-level lab, a binocular head makes a real difference to comfort. The BioBlue.Lab Binocular Microscope is the flagship of the BlueLine series, designed for educational and laboratory applications: 4x, 10x, S40x and S100x plan achromatic objectives, WF 10x/20 mm eyepieces, an N.A. 1.25 condenser and NeoLED illumination. Its 150 x 140 mm stage with 75 x 30 mm X-Y travel lets you scan the slide precisely. There is also the BioBlue.Lab Binocular Microscope, with infinity-corrected objectives (IOS).

Comparison table

Showing the image to the whole class

A camera on the teacher's microscope saves a lot of time: everyone sees what they need to look for at the same moment, before they start on their own microscope. The HD-Mini 2 MP HDMI Colour Microscope Camera works without a computer: it connects via HDMI to the classroom projector or TV and shows a live image at 1920 x 1080 pixels and 60 fps, with photo and video capture to an SD card.

If you'd rather pupils followed along on their tablets, the CMEX-5 WiFi 4 MP Microscope Camera streams the image over WiFi to several smartphones, tablets or computers running iOS, Android and Windows at the same time, with no complicated network set-up. For working on a computer and measuring lengths and areas, the AmScope MU500-HS 5 MP USB 2.0 C-Mount Microscope Camera connects via USB 2.0 and comes with a calibration slide.

For observing whole objects such as insects, leaves or minerals, the Digital Microscope MacroZoom displays the specimen directly on an HD screen, with 0.7x to 5x optical zoom, incident and transmitted LED illumination and a 100 mm working distance.

Why buy your school equipment from Letscopes

We are an official distributor of Euromex, the Dutch manufacturer, and have been selling microscopes and advising on microscopy since 2008. The microscopes come with a 10 to 15-year manufacturer's warranty and official Euromex technical service in Spain, which is crucial when a school needs its equipment to last through many year groups. Delivery is free on all orders to Spain, France and Italy, and orders are dispatched within 24/48 hours.

Which model we recommend for your situation

• First practicals or a very tight budget: the MicroBlue Monocular Microscope, simple and with a rechargeable battery.
• Secondary school lab with daily use: the Ecoblue Monocular Microscope, the best balance of sturdiness, optics and value at 400x.
• A level science and vocational courses: the bScope Monocular Microscope, with 1000x magnification and E-plan objectives.
• Teacher's microscope or advanced lab: the BioBlue.Lab Binocular Microscope, paired with the HD-Mini 2 MP HDMI Colour Microscope Camera to project images in class.

If you're torn between set-ups or need to equip a whole classroom, tell us the year group and the number of pupils and we'll help you fine-tune your choice.