Meiji Techno UK 

Changing Magnification on EM Series Stereo Microscopes

Changing the magnification on your Meiji Stereo Microscope is relatively easy. What really needs to be considered is which method to use. On the one hand, you can change your eyepieces. On the other, you can add an auxiliary lens to the bottom of the scope. If you change your standard 10X eyepieces, you can increase your overall magnification without changing your working distance ( the space between the lens and the specimen).

By adding an auxiliary lens, you can either increase or decrease magnification however the working distance will change. Reduction lenses (1.0X or less) increase working distance whereas the 1.5X and 2.0X lenses decrease the working distance significantly.The charts below cover all our EM Series Models. It can help you decide eyepiece and auxiliary lens combinations. Notice the column is designated "Working Distance". Each yellow row is your model without auxiliary lenses. Note the working distance listed. Notice that no matter which eyepiece set you use, the working distance remains the same.

If you want to increase magnification and a shorter working distance does not cause a problem, then adding an auxiliary lens may be the best route for you. Since the optics are now physically closer to the specimen, you will get better image resolution.

So why doesn't everyone just add auxiliary lenses and forget eyepieces ?

Well, the one obvious reason is working distance. Stereo microscopes are used for all kinds of production and inspection work in all kinds of industries. Some applications require the working distance to be long enough to get a particular specimen to fit or be able to work with your hands under the microscope in the field of view. The downside of using higher magnification eyepieces is a smaller field of view (FOV) or field diameter (FN).