Meiji Stereo Microscope Review by Alan Plante:

Thank you Alan Plante for taking the time to write this review!
Meiji Techno Brand Stereo Microscopes 
Reviewed by Alan Plante  read original here

The Meiji Techno brand stereo microscopes are becoming increasingly popular among rockhounds who study and/or photograph micro-crystals. Meiji 'scopes are available in either binocular or trinocular models. The binocular models are the ones of choice for people not interested in taking photographs of their micros; while the trinocular - or "third tube" - models are popular among people who want to attach a camera and take pictures through the 'scope.

The most popular models are the EMZ-5, EMZ-5TR and EMZ-8TR, the first of which is a binocular 'scope, the other two being trinocular, for use with cameras. Shown above are two views of the EMZ-8TR. Meiji also makes a model called the RZ-TR, a "fully dedicated" photographic microscope which has a trinocular head and a built in adjustable iris for controlling depth-of-field in photographs.

The basic EMZ5 unit is a binocular stereo zoom 'scope with stand which comes with an 0.7X to 4.5X objective lens (the lower lens) and 10X eyepieces, giving it a magnification range of 9X to 45X. There are also 12.5X, 15X, 20X or 30X eyepieces available for this model. A 15X set gives a magnification range of 10.5X to 67.5X; the 20X eyepieces give a range of 14X to 90X; and the 30X set gives a range of 21X to 135.0X. The optics are "wide field" types, and are of high quality, giving a wide, crisp, and bright image with very good inherent depth-of-field - the portion of the image seen which is in focus from front-to back, or - simply - how much of the image can be brought into focus at one time. A basic 'scope and stand with 10X eyepieces costs around $1,400.00 The 12.5X, 15X and 20X eyepieces are about $140.00 per set (same as the 10X) and the 30X set runs about $160.00. (Prices may vary - those provided are approximate and as of Fall 2001.) These oculars have an inherent "high eyepoint"; and there is also a special 15X model available with a particularly high eyepoint.

Look What We Just Got: Meiji EMZ-5TR Zoom Stero Microscope

We just got a new stereo microscope, the Meiji EMZ-5TR zoom stero microscope, with PBH stand and polarization accessories. Such microscope system is useful for detecting and viewing birefringent materials.

Why do we need to have the microscope? Very so often, we need to look at the crystals to make sure that they are of good quality before we send them to our wonderful collaborator, Dr Maren Pink at IUMSC. In the past, we were able to use the microscope at the Crystallography facilitylocated in the basement of the same building, with a very convenient access. With the former facility director, we even had permission to have a key to the facility, so we can use the microscope any time, in particular after the facility operating hours! Lately, this has became a hassle. We no longer have the key and very often we were unable to get to the microscope because the door to the facility were locked, even during the regular working hours. When we asked for permission to have the key, the facility director asked the higher-up for the general policy. Finally, we were told that we could have the key with the condition that we would be “responsible for any facility problems on a given evening or weekend” Oh, c’mon!!! Slow moving and lack of competitiveness in the heartland may not be that uncommon, but the lack of trust? It would be better for us not to be involved in such deal. For under $1700 we could get the microscope with polarizing accessories, a reticle (eyepiece micrometer) and a spare light bulb from the Capital Microscope Service (CMS). We hope to get the camera accessories in the future so we take some pictures of the crystals send them to Dr. Pink for consultations before we send the crystals to her. Of course, we will show off those interesting picture here too.

Anyway, when the microscope package arrived, it took no time for us to assemble all the components together, except for one thing, the reticle…where to place it? The documentation came with the package did not include information about the reticle at all. This may be trivial to a lot people… it should go to the eyepiece… but how? Thanks to the WWW, Google and those who put together many useful informations out there. We found the website, microbus, and the problem solved. There are lots of chemistry website and blogs with interesting and useful informations…we hope to make contribution to the community too.