[Taxacom] advice about stereo microscopescope purchase for field courses

[Christopher Carlton]

We are in the progress of developing a recommendation for 10 (or more) new stereo microscopes for use in arthropod and botany field courses. They would be used for indoor work at field stations, sorting and detailed morphological examinations, so would need to have good optics capable up to 60X, yet durable enough for frequent relocation and occasional jostling by tired students coming in from fieldwork. In the hazy continuum between student and research grade scope quality and price, we probably need to land somewhere in the middle. Lots of options exist for "not your household brand name" scopes in the $800-1500 range, and I'm seeking advice from anyone who has recent experience with brands/models, either to seek or avoid.


The organization has somewhere between $10-20,000 available, but has other things on the wishlist besides scopes. They probably won't be buying any more scopes for a very long time, so good decision making is critical in this case.


Thanks,

Chris

Chris Carlton, Ph. D.
Benjamin Holton Professor of Agriculture
Director, Louisiana State Arthropod Museum
Department of Entomology, LSB-404
110 Union Sq., Baton Rouge, LA 70803-1710

ccarlt at lsu.edu
www.lsuinsects.org<http://www.lsuinsects.org/>
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Louisiana-State-Arthropod-Museum/138001816222246?ref=ts