The compound binocular microscope was invented during the sixteenth century. All records by that time indicated a very impractical display of the lenses. But as time went on, a lot of advancements were made to the equipment. Countless research was done to be able to come up with such brilliant scope. It is called compound because it utilizes many lenses in maximizing the magnification of a certain object using both eyes, which makes it binocular. Usually, two lenses are involved. They are the ocular and the objective lens. The ocular lens is the one referred to as the eyepiece. The objective lens is the one which is closer to the object. It is so far the most commonly used microscope available today and characterized as having standardized ocular tube length.

Parts of this type of microscope include eyepiece lens, tube, arm, base, illuminator, stage, nosepiece, objective lens, rack stop, condenser lens, and diaphragm. The eyepiece is the lens on the top. This is where you look through the object. Usually, it has 10x magnification. The tube is the part that connects the objective lens and the eyepiece. The arm gives the needed support on the tube. The base is the bottom part of the microscope. It is used to support the equipment itself.  The illuminator serves as the stable light source. Some other microscopes use mirror to provide good illumination. The stage is the part where slides are placed. It has two stage clips which hold the slide in place for easier viewing.

Prepared slides are illuminated in the process. This is done from beneath. Compound microscopes have a turret arrangement to allow different objectives to be rotated into use, a stage for holding the slides and some form of under stage lighting such as a mirror or in built illumination. Some microscopes of this type have mechanical stages. Moving the slide around becomes easier with the help of the mechanical stage. You just have to adjust some knobs. The nosepiece or at times called the turret holds the objective lens. This part can be revolved when you choose to change power from low magnification to high magnification. The objective lens or lenses constantly consist of 4x, 10x, 40x, and 100x magnification. These lenses are color-coded parts and built under DIN standards for threading. The rack stop enables you to determine how close your objective lens can approach the slide. The condenser lens helps focus some light into the object. It is very useful especially when set in high power. It makes the image of the object sharper than usual. Lastly, we have the diaphragm which controls the amount of light passing through the viewed object. Diaphragms can either be a disk type or an iris type.

Compound binocular microscope generally provides higher magnification of the object although in an inverted way. If you do not require intense depth of illumination, this is the most practical to use. Just make sure that your subject is reasonably flat to acquire the best image possible. Its image is two dimensional which means that your eyes see similar views. This type of scope is often used for viewing small details of the object being observed. Some examples include textiles, minerals, printing, sand, coins, and a lot more. Subjects made by man include textiles, coins, circuits, and electronic chips. Natural subjects may include mosses, flowers, insects, et cetera. Its body is made of strong metal and excellent optics. With all of its features, the compound binocular microscope is broadly used by beginners, students, and professionals. It just depends on the object of analysis and the required details wanting to be obtained.

There are a lot of modern designs nowadays. One example is having an angular structure. But still, all of its basic characteristics can be found. Most often, difference shows in terms of stage movement. The expensive models have built in illumination varying from tungsten, fluorescent, and halogen bulbs. It may also employ incident lighting. This is an important technique for certain experts in the areas of microscopy. But if you are an amateur, this might not be that significant. Being binocular, eye strain is rarely felt by the user even if observation lasts for a longer period of time.

Choosing a compound binocular microscope is a good idea. Its features somehow provide the requirements you might need. It is easy to use and has bee preferred by most educational institutions and professional pursuits. In addition, it presents specialized techniques that can further enhance viewing of the object.