Celestron 44340 LCD Digital LDM Biological Microscope

I am a keen natural historian who is just getting into the study of mosses and bought this scope hoping it would help me identify an increased range of species. I had read good reviews from varied users.

The plus points of the scope are its price, and the ability to easily store images. I am getting pretty good images of leaf structure, cells, and spores in mosses and was able to make a transparent acetate overlay with a scale on for the screen to help me measure small dimensions - a bonus. In this respect, it has fulfilled my wishes. Unexpectedly, I was able to use the scope to look at protozoa from my pond. For this group of very small animals and plants, I was able to make identifications to genus level. Videoing these tiny things was an unexpected delight and the vids posted on Facebook elicited a surprisingly large and enthusiastic amount of feedback.

The downside is that it does not replace the requirement for a dissecting binocular microscope for specimen preparation (using it has brought home how critical a good slide preparation is for even a half-serious student). In addition, I suspect that the optics are not as good as a decent compound microscope. One design fault is its lack of sturdiness (easily knocked over), which in combination with the digital shutter button (a bit temperamental) means that camera shake can spoil some images. Another is the fact that the stage has a relatively limited amount of movement, and both the stage control screws are on one side, so you can't move up and down at the same time (ie like an etch-a-sketch) - useful when chasing protozoa across the screen. Also, the above-stage illumination is pretty useless for something as 3-dimensional as a small plant, as very little of the subject can be brought into focus, even on the smallest magnification (x40). It would be fine for 2-d things though, like stamps.

I am going to have to buy at least a dissecting microscope to take my studies forward, and may one day also trade this in for a good compound scope. However, it has really catalyzed my interest in microscopy again (those videos of protozoa are fantastic!) and is a superb purchase for kids/families / GCSE. If you get it, for this reason, don't forget to get a pack of slides and a pack of coverslips too to make your own slides. You'll get fed up with the sample provided in under 5 minutes.