🔬 Should I buy a Phase Contrast microscope? 

Very good oliver! Their are no words for your channel. We will welcome all your videos. Keep it up.

You explained it very well, very useful information, thank you very much.

FINALLY, AN ANSWER! `Thank you for helping make up mind objectively!

Hi Oliver, thank you for your amazing videos. I have learned so much from you and in fact you also helped me to decide for a 30+ year old (Olympus) microscope instead of a new one from the shelf for I have always been one of these guys who like to deep dive into the technical aspects and fiddle around with components in addition to the primary observing aspect. So one thing came to the other: trino head, additional objectives and finally phase contrast which from my pov was a really good decision to buy as it was quite cheap (200 Euros for condenser, two objectives and centering telescope). I am really amazed even to rediscover simple objects like cheek or blood cells with this technique without the requirement of staining. Just my 2 cents on this topic.

Just modded my microscope for darkfield microscopy. One of the best sources of info on phase contrast!

good darkfield condensor and good objectiv works better than PH-optics

Good discussion Oliver. I have 2 old Zeiss microscopes with phase contrast condenser and 3 PC objectives. In the past, I used the PC microscopes for asbestos work. That said, they are great for biological work, particular for live specimens. It makes no difference for stained specimens and PC objectives are fine for bright field and general work. The disadvantage of a "halo" effect is not a big deal on my microscope compared to the benefits for viewing otherwise transparent organisms and the organelles within them. I have a feeling that the serious enthusiast will consider the money to be well spent once they see the image contrast, particularly compared to bright field at 400x and above. Just my opinion

I have phase. But no telescope to centre the rings. £100 for one!I worked out you can centre by taking eyepiece out and looking down the tube.

Thank you a lot for the explanation and opinion!

I got a phase contrast microscope and i found it very useful though as you say bright field is enough for 99% of the time, it also works in bright field mode though the image quality isn't as good as with a normal bright field objective its still 100% usable and if i put the 100X condenser mask with the 10X objective it works as dark field too. I hope im not annoying you with all my messages, this is the last one I promise.

what is the approximate cost of phase contrast microscope - olympus with camera

"Phase contrast ... introduces optical artifacts." ... "This bright ring really doesn't exist." There is so much wrong with theses statements that I really don't know where to begin. First of all, an artifact is something that is produced BY THE INSTRUMENT INDEPENDENT OF THE SPECIMEN. Chromatic aberrations, spherical aberrations, detector floaters, etc. are artifacts - phase contrast birefringence is, in no way, an "optical artifact" that "doesn't exist" in the specimen. What phase contrast is doing is using instrumentation to make subtle gradients of the specimen's refractive index visible to the observer. In fact, it is the exact opposite of an "optical artifact". This is really important. All that any microscope does is use intrumentation to make that which is normally invisible to an observer visible. You might as well say that the Paramecium's cillia "don't really exist" because we cannot see them with our naked eyes. All of the many microscopic methods that you have so elegantly demonstrated - bright field, dark field, polarization, Rheinberg illumination, and phase contrast, are just different techniques to make different aspects of the specimen more visible. Frankly, as a microscopist who has yearned for a differential interference contrast scope for several years now, I think that phase contrast is a wonderful technique for anyone who longs to observe live specimens in their greatest detail. It's far more accessible than DIC.

If you have a dark field of view, you can do phase contrast with a used PH lens. It's only 15 - 25 dollars and a little work of course.

Maybe other interesting questions about Phase contrast microscopes: - Can any microscope be upgraded to a Phase contrast microscope? - if not, what do I need to look for when buying a micrscope if I consider later upgrading to PC? - What are examples of good affordable (entry level) microscopes that can later be upgraded to PC?

Which AmScope would you suggest? I want darkfield, phasecontrast and around 1.5k-1.6k magnifier with a good camera (trino). Can't find the right microscope

Thanks

Thank you

Sir i have a serious question, so i am going to buy a binocular micrlscope but its brand is wally sky and i dont know if its good or not.

I'm studying biotechnology, so i think i'm going to need a phase or a DIC. Which one do you think is the best choice for biotechnology?

What is the difference btw phase contrast and DIC?

Can you take a review of simple microscope instead of compound microscopes?

Do I need different sizes of darkfield patch stop if my condenser is fixed? It doesn't have a condenser knob.

Can you use phase contrast objective lenses with a regular iris condenser to see regular brightfield or does that not work? Would I have to switch my whole objectives set out for bright feild objectives in order to see brightfield or does the condenser determine whether your seeing brightfield by itself?

Luckily You look like my cousin...like😀