Microscope Recommendations

When no existing microscope can be used for manual scanning, the following microscopes are good recommendations for several budgets and workloads.

01. Olympus CX33 for 4x and 10x scans (2520 USD for hardware in total)

The Olympus CX33 comes with a bright light source, good optics and is available for around 1900 USD.

For 4x and 10x scanning, a 1.0x c-mount adapter has to be bought. A low-cost version is available for around 70 USD.

The recommended low-cost camera is Basler acA1920-40uc for 550 USD including cables.

4x scanning time average specimen (15x15mm²) is 1.5 minutes.

10x scanning time average specimen (15x15mm²) is 6 minutes.

02. Olympus CX33 for 40x and 20x (optional) scans (2580-2880 USD for hardware in total)

The Olympus CX33 comes with a bright light source, good optics and is available for around 1900 USD.

For 20x and 40x scanning, a 0.63x c-mount adapter has to be bought. A low-cost version is available for around 130 USD.

The recommended low-cost camera is Basler acA1920-40uc for 550 USD including cables.

20x (optional: around 300 USD) scanning time for small specimens like biopsies (5x10mm²) is 3 minutes. Sample Scan 20x (75mm² in 4 minutes)

40x scanning time for small specimens like biopsies (5x10mm²) is 9 minutes. Sample Scan 40x (75mm² in 13 minutes)

03. Olympus CX33 for 100x oil immersion scans (2843 USD for hardware in total)

The Olympus CX33 comes with a bright light source, good optics and is available for around 1900 USD.

For 100x oil immersion scanning, a 0.35x c-mount adapter has to be bought. A low-cost version is available for around 143 USD.

The recommended low-cost camera is Basler acA1300-200uc for 500 USD including cables.

100x (CXPL100XO; around 300 USD) scanning time for small representative subregions (3x3mm²) is 10 minutes.

04. Olympus CX43 for HIGHSPEED 20x or 40x scans (4780-5180 USD for hardware in total)

The Olympus CX43 comes with a bright light source and is very modular.

The frame and a single port tube (only for camera, no eye pieces) can be bought for 1800 USD (ask your Olympus representative)

For 20x and 40x scanning, a 1.0x c-mount adapter has to be bought. A low-cost version is available for around 70 USD.

The recommended low-cost camera is Basler acA2500-60uc for 960 USD including cables.

20x (using Olympus UPLANSAPO 10x 0.40 N.A.; price 1900 USD) scanning time for small specimens like biopsies (5x10mm²) is 1.5 minutes. Sample Scan 20x (using 10x APO) (75mm² in 2 minutes)

40x (using Olympus UPLANSAPO 20x 0.75 N.A.; price 2300 USD) scanning time for small specimens like biopsies (5x10mm²) is 4 minutes. Sample Scan 40x (using 20x APO) (75mm² in 6 minutes)