I have the SM4020 almost exactly but with the magnification of the
SM3010. Seems the cheap ones all come from the same mold in china no
matter which brand.
I would consider the SM3010 pretty much the ideal stereo microscope if
one wants a cheap but new unit. Only used high end microscopes _might_
offer a better value for money.
The single magnification units do have a much smaller head compared to
the large round revolver, which does get in the way sometimes. But I
think this is well outweighed by the second magnification.
Also notice the two different viewing angles. The revolver units have
a prism which puts the eyepieces at an angle. This is intended to
provide a more comfortable working position, but you need to put the
microscope quite high to keep a natural posture, otherwise you need to
duck down which may actually be a less comfortable position than bent
over looking straight down, especially for tall people. The single
magnification units can be used with the column near your chest, or
turned around with the workpice near your chest. If you have very
large boards to work on that can be an advantage and you can not do
that with the revolver units. Actually on the more expensive ones
(zeiss etc.) you have the top revolving too for just this purpose but
not those cheap ones we are looking at.
Anyway, if I wasn't into electronics optics would have to be afraid of me ;-)
ST
On Tue, Oct 13, 2009 at 8:22 PM, leon Heller <leon355@...> wrote:
> This is what I use (SM20):
>
> http://www.lakeland-microscopes.co.uk/stereo.html
>
> The quality is surprisingly good.
>
> Leon
>