Microscope and imaging notes

One day at the lab, I was thinking about how cool it would be to have my own stereo microscope just as a hobby. That thought got stuck with me all week, to the point that I was making a mental budget about buying one eventually. Then that same weekend I went to an antiques store, not looking for anything in particular, maybe just some old mechanical thing I could play with. I looked down at a corner, there was this banged up camera, and I looked at it for a few minutes, then noticed a wooden box, almost hidden all the way back behind a bunch of other stuff. And when I pulled it out, it was a vintage stereo microscope in great conditions! So yeah, I grabbed it and took it home, cleaned and dusted, and it looks and feels great!

This is a Japanese stereo microscope from the 70s, sold as a student's or enthusiast's tool. It uses different eye pieces to magnify: 15x, 30xW and 45x. It's great for looking at bugs, pollen, tiny plants, minerals or anything small and interesting. I really like how you can look at the surfaces in 3d, all you need is a good light source, and stuff to look at. Here's some links and a gallery of things I've found around.