BRIGHT FIELD MICROSCOPY

Fine Tune Your Technique

Set Interpupillary distance

Oculars

Record for future scope work

 Before choosing a slide…

4X

Plug in cord

Turn light switch on

Select scanning objective by revolving nosepiece to 4X

Close the field
diaphragm

Field diaphragm
Raise condenser
to top of its range

Note fully raised condenser lens

Condenser focusing knob

Note: condenser knobs are located

on both sides of scope below stage
Now lOOk into the microscope…
Is the edge of the diaphragm
focused into a polygon ?
But wait, is the light off-center
from the field of view?
 Use condenser
centering screws
to center light in
field of view
Silver, knurled screws
at 4 o’clock
and 8 o’clock
right below
condensor

BEWARE do not loosen center screw

It is a lock screw and detaches condenser from scope
Now open the field
diaphragm
until you have a white,
circular
field of view
You’re finally ready…grab a slide
insert in slide holder on stage

Slide holder

Slide motion
knobs
 FOCUS the IMAGE

Coarse focus knob is used first at scanning power (4X)

Fine focus knob is used second
Subsequently only the fine focus knob should be
necessary at higher powers
Image should be
 Sharp

 Display good contrast

 Lighting can be adjusted now using variable light
rheostat (same knob as on/off light switch)
 Both Oculars have a Diopter
Adjustment Ring

Diopter adjustment ring

If you wear eyeglasses, you may be more comfortable and have

less glare if you remove them for further microscope work.
Individualize Ocular Focus for your Vision
 Rotate the LEFT Diopter ring until the numerical
gradation matches the YOUR Interpupillary Distance
 Close right eye and using LEFT eye only focus image
normally (using coarse then fine focus knobs)
 Move your focusing hand to the Diopter ring on the
RIGHT ocular
 Close left eye and using RIGHT eye only, rotate right
Diopter ring until image comes into sharp focus
 Record your Diopter settings alongside your
interpupillary distance
 Troubleshooting
You can’t locate the specimen
 make sure you are using the scanning objective (4X)

 look at the stage and see if

light is shining through the
mounted specimen (note: if
specimen is visible to naked eye,
then this can be done before looking
thru the oculars)
 Troubleshooting
Student can’t locate the specimen (cont’d)
 bring stage all the way to top of its range, now
focus down and away from slide using coarse
focus knob
 Is slide placed upside down on stage ?
Jiggle the slide to find out
 Center the specimen (note: save time by centering
it under lowest power)
Student complains of poor image quality
 check to see if condensor is located at ornear
the top of its range
 close field diaphragm down, sharpen its
edge, center it with centering screws, then
open up to fill the field of view with light
 proceed to iris diaphragm, the thin black
lever located below stage
 adjust amount of light passing thru stage
 this is critical for maximizing contrast to
improve resolution
Use Iris Diaphragm to moderate light
instead of variable light rheostat
Student complains of poor image quality
 clean all lenses thoroughly with lens paper
 If you rotate the ocular and the specks move, there is
dirt on the ocular lens
 Check to see if they are using the oil immersion
objective (100X) without oil. Image will
never focus under these conditions. Rotate nosepiece
back “down” to 40X lens
 When students are directed to use oil immersion…remind
them to use it only on the highest power objective
 Our microscopes are
Parfocal

That means that you can

switch between objective
lenses and the slide should
still be in focus (mostly)
 Credits
Google images search engine rocks!

I searched for various microscope parts directly and

also for our microscope specifically:

Meiji ML 2000 Compound Microscope

Authors: Julie Haugsness-White & Himgauri Kulkarni

Technical expertise provided by: Chris Harrell