Binocular Research Microscope, Coaxial Focussing 45°

Quick Answer: The Binocular Research Microscope, Coaxial Focussing 45° is a compound microscope with a binocular viewing head inclined at 45° and coaxial coarse and fine focus. The 45° binocular research microscope is a bench instrument for routine and research slide examination in colleges and laboratories.

How the 45° Head Changes the Set-Up

The head angle is the one listed difference between this model and its 30° sibling; both are binocular research microscopes with coaxial focus. The inclination of the eyepiece tubes decides where the user’s eyes must be relative to the stage, and so how the neck and back are held at the bench. Buyers who already own microscopes with one angle frequently match it, so staff and students do not have to readjust when they change benches.

Setting up for a session follows the same order whatever the angle: seat height first, then the interpupillary distance, then the diopter, and only then the focus on the slide. Contrast is set with the condenser and diaphragm, where fitted, rather than by turning the light to maximum, since glare flattens the colours of a stained section.

What the listing leaves open is the optical fit-out: objectives, condenser and light source. These decide whether the microscope suits oil-immersion bacteriology or lower-power histology, so list the work planned when requesting a quotation.

Specifications

Care & Handling

• Clean the eyepieces of the 45° binocular research microscope one at a time and return each to its own tube, since an eyepiece with a diopter ring is not interchangeable with the fixed one.
• Lift the microscope by the arm and base, never by the head; the head is usually held by a single clamp screw and can turn or come loose.
• Keep a dust cover on between sessions and a desiccant sachet in the cupboard.

Applications

• Smear examination practice in medical laboratory technology courses
• Botany and zoology honours practicals with permanent slides
• Checking fixed and stained cell preparations in research groups
• Microbiology teaching labs viewing stained bacterial smears

Why Choose LabEquip

The 45° model suits laboratories matching an existing set of 45° microscopes and colleges fitting out a new microscopy room from scratch. LabEquip lists it in the Microscope & Optics range next to the 30° version; for mixed orders, set out the quantity of each on the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the only listed difference from the 30° model?

The head inclination. Both are binocular research microscopes with coaxial coarse and fine focus. The angle changes viewing posture, not the optics, so pick the one that suits your benches and seating.

Does the head angle affect image quality?

No. The inclination is produced by prisms in the head and does not change magnification or resolution, which depend on the objective, eyepiece and illumination. It only changes the direction in which the user looks.

In what order should a new user set up the microscope?

Adjust the seat, set the eyepiece spacing until one circle of light is seen, focus using the fixed eyepiece, then correct the other eye with its diopter ring. Only after that should the condenser and diaphragm be adjusted for contrast.

Why is my stained section washed out?

Too much light, or a fully open diaphragm. Reduce the light, close the diaphragm until the edges of structures sharpen, and check that the condenser, if fitted, is racked up close under the slide. A washed-out image is more often a lighting setting than a fault.

Can the head rotate?

Many binocular heads rotate on their mount so the eyepieces can face a user on either side of the bench. The listing does not say whether this one does. Whatever the design, keep the clamp screw holding the head tight.

How can I tell whether a lens or the slide is dirty?

Rotate the eyepiece while looking through it: specks that turn with it are on the eyepiece. Move the slide: specks that move with it are on the slide. Specks that stay still through both tests are likely on the objective or condenser.

Last Updated: September 2026