This is a top quality microscope for several reasons. I am a college student studying microbiology and this microscope exceeded my expectations and fit my budget perfectly. For the price I really could not ask for more. I will provide a detailed review and pictures of organism I have observed using my OMAX microscope. FYI I'm writing this review by comparing the OMAX to name brand microscopes such as Olympus and Nikon because these are the microscopes typically available at any JC, SU, or university. CONTRUCTION - First off, the construction of the OMAX mostly metal. There are few plastic part, but these part are the buttons, switches, and knobs. The main body, head unit, arm and stage are metal and very sturdy. The plastics parts are fine and do not compromise the structure and stability of the OMAX. The microscope is a slightly smaller than name brand microscopes, yet it does not fail to produce the same results as name brand microscopes. The light source is LED. This provides the user with a low power light source great for viewing live organisms and enough power to brightly view all other types of specimens. OPTICS - Next the optics are excellent and provide the user with high resolution of anything bigger than a 0.5 micrometers. You can use this microscope to view bacteria, fungi, protozoa, etc. The microscope comes with a 5x, 10x, 40x, and 100x objectives. Also it comes with 10x and 20x ocular objectives. The 20x is nice and makes it slightly easier to view organisms. The main viewing objectives are removable for replacement or upgrades. FUNCTIONS - The OMAX has lots of useful functions. The ocular objective has interpupillary adjustment. In other words the ocular objectives can moved closer or further apart depending on the users preference. Also the ocular objectives can be independently adjusted to be further or close away from each eye. Again the OMAX come with 4 main objectives (5x,10x, 40x, and 100x) and 2 sets of ocular objectives (10x and 20x). These objective are on a turret for ease of switching objectives. The stage can be moved on a X,Y,Z axis. There is an iris adjustment to control the amount of light focused on an object or organism. Also tthe light intensity can be controlled with a separate dial to control the amount of light actually being produced; this is the dimmer dial, There is a knob that controls the height of the iris, but I'm not really sure what purpose this serves. The OMAX has a coarse and fine adjustment knobs.The head of the unit can swivel 360 degrees. UPGRADES - The ocular objectives are removable, so these can be swapped out for better ocular objectives, Also the main objectives (5x, 10x, 40x, and 100x) are removable, so these can be swapped out for better objectives. The power source seems looks like a cheap phone charger, but it gets the job done, and it can easily be replace with a better one if so desired. The use can attach an ocular camera. This is handy for pictures and use with the computer. Filters are available for the OMAX to do Dak Phase and stuff like that. THE PACKAGE - The OMAX came with the microscope along with the 4 main objectives and 2 ocular objectives. The OMAX included a power source. It came with a soft plastic cover to keep the dust of the microscope. I bought the OMAX promotion set, so mine came with a 2 boxes of 50 blank slides, a box of 100 cover slips, and 100 lens cleaning papers. The OMAX came with a small bottle of oil for the 100x oil immersion objective. The OMAX also came with a two ocular covers, so if one would like to store the microscope the ocular objectives can be removed and covers can be placed in the eye piece slots. OTHER COMMENTS - The OMAX is user friendly. It was fully assembled when I opened the box. All I had to do was plug it in and pop in the ocular objects to begin viewing things under the microscope. This microscope is perfect for any hobbiest, student, or even professional. If your thinking about buying this microscope, do not hesitate. This is a great high quality microscope that produces the same results as name brand microscopes. Some people might be tempted to purchase a microscope for more money because of the rationale that more money equates to better quality but the OMAX delivers the same results as the Olympus and Nikon microscopes for a fraction of the price. Unless you work in a laboratory for City of Hope, Kaiser, or Cedar Sinai this microscope should suffice. The microscope was well shipped. It came in a box with plenty of padding. Conclusion - You really cant ask for more from a microscope costing only 200 dollars. The OMAX has high quality objectives, excellent construction and design, lots of useful functions, accessories, customizable, and a lot of fun to use. If your looking to buy to buy a microscope to do college or professional work or use just looking to buy a hobby microscope look no further. The OMAX is for you. CONS - I have only owned the OMAX for a month, so I can not comment on how long this microscope will last, but based one what I have seen so far I would say that the OMAX would last a long time if well care for. The coarse and fine adjustment knobs feel rough compared to the Olympus and Nikon microscopes. The knobs do not move with the ease of high end microscope, but this is not a issue for me or working in general. The stage does not have the same range as high end microscopes. With Nikon and Olympus microscopes on campus I can view a slide in its entirety from one end of the slide to the other end. With the OMAX i can view probably about 95 percent of the slide because the X axis does not have the same range as high end microscope, but this is not an issue for me. LAST THOUGHTS - I highly recommend this microscope to everyone. You cannot be this quality for such a great price. I am sure anyone who buys this microscope will be happy with their purchase. I was hesitant to buy this microscope because of the low price, but was pleasantly surprised when it came operated like and better than the microscopes on campus. *The images included are Staph aureus, Bacillus subtillus and cerus, Clostridium rubrum, Aspergillus and Geotrichum. This review will be updated in a June at the end of my semester to comment on the durability of the microscope.
