Dear Alexandra,
Since we partnered with Carl Zeiss to introduce the line of Stereomicroscopes for Crystallography Kits (
webpage), we have many happy customers with these setups in their labs, and we have learned a lot about what matters when it comes to screening trays and harvesting crystals.
In my opinion, the main features/specs to "focus" on:
○ Full Working Distance (FWD) - how much space is there between the front objective lens and the tray - anything less than ~55 mm and you will likely be frustrated when harvesting crystals
○ Magnification - for screening & harvesting anything less than a total magnification of ~80x will leave you wanting more, ideally 120x or more will let you resolve those <10 µm crystals
○ Base Size - how large is the working area of the base - anything less than 250 mm (deep) x 300 mm (wide) can leave your plates dangling off the edge when harvesting from the perimeter columns
○ Light Source - a bright external LED cold light source, with a fiber optic transmitted feed into the microscope base, will give the light you need while preventing your trays from heating and drying out during viewing
Of course, quality of optics, ergonomics, cross-polarization attachments, and camera/trinocular mount are also important factors to consider.
We would be happy to connect you with some of the labs with our kits or chat with you about the options.
Best wishes,
Ben
