Welcome to Brightfield Microscope website store. We have a great selection of compound light microscopes for brightfield microscopy. What is a brightfield microscope? How does it compare to a darkfield microscope, phase contrast microscope, fluoresence microscope and a polarized light microscope?

First of all, we will limit our description of a brightfield microscope to the compound light microscope types. Technically, it would be any scope that has a bright light and uses this light directly and without manipulation. This would include low power stereoscopic and dissecting microscopes, but they are not generally thought of when discussing brightfield microscopy.

A simple compound light microscope using brightfield microscopy gets its light from below, typically from a halogen microscope bulb, and focuses that light in a brightfield light condenser. The better quality compound microscopes have brightfield light condensers on rack and pinion gears as well as a Koehler field diaphragm to aid in focusing the light properly on the specimen to be examined. Proper illumination of the specimen in brightfield microscopy is essential for obtaining optimal Koehler illumination. Simple colored filters may be inserted into the light path, but it would still be considered a brightfield microscope. To better understand what a brightfield microscope is, we can look at what it is not. Brightfield microscopy techniques are different from those used in other microscopy techniques.

A darkfield microscope manipulates the light source by inserting a disc diaphragm in the light path and illuminating the specimen only by means of scattered light. A phase contrast microscope also manipulates the light. It creates a cone of light with a phase annulus ring in the phase contrast condenser, and centers it up with the phase disc in the back aperature plane of the phase contrast objective. This phase contrast light technique changes the phase of the light for specimens with varying refractive indices. This phase shift is turned into a difference in viewing contrast. A fluorescence microscope uses light that has fluoresced from the specimen, and not from the original excitation light source. A polarizing light microscope takes the original light from the microscope bulb and passes it through a polarized filter.

After the light is transmitted through the specimen (transmission polarized light microscopy) or is reflected off the specimen (reflected light polarized microscopy), it is passed through a second polarized filter called an analyzer. This is useful for studying and identifying birefrigent specimens such as rocks and minerals as the specimen is rotated on a rotating stage and the polarizing angles can be crossed.

A brightfield microscope takes the light from the microscope bulb, collects it in the light collector in the base, focuses it with proper Koehler illumination with the aid of the Abbe brightfield condenser and transmits it through the specimen on the microscope slide. Please contact one of our sales representatives today to discuss your brightfield microscope needs and how we can help you find a solution.