So, you’ve finally decided to buy a microscope.

All you need now is a good beginner home microscope.

Before actually buying your first microscope, in this article you can find out all about the most important characteristics of beginner microscopes, together with the features of the five best beginner microscopes for home use. Keep reading!

Things To Know Before Buying A Beginner Microscope

Which Microscope To Choose?

It can be confusing to choose the microscope, especially if it’s your first microscope. What’s important is that you choose the one that suits you or your child, so study the characteristics and how easy is it to use before you buy it.

How To Use Beginners Microscope?

Most of the beginner microscopes come with instruction but they are very intuitive to use, so you don’t have to deal with the complicated commands and features. It’s best to start with the beginner microscope kit to get to know all the parts and features.

How Powerful Can Home Beginner Be?

Despite the common belives, a home beginner microscope can be very powerful. Beginner microscopes are only meant to be easy to use to make it easier for you at the begging, and some of them can be more or less powerful.

What Is The Cost Of A Good Beginner Microscope?

Beginner microscopes are mostly low-priced, although that depends on the model and the brand. The idea of a beginner microscope is to introduce you to the microscope world in general, so you can further, later on, invest in a more professional, expensive microscope.  

Best 5 Beginner Microscope

Best Compound Beginner Microscope

AmScope 52-piece Microscope Set

Nice clarity and magnification

Keep in mind that this microscope is designed as a kids microscope, but it can make a nice adult beginner microscope. Despite that, it does provide a pretty clear final image and has a few magnification levels, with the highest 1200x level. 

Sturdy design

Although the AmScope Compound microscope seems small, it’s actually made out of stain-resistant metal frame. The head and the base with the object can be inclined to a more comfortable experience.

The LED illumination and colored image

The LED and mirror illumination are below the stage. Together with three objectives, there is also a built-in color filter wheel. Since there is only course focus it can be u bit blurry while focusing.

Big set of accessories

AmScope 52-piece microscope set offers just about anything you might need to get your microscope journey. In the set, you can find reusable blank slides and covers, eye droppers, Petri dish and much more. 

Best Beginner Microscope Kit

Celestron Beginner Microscope Kit

Three powerful objectives

Celestron beginner microscope can provide a clean and sharp image. This model has three powerful objectives with an eyepiece with which you can reach magnification level up to 1200x.

What about focus and illumination?

Like expected, the Celestron beginner microscope has only course focus so it can be a bit harder to focus, but the image should come be precise enough. Regarding the illumination, the bottom illumination can be both a mirror or bulb.

Metal bodied microscope

In spite of being a beginner’s microscope, Celestron is made out of high-quality materials. The whole microscope is made out of black and white metal, and the clips that hold the slides are also metallic.

Carry case and many other accessories

In order to protect your microscope and everything, that comes with it, in this set you get a molded, rugged carry case. Amongst other accessories, you can find all the usual things, blank slides, pointer, magnifier and much more.

Best Home Beginner Microscope

National Geographic Student Microscope

Powerful and easy to operate

This beginner microscope is one of the few that comes with some professional features and strong construction. The most important for a beginner’s microscope is that it is very user-friendly, for kids and adults.  

Convenient for larger and smaller objects

National Geographic Student Microscope can adapt to any object. It has a dual light system which helps to light both large and small object. Lower light is the best for the smaller objects that fit into a slide, and the upper light illuminates the larger, 3D objects.

Close magnification

This model has 2 sets of lenses that support relatively high magnification levels. If you want a lower magnification level choose the 20x lens, and if you want to explore the object in complete detail choose the 50x lens.

More than 50 accessories

Like the other models, National Geographic also provides a lot of accessories so the user can learn all about the microscope possibilities. In this kit, you can find eye dropper, Petri dish, shrimp egg, blank slide, etc. 

Best Microscope For Home Use

My First Duo-Scope Microscope

Compound and stereo microscope in one

My First duo-scope is two microscopes in one. It has the features of both stereo and compound microscope which means it has the power to view small object on slides and larger, 3D objects.

Glass optics with three-level magnification

The optics for this model are made out of real glass which greatly improves the image. With three objectives and the 10x eyepiece, you can achieve three magnification level, the highest one being 400x. 

Many accessories included

Like other models, My First Duo-Scope has a kit with 50 accessories included. You can find slides, cover glass, plastic Petri dish, plastic dropper, and many other accessories you might need in your beginner microscope. 

Instruction manual and warranty

Besides all the accessories My First Duo-Scope also comes with the instruction. Not only do these instructions on how you how to use this microscope, but they also encourage you to make some experiments. More, there is a one-year manufacturer warranty.

Best Kids Beginner Microscope

Balance Living Microscope Set

Educational and user-friendly

Balance Living microscope is a great way to enter the world of science and tiny creatures. Since it’s very user-friendly (you can set it up within a few minutes) it’s convenient for beginners and kids. 

High-level magnification

It’s unusual for a beginner’s microscope to have more than just a few levels of magnification, but Balance Living microscope offers up to 1200x magnification level. That’s enough to see all the tiny bacteria you need.

What to explore?

Together with the samples, it comes with, Balance Living microscope can offer much more than that. Feel free to explore hair strand, onion slice, beans, flowers and many other microorganisms that you can see magnified.

Keep your accessories in the carry case

With this set, you’ll get over 50 accessories. Amongst the shrimp hatchery, micro-slicer, and slides, you will also fina a sturdy carry case. In it you can store the microscope along with all the accessories and keep them safe a scratch-free. 

Conclusion: Which Beginner Microscopes To Buy?

Now that you’ve seen the five models, you can conclude that most of them are made for kids. But these beginner microscopes will be just as good for a beginner adult. The two that I recommend are National Geographic student and Celestron beginner microscope. Both of them can observe the larger and smaller object. In addition to that, National Geographic provides close magnification, and Celestron has real glass optics.

To continue your journey into microscope world, read my article about the best microscope. More, if you are more interested in exploring larger objects read the article about the compound microscope, and if like the objects that fit on a slide more, check the article about stereo microscope.