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Zoom stereo microscopes with infinity-corrected optical systems

There is a multitude of zoom stereo microscopes available on the market. The offer ranges from instruments manufactured by the leading microscope brands to lower-priced, newer brands.

We took a closer look at the Micros Viper MZ3000 stereo microscope and tested it for our applications. The workmanship of the microscope is of good quality, and the stand is solidly constructed with a rack and pinion adjustment control. An ergo tube enables the microscope to be set to suit the user’s individual needs. The working distance is 78 mm; the light source is an LED lamp for incident and transmitted illumination. 

The body is similar to that of the Nikon SMZ745, and the Nikon stereo microscope head also fits the stand of the Micros Viper MZ3000 very well. 

Magnification can be infinitely adjusted from 0.8x to 8x. Combined with a 10x eyepiece and a 1x objective lens, the magnification range extends from 0.8x to 80x. The Micros Viper MZ3000 is equipped with a modern infinity-corrected optical system, which means that is easy to expand the microscope with additional accessories, for example a fluorescence unit with four filter blocks and 100 watt mercury arc lamp.

The Micros Viper MZ3000 is also available with a photo tube. If you plan to also take photographs through the microscope, then you should definitely get the model that comes with the photo tube. This is because working with a photo tube when creating photographic documentation makes the entire process much easier and simpler. We offer special adapter solutions for the photo tube of the Micros MZ3000 Viper which make it possible to attach almost every conventional DSLR, system, C-mount and compact camera to the microscope. 

Our test instrument was equipped with a 1x plan objective lens. Although the image quality was satisfactory in the lower magnification range (0.8x to approx. 40x), it declined significantly in the upper range (40x to 80x), with colour fringing (chromatic aberrations) appearing in the image. If you mainly wish to create series of photos in this magnification range, then we recommend that you use plan apochromatic objective lenses which are also available. This will result in fewer such image flaws.

Various other manufacturers offer very similar microscopes which are very close to the Viper MZ3000 in terms of external appearance and technical specifications. This leads to the assumption that all of these instruments are manufactured in the same Asian factory, which has the advantage that they are all mutually compatible.

The following microscopes made by other manufacturers are similar to the model described:

Delta IPOS-810
Euromex DZ-Reihe

Conclusion: 

The Micros Viper MZ3000 zoom stereo microscope with infinity-corrected optical system offers a good price/performance ratio. If the emphasis of your microscopy work is on creating appealing photographs, then we recommend that you use one of the higher-quality plan achromatic objective lenses that are also available.

Photography: 

Fitting the microscope to digital single-lens reflex (DSLR), mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILC ), digital single-lens mirrorless (DSLM) or C-mount cameras is easy with our LM digital SLR adapters, which feature a plan achromatic optical system. Our products make it possible to capture top-quality microscope images. To help you select the adapter that is right for your camera, we have set up an online configurator on our website. You can also email us – ideally with attached photographs of your microscope.

Modern DSLR and single-lens mirrorless (DSLM) offer the latest technology and are generally very well suited for microscopy applications. Most of them can be controlled remotely via PC/Mac. Because of their high sales volumes, they offer an excellent price/performance ratio compared to special-purpose microscope cameras.

Features of top DSLR and single-lens mirrorless cameras (DSLM):
- Large, powerful full-frame sensors (36 x 24 mm)
- Sensor resolution of 61 megapixels or 240 megapixels with Pixel Shift technology
- High light sensitivity (ISO 400,000+)
- Extensive dynamic range (up to 15 aperture stops/f-stops)
- Short exposure times (1/8000 second) up to 1/32,000 seconds using the digital shutter
- 4K Ultra HD  or 8K Ultra HD video function
- Live video capture on external monitors in ultra HD quality

In most cases, these cameras are significantly more powerful than microscope cameras with smaller sensors (1/2" or 2/3"). On our website you will find our current camera recommendations and a camera ranking which is specifically tailored to microscopy applications.