Microscope for forensic examination of lightbulbs

C Beard · Guest

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a forensic collision investigator and our unit is looking at buying a microscope to examine lightbulbs both in their entirety and detail of the filaments. We understand that a stereo unit would suit us best and it would be nice to have the capability to take photographs using a trinocular system with either our own compact camera or a dedicated system. Also the unit would have to be on a stand without a mounted baseplate to give us the ability to view small and large objects.

To date I have made prelimainary enquiries with a number of companies and the information obtained has been very useful. However, as always there is simply far too much choice and massive variation in cost to make decisions easy for someone with relatively little knowledge.

We have had quotes between under £1000 pounds to over £3000. It is very unlikely the unit would be able to stretch funding to the high end of this range. Can anyone give advice as to what to look for and avoid in terms of features, quality and service and possibly even some specific recommendations.

Any help greatly appreciated,

Cliff Beard