OMAX - A191 Dry Dark Field Condenser NA 0.7-0.9 for Biological Compound Microscopes

Great condenser, fully compatible with my Omax microscope

For the price, this is a steal. Took a bit to figure out how to get this installed in place of the included brightfield condenser (Check youtube for "OMAX M82ES 40X-2000X Compound Microscope - Installation & Operation Instruction" by Andrew Wu) but once it was correctly positioned (e.g. condenser control knob absolutely all the way up) this very quickly became our favorite condenser and method of viewing the large majority of 3D structures. This will be outperformed by more expensive systems, particularly if you're used to professional equipment, but for student use this is just outstanding. If you need PLAN/oil search for that option on Amazon... it's 4 times the price but it comes bundled with a matched iris-adjustable 100x objective. OMAX customer support (via email) is absolutely terrific, too.

After adjustment and installation it is not a great fit for the AMSCOPE model i have. The my scope has a LED and the smaller 23mm objectives. The dark field was just too dark to see even at max brightness. It could be how i am using it or something else. I am keeping it to try again or to use if and when i step up to a better microscope.

This OMAX darkfield condenser is the type with a dark circle mounted in the center of the condenser. The two thumb screws are used to center it more exactly, though it came almost perfectly aligned. It works better than the darkfield discs I made at home at 40X and 100X and much better at 400X, though at that power the background is bright enough that it should be called a greyfield condenser. My only complaints are that it doesn't come with any instructions (I had to find a Youtube video to figure out how to adjust it) and even though I used it in an OMAX microscope the fit was so tight I almost couldn't get it in. Still, it worked well enough that I'm ordering the higher power darkfield condenser to go with it.

This condenser fits the Celestron 44104 Biological Microscope perfectly, and it works perfectly. We first used it to view paramecia from our hay infusion. The dark field viewing provides additional perspective on these protists which is very interesting. There are no instructions with the unit, so, if you don't know how to operate this type of condenser, I suggest you look up a couple of the presentations available on YouTube. It is very important to have the opaque disk centered properly with your microscope light path.

Darkfield observations show details that are not observable in regular light,not to mention how pretty they look against a black background. This darkfield condenser is of very high quality,is adjustable, and performs very well indeed. I am very pleased with it , as it outperforms my home made versions by a good margin.

Easily installed and adjusted. Works very well. Not sure if it is any better than a simple darkfield stop, but it's certainly easier!

Good condenser, does what its suppost to do.