October 1, 2019
The Wild M450 "Epimakroskop"
This is an unusual instrument.
It looks like a stereomicroscope, but is not.
There are two eyepieces, but they each get the exact same image.
I bought mine as part of a lot of several microscopes at an auction.
Considering the other scopes I got as part of the lot, my cost was less
than $200. This is pretty good given I have seen prices quoted on
these ranging from $2000 to $6000. Mine has Zeiss 10x eyepieces and
an objective marked from 6.3 to 32 (so it is not the more desirable
"Apozoom", but is a fine objective nonetheless). The image I get with it set
to 32x is close to what I get with my Olympus SZH set to 50x.
My unit came with some damage. The right eyepiece yielded a black field
and when the head was opened up, there was a prism laying loose (but
undamaged) inside. This leads to an interest in UV curing optical adhesives.
Wild M420 and M450
Apparently these are the same, except that the M420 has a phototube.
Both afford "epi" illumination (through the objective itself via a beam splitter).
This writer says that there is a relay lens inside the microscope body and that it
will be problematic to use the objective without it.
This is indeed true (I disassembled my scope to check).
The relay lens is small and easily accessible (and removable), so it is completely
realistic to contemplate getting busy with the lathe and making a mount and adapter
to use the objective together wtih the relay lens for photography.
Have any comments? Questions?
Drop me a line!
Tom's microscope pages / tom@mmto.org