Ring lights are commonly used for stereo microscopes, and are mounted to the nosepiece or objective cover under the body so they can illuminate the sample from above.
While not everyone needs to do extensive research to find the best ring light illuminator for their application, it's a good idea to do a little investigation before buying one. Let's look at some features of ring lights and how they affect the quality of the image you get through your microscope.
Brightness / Intensity
Ring lights vary in the amount of light they put out. Though many are sufficient for most applications, two situations in which you'll want to pay attention to the brightness are:
In either of these cases you might want to compare the lumens or candela specifications of different ring light options to ensure you're getting the best value.
LED vs Halogen
Halogen illuminators used to be popular due to their advantages over standard incandescent light sources. LED illuminators have upped the ante and now possess similar advantages over halogen, including:
Some believe LED illuminators don't quite have the same level of intensity as halogen, but that's no longer the case for more recent models as technology has caught up.
All That Glitters...
Picture this: You've got your nice, shiny sample sitting on the table ready for analysis, exploration, and discovery. You can't wait to dig into its minute details, dissecting its features and flaws, or simply observing its beauty. You eagerly switch on the brand new illuminator and boom, 64 bright dots shine in your face. Not what you expected?
Samples that are reflective, shiny, or mirror-like will sometimes reflect the bulbs of an LED ring light whose array of bulbs is exposed. If this is bothersome, you can obtain a diffuser or translucent cover so you don't see the reflection, and to ensure your camera doesn't capture underexposed or overexposed areas that make it difficult to evaluate the sample.
Other Considerations
* Also "trinocular tube", "trino tube", "trinotube", "trino-tube", "trino", "tube", and myriad other permutations and combinations the creative mind can conjure.
Ring lights are commonly used for stereo microscopes, and are mounted to the nosepiece or objective cover under the body so they can illuminate the sample from above.
While not everyone needs to do extensive research to find the best ring light illuminator for their application, it's a good idea to do a little investigation before buying one. Let's look at some features of ring lights and how they affect the quality of the image you get through your microscope.
Brightness / Intensity
Ring lights vary in the amount of light they put out. Though many are sufficient for most applications, two situations in which you'll want to pay attention to the brightness are:
In either of these cases you might want to compare the lumens or candela specifications of different ring light options to ensure you're getting the best value.
LED vs Halogen
Halogen illuminators used to be popular due to their advantages over standard incandescent light sources. LED illuminators have upped the ante and now possess similar advantages over halogen, including:
Some believe LED illuminators don't quite have the same level of intensity as halogen, but that's no longer the case for more recent models as technology has caught up.
All That Glitters...
Picture this: You've got your nice, shiny sample sitting on the table ready for analysis, exploration, and discovery. You can't wait to dig into its minute details, dissecting its features and flaws, or simply observing its beauty. You eagerly switch on the brand new illuminator and boom, 64 bright dots shine in your face. Not what you expected?
Samples that are reflective, shiny, or mirror-like will sometimes reflect the bulbs of an LED ring light whose array of bulbs is exposed. If this is bothersome, you can obtain a diffuser or translucent cover so you don't see the reflection, and to ensure your camera doesn't capture underexposed or overexposed areas that make it difficult to evaluate the sample.
Other Considerations
* Also "trinocular tube", "trino tube", "trinotube", "trino-tube", "trino", "tube", and myriad other permutations and combinations the creative mind can conjure.