Overall, dissecting microscopes are simple to understand and use. Properly controlling the light will make invisible things become visible. Usually it's one or the other if you have light from above and from below, your image will be washed out and you'll see less. When using the dissecting scope, try both kinds of lighting to see which works best. If you're using the light source that comes from below your specimen, you're using transmitted light. This only works with specimens that are somewhat transparent. Transmitted light is light that passes through your specimen, instead of bouncing off. If you use the upper light source on the dissecting scope, you're using reflected light. Reflected light is the way you normally see things: light comes from a light source, bounces off something, and you see it. With the dissecting scopes, you can use either reflected light or transmitted light. Large working distance: you'll have plenty of room between your specimen and the microscope's lens, so you can reach in with forceps or other tools to move things around.In other words, you can see a relatively large area of your sample field of view is described in more detail below. Many dissecting microscopes have a zoom feature, allowing you to change the magnification. For large specimens, you don't need much magnification to be able to see the important details. Dissecting microscopesĭissecting microscopes, also called stereo microscopes, have some key characteristics that make them useful for looking at large specimens and doing dissections: You'll need to get comfortable with two kinds of microscopes for Bio 6A: dissecting and compound scopes. This makes them a key tool for studying structure and function in all kinds of organisms. Microscopes help you see things that are small.

Lookthrough microscope