Bresser Advance ICD 10-160x Zoom Stereo Microscope

The Advance ICD is a trinocular zoom stereo microscope for inspection, dissection and soldering, where you need both hands under the lens and a 3D view of what they're doing. It's a Greenough design, with two separate optical paths tilted towards each other, one per eye, which gives the depth.

The zoom body runs from 1x to 4x. With the 10x eyepieces that's 10x to 40x, with the 20x eyepieces 20x to 80x, and with the 2x auxiliary lens under the body the 20x pair reaches 80x to 160x. Both pairs and the 2x lens are in the box. The 10x eyepieces have a field number of 22, the width of the view in millimetres at 1x, and both eyepiece holders adjust for up to 8 dioptres of difference between the eyes. Eye spacing adjusts from 52 to 72 mm, and the eyecups are rubber.

LEDs light the object from above, at an adjustable angle, and from below through a glass plate; a switch picks one or both, and a dimmer sets brightness. The LEDs stay cool, so live insects can sit under the lens for a long session. Working distance is 28 to 80 mm, and because the head slides on a tall column, objects up to 22 cm high fit beneath it. Focus is coaxial coarse and fine, which helps with focus stacking, where a camera takes shots at different heights and software merges the sharp parts.

The third tube takes a camera through an optional adapter, with a lever that diverts the left eyepiece's image to it; our microscope camera guide covers C-mount and DSLR options. The metal stand comes with a 94 mm black and white plate, a matt glass plate, a 5 V mains adapter, a dust cover and a printed manual. The Researcher ICD LED 20-80x below it has fixed steps rather than a zoom, and our microscopes for electronics are grouped together. The Science ETD-201 above it is the one to choose if you need 105 mm of working distance for tools under the lens and a light angle you can lock.