Levenhuk 2ST Stereo Microscope

The 2ST is a stereo microscope for looking at whole, solid things in three dimensions: insects, flowers and seeds, coins and stamps, rocks and minerals, and circuit boards. It has a binocular head with two 10x eyepieces and a single 4x objective, giving a fixed 40x, with 60 mm of working distance between the lens and the stage, which is room enough for tweezers, a pin or a fine soldering tip. The eyepieces adjust by five dioptres each way, so you can correct for a difference between your eyes without glasses.

The body and stand are metal, the stage is a 58 mm plate that flips between black and white backgrounds to suit light and dark specimens, and coarse focus has 40 mm of travel. There's no built-in light. The 2ST works by daylight or a desk lamp, which keeps the price down and suits occasional use; if you'll use it every evening, a small LED desk lamp angled onto the stage is all you need.

At a fixed 40x it sits at the higher-power end for a stereo microscope. That's ideal for small insects, seeds and detail on coins, and a little close for a whole large beetle or a full circuit board, where 10x to 20x shows more at once. Our types guide explains when to choose stereo over compound.

In the box are the microscope with binocular head, two WF10x eyepieces, the 4x objective, the reversible stage plate, rubber eyecups, a dust cover and the manual. To photograph what you see, the A10 phone adapter fits the 30.5 mm eyepieces.