Blog

What is Phase Contrast? Phase contrast is a powerful microscopy technique primarily used to visualize transparent and colorless specimens without the need for staining procedures that might damage living cells. By converting small differences in the optical path length into variations in light intensity, phase contrast allows scientists and students to observe the internal structures of living cel …

What Is Optical Microscopy? Optical microscopy is a technique that uses visible light and a series of lenses to magnify small objects to a level where they can be observed and analyzed. It is a widely used tool in many fields, including biology, material science, and physics, among others. In an optical microscope, light from a source is focused onto the specimen through a series of lenses, and th …

Microscope Contrast Techniques When using a microscope with brightfield, some samples will have a natural contrast that is easily viewed, such as bright plants and flowers, metals, and pigments. Some samples can be stained to increase the microscope contrast. However, low contrast samples such as unstained bacteria, thin tissue slices, live cells, or reflective metal parts require the use of addit …

Darkfield microscopy can be useful when staining a specimen is not an option. Learn a bit more about how darkfield microscopy works here. On a biological compound microscope, darkfield is often used when viewing blood cells or when examining any sample where staining the sample might kill it. Typically a simple darkfield slider is inserted into the condenser on the biological microscope in order t …