Call for help
A lot of people probably have very specific needs in the microscope they use. Many work somewhere they can access a lot of institutional knowledge about microscopy. I have very specific needs of a microscope, but very little knowledge of microscopes, so a friend suggested I call Microscope Central. I spoke to Mike, who patiently listened to all my needs, concerns, and questions. He recommended a new microscope pod, an Accu-scope 3076, and the C-mount reducer to go with it. (I already have a camera.) He told me the old stand would work fine, and that saved some money. The results are great. The images are much improved and the glass in the new scope is clearly superior to the old scope. With help, we hit the sweet spot in expense vs. quality.