Difference Between Binocular & Stereo Microscopes

Both binocular and stereo microscopes have two eyepieces.

Stereo and binocular microscopes are superficially similar because they both have dual eyepieces, or ocular lenses. However, these two types of microscope have different lens systems and inner workings. In practical terms, the main difference is that a stereo microscope provides a three-dimensional image while a binocular microscope provides a flat image.

Compound Microscope

Both stereo and binocular microscopes are types of compound microscope. In a compound microscope, two lenses work together to provide the final image. One lens, known as the ocular lens or eyepiece, is located at the top of the microscope tube. The objective lens hangs over the field of view.

Monocular Microscope

A monocular microscope has one eyepiece and one tube.

The simplest form of compound microscope is monocular. In this design, the objective lens transmits a magnified image of the object under examination up the microscope tube to a single ocular lens.

Binocular Microscope

A binocular microscope is similar to a monocular one. The only difference is that there are two ocular lenses at the top of the microscope tube. However, there is only one tube, and only a single image is conveyed. This means that both eyes see the exact same image. In this case, presence of a second eyepiece merely reduces eyestrain.

Stereo Microscope

A stereo microscope can be thought of as a combination of two monocular microscopes. Each of the eyepieces receives its own magnified image via its own tube. These different images come from two separate objectives, both trained on the same object in the viewing field. A common variant uses a single objective plus a prism to generate the two images transmitted to the ocular lenses. In both variants, the user perceives a three-dimensional image.

Other Differences

Stereo microscopes are also known as dissecting microscopes because they provide the depth of field necessary to manipulate objects while viewing them. Many dissecting microscopes also provide additional room between the objectives and the microscope stage to accommodate the user's hands or instruments. Stereo microscopes are also designed to preserve the left-right orientation of the viewed image; in regular microscopes, left and right are reversed.

References

• "Practical Microbiology"; R. Vasanthakumari; 2009
• "Fundamentals of Forensic Science"; Max M. Houck and Jay A. Siegel; 2010
• "Under the Microscope: a Hidden World Revealed"; Jeremy Burgess, Michael Marten and Rosemary Taylor; 1990
• "Handbook of Optical Systems, Survey of Optical Instruments"; Herbert Gross, Fritz Blechinger and Bertram Achtner; 2008