SWIFT SW350T 40X-2500X Magnification, Siedentopf Head, Research-Grade Trinocular Compound Lab Microscope with Wide-Field 10X and 25X Eyepieces, Mechanical Stage, Abbe Condenser, Camera-Compatible

A couple of years ago I purchased an Amscope B120C compound microscope for just under $200 and found it excellent value for money. Among other things I used it for monitoring plankton samples typically at 40-100x magnification. I tried several methods for taking photos, including through the eye piece and with an Amscope D-SLR adapter, but in the end I got the best results by removing the binocular headpiece and mounting my camcorder via a telescope eye-piece and a custom-built tube (old vacuum cleaner pipe). At this point I wished I had purchased a trinocular microscope so I could scan the sample through the eyepieces and take pictures/movies of species of interest. I wrote to Amscope to see if they sold the trinocular headpiece separately and they said no (but to be fair their complete trinocular microscope was much cheaper than just a trinocular headpiece of other brands). Then I came across the Swift 350T trinocular microscope at just over $200. From the pictures it seemed very similar to the Amscope 120 in design, apart from the handle built into the stand - so I decided to order it. On delivery I could see clear similarities in the build, suggesting some parts were manufactured in the same factory (Swift on the left in photo). There were minor differences in the stage and the condenser adjustment was a helical mount rather than rack and pinion. The headpieces were interchangeable between the AmScope and Swift. The quality of the images was identical as far as I could tell. The camera port on the trinocular headpiece came with several threaded tubes and I was able to attach my Eagle Optics eyepiece (unfortunately no longer available) via couple of step-down camera filter rings. This telescope eyepiece has a large diameter and long eye-relief distance which makes it easier to attach a camera or camcorder. By good fortune the telescope eyepiece and regular eyepieces ended up being parfocal, making it easy to take a picture when something of interest is found by eye. The trinocular head permanently splits the beam roughly 50:50 between camera port and eyepieces (i.e. each eyepiece gets around 25% of the light). The LED is bright enough to give good dark-field images when a back stop is inserted into the filter holder (example phytoplankton shown in photo) and more than adequate for normal bright-field illumination. All in all, the Swift 350 is an excellent microscope for the money and ideal for the serious student and hobbyist.

I've used plenty of microscopes in the past, wanted to try a trinocular for the first time. The SW350 doesn't match up to super high end microscopes I've used in labs, but I didn't expect it to since those can run thousands of dollars. For hobbyists and at the high school and even college level, this is a great microscope, esp at this price point. Sharp focusing through each magnification level, controls are really smooth, and the LED bulb is very bright without getting hot. Base is stable and quite weighty -- I'm glad they included an arm handle to make it easier to carry!Especially love the trinocular port. Since the microscope came with two sets of eyepieces, I could try it out right away. Attached a couple pictures I took on my phone that show a slide with the 10x lens in the third port and the 25x lenses in the binoculars. Clarity was fantastic and I can see that the third port would be really useful for teaching little kids or students about microscopy because you could make adjustments for them as everyone's looking at the same thing.

Fast delivery and a great value for money.

The media could not be loaded. This microscope is a great addition to my aquarium business and snail research! The picture and video show a rotifer eating some phytoplankton. It's definitely not a high end microscope, but much better than the cheap monocular ones. In my opinion it's a great option if you want a pretty decent home microscope.I haven't tried the camera adapter portion yet. I got the picture and video by placing my phone on a tripod and aligning it just right to see inside the microscope. The video is a time lapse.

An excellent and far better product than a similar item I purchased and returned for credit TWICE. The other product was delivered without any literature at all. No warranty info, owner's guide. instructions.....NOTHING !! What company sells a product without some type of literature ? However, thisproduct arrived well packaged with warranty information and a helpful user guide which among other things informed me with the happy news that with registeration the 5-Year Warranty to 6 years !!

HIGH SCHOOL QUALITY

PROS- Controls are good for playing with focus. Not overly sensitive or dull- LED light doesn't get hot- Trinocular port and ability to present things in front of a classDELTA- Heavy but it's not an unusual weight for a microscope and they probably need it to keep a steady base. Just wish it was lighter when I have to set up/put awayNOTESNot a replacement for high-end work but good enough for school lab.