AmScope B120C-E1 40X-2500X LED Biological Binocular Compound Microscope with 3D Double Layer Mechanical Stage + 1.0 MP USB Digital Camera Imager

This microscope has everything a budding mlt or mt needs if they want want for work or for home. I bought this as a gift for my dil, who is a mt student and we were both very pleased with the quality and features.

Good image quality, controls work flawlessly and the camera is user friendly! You can download an owners manual but don’t get too much hung up on it. Just load the cd in your laptop and load the driver and manual, and the user friendliness makes getting images pretty easy with little or no reading from the manual. Lots of detail in there most people will probably never use.

I have yet to use this microscope but it appears to be a very solid built device. The reason for this review, even it i have not used the microscope, is to bring up the topic of documentation. There wasn’t any. At least none for this unit. What i received was ‘information & instructions model sme-f8bh binocular microscope’ which is almost this unit but with the chinese model number, almost. This appears to be for the 2000x model not the 2500x. Expecting the correct manual on the cd did not pan out either, it only contained the program and documentation for the computer connection. Going to the website amscope did not help either, because the chinese model number did not prove valid and there was no actual model number on the unit! Eventually using a google search, and i found others with the same problem, i eventually found out it is model b120-e1 (its found labeled on the plain cardboard box but not mentioned in the invoice) and confirmed this was the actual us model number. The website did not have a pdf for this model either.

So why the 5 stars, with all of the effort required to just get documentation? When i called the company and talked to customer service they resolved all of my problem within 5 minutes (that is including the hold time!). The gentleman was extremely polite helpful and exact. He indicated that the manual for this unit was in the process of being written but he had a final draft that he would send me (which i received in less than a minute for model b120 series). He also told me that there is no fuse for the light, it is an led, so ignore the one that came with unit.

So assuming the optics are good i will leave it at 5 stars. But for anyone else having this documentation problem, i thought this would help. The manual was brief but covered the basics.

25 march 2014 update
so based on the documentation and use of the scope, i can now review this product .

All mechanical aspects of the scope work smoothly and correctly. The light is sufficient for backlighting object or slices of object. The optics are clear and not blurred. Although i did have a little trouble with the 2500x configuration since it is an oil-immersion setup getting the focus correct. But with going back to the manual and a little internet help that issue was resolved. The computer interface has not been used very much and is a little cumbersome. I can see why a tri-optical arrangement would be very useful in a lab setting. Less adjusting the focus when you switch from eyeball to computer. This is not a negative with regard to this unit as the intent was not to provide the tri feature, but the binocular. Never the less it is a nice touch to have it available for use.

With the documentation and use of the scope my rating remains at 5 stars.

This microscope is simply amazing… It has lasted me three years and yields amazing clarity and results. Never disappoints. I mostly use it for micro organism identification and plant disease identification. It does the job and then some. However the 1.0 camera that comes with the microscope is not the greatest. I suggest buying the version without a camera and then getting a microscope phone mount for 15$

I purchased my amscope b120c-e1 in 2013. I am very satisfied with this microscope. I originally purchased it for my daughter since she is working to become a physician. At the time i did not know that i too would be the one using it. I am working my way to be in the dental profession and at the time i am taking microbiology at my local college. Well, a week ago my light was out and i tested the components and the transformer went bad. I still have the 5 year warranty and i ended up contacting the company. I explained to them that i tested the equipment and i also send them my finding. Note: i am very familiar with electronics and i now how to test them. What i ended up sending them was a note with what was wrong and the tolerance.
I asked them that if they could send me the parts and i can installed it myself and how much. There answer was $6 for the shipping because it was under warranty for 5 years; i received the parts withing 3 business days. They actually sent me and upgraded base with everything that i needed. The only thing that i did was: unscrew the 4 screws that hold the base together, removed the ground wire screw and the l.e.d connector. Put everything back together and done. It took me about 5 minutes tops. Tested it and it work like new. Thank you aaron for the parts and great customer service.

This is a good company with great customer service. I recommend them and their product.

Note. I have read some reviews saying that the microscope is not good and that it doesn’t come with instruction.
There are plenty of videos online that can help you get there, and your incompetence should not be reflected on the product rating.

The bottom line is…..this is a great product for the price… Great for beginners and college students alike… Have patience and have fun… It will be a rewarding experience.

I love this microscope! This is a 9/10. I am a medical laboratory science major. And this is such a fun thing to do you love enjoying. The only problem is that i had to buy everything separately for the microscope. But this is a total 100% good one.

I got this as a gift for my flat mate. She comes from one of the worst neighborhoods in nyc. The worst school district in all of new york. Somehow, this girl, over came growing up in poverty, in a place people are shooting at each other in the streets…. She finished high school, attended university….. And completed a grad degree in *1* year, because she couldn’t afford to do a 2 year grad degree. One day, she came to me during that year and said, ‘i have to move, i can’t afford to stay. I have to find something cheaper, my mum needs me to help with money to support my *5* siblings. I said, ‘you pay for your siblings, whatever you have left you give me for the rent. If nothing is left that is perfectly acceptable. You stay here, and you finish school.’ she did. And then she got a fabulous job at mit. When she graduated from grad school, and got her sweet new job, i got this for her. As she is absolutely amazing. She is an…. Apotheosis to other young people growing up in difficulty. So, to support her dream, i got this for her as a graduation gift. You should have seen her open it up and burst into tears she was so happy. She has had a dream of her own lab since she was very little but never believed it was possible. So, i got her this as her first piece of equiptment for her future lab.

This is a wonderful product and i know nothing about these devices, but i know my future large animal vet flat mate was gaga over this. Which tells me, it is a pretty darn good product. So thank you so so so much for helping me to do what no one else in her life has ever done. She now sees her dream as possible.

I didn’t know what to expect from this purchase but have been more than pleased with the results. It has surpassed whatever wishes i could have had for the scope. I probably will never use the upper magnification limit of x2500. I mainly purchased to extend my hobby of wildflower id. But for what i do use it for it has been great. It also has an included camera that i found to be a real plus as it allows you to put what you are viewing on screen and with my eyesight that is wonderful. I have been practicing with some ready made slides (not included with the microscope) from amscope and the pictures, even at the 1.3 megapixels, are great. The pictures below are of a tilia stem, from center to outer edge at x10. The camera software works great. The adjustments for the focus and for the stage work well. A little learning time is needed, but not really a large amount. Was able to get good results from the get-go.
I actually bought this because of another review you will probably find here of an educator working in africa. If it could survive that, i thought it might survive my rough usage.
I don’t think as far as i’m concerned there are any cons to this purchase for the price. My experience with microscopes are minimal, but what experiences i’ve had in the past aren’t near as positive as this has been. There are no doubt better scopes out there, but for the price i’m very happy.

Just a disclaimer – i have only had this for 1 day, but it is so freaking cool! I culture water bears and you can see them clearly. Also, i was worried about how the camera would work with ios. Don’t worry about downloading software from amascope. You can stream what you are viewing onto the photo booth app on the macbook. So far so good!

When i was growing up, and before my 10th birthday, my parents bought me a microscope. Nothing like this of course, and they probably got it from montgomery wards (no wal-mart back then). It was a pretty cheap microscope, but i loved it, and maybe it is one of the reasons i became so interested in science that i became an engineer.

Now that i’m all grown up (and almost 50) i wanted to rediscover my love for the micro, since my telescope purchase has helped me remember my love of the macro.

Money isn’t an option like it was for my parents, and i was quite surprised i could get so much microscope for relatively little.

The scope is just about perfect for the amateur. The camera is just enough resolution to make you want to buy more, however, i was lucky as my telescope camera also fit this.

At first i was put off by the 2500x resolution, since it seemed too much, but then i read how to use the immersion oil properly, and viola! 2500x was clear and amazing.

Perhaps professionals need more, but this will sate me for years to come. It has already helped out our dog, as with it we were able to see a thriving yeast colony from a swab of his ears, and he’s on medication now that seems to be helping.

Kudos to amscope for making a great product but with a cheap price.

I didn’t try oil lens but with conventional ones maximum magnification when objects are sharp is 400x (40x objective + 10x eyepiece). When i try to use x1000 it often runs into “empty magnification” effect when picture is bigger but no extra details are added. Please check first image attached (both parts are bright). It’s a blood smear specimen, left part is x1000 (40-25) and right one is x400 (40-10). Both photos were taken using samsung s9 phone. Images were zoomed digitally to be more or less equal in size. As you can see there is no big difference.

However x1000 is still useful because one can see live bacteria at this magnification. Image won’t be crispy but still bacteria (1-3 um) are visible.

Camera has a rather poor quality, please check the second image (with dark part). Left part was taken by samsung s9 at x1000 (40-25), the right one using amscope camera using 40x objective. Images were zoomed digitally to be more or less equal in size. I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Framework is really sturdy and mechanics is good. It’s really easy to position the specimen, nothing is shaking/bending. Software is also good. If it weren’t for a weak camera, this would be a great tool. Microscope doesn’t come with calibration slide so it’ll be necessary to buy one if you would like to measure objects.

Overall this microscope is good for beginners because it’s really easy in use and gives decent magnification. I wouldn’t recommend to buy cheaper models because they may have framework not sturdy enough and poor position mechanics what can easily discourage people who make their first steps in microscopy.

Love it. I’ve wanted a good microscope since i was a kid.

This is great for the money. And not hard to use. I didn’t even read the manual. There are only a few controls, and they’re pretty intuitive. Though i have experience with stereo microscopes. But yeah, that was about 40 years ago.

The few people on here who gave it one star probably didn’t read the manual. It doesn’t work as is out of the box. You have to put in the included eye pieces into their slots. Simple.

I took off one star for the bonehead design choice of having the ac power plug come out on the side toward you. Will touch your belly if you sit upright. Should have been on any of the other 3 sides. But it’s not a deal breaker.

Edit after a week: the low-rez (1.3 mpxl) camera that comes with this is probably nowhere as good as the camera in your phone. Also, the software that comes with that camera is abysmal. (i used to own a much cheaper endoscope type 40x microscope that had much better softeware.)

so if you want to use your phone camera with this microscope, shell out 19 bucks for the adapter on amazon that allows you to shoot great pix and video with your phone. I did, and i love it.
Search this:

gosky universal cell phone adapter mount – compatible binocular monocular spotting scope telescope microscope-fits almost all smartphone on the market -record the nature the world

Other then that i could see my sperm lol…. Awesome!! 5 stars

Just received the scope and put it thru its initial paces, so can’t speak to long-term performance. Bought the scope to replace a vintage (30 years+) b&l stereo compound scope. Initially very impressed with the quality of the build and the optics, particularly at the price. Used all magnifications, including oil immersion. The gearing is smooth and stable and the led lighting is bright. Ran it thru its paces viewing live algal cultures, microtomed tissues (skeletal and cardiac muscle, plant sections, etc.) and blood and neuron smears — no complaints thus far. Have not yet used the camera, but will do so later, though photomicrography will not be my interest.
Gave it a 4 rather than 5 because documentation was not included and the instruction to getting it required a password which was supposedly included, but wasn’t. I contacted amscope via email and to my surprise got a response within an hour or so — the documentation (pdf) was sent. Incredibly fast and courteous!
Based on my past experience with microscopes i can honestly say that i am impressed thus far.

I have wanted a good microscope for home use for years but have not been willing to shell out the cash. Bought this microscope as my fortieth birthday present to myself and have used it at least three dozen times so far. I run a small farm and have done fecal exams and skin scrapings. I have two little girls and we have examined everything we could find under this microscope even my own blood. I have not used the usb yet as i am used to looking through a microscope and my girls can too so just haven’t taken the time to hook it up. My degree is in biology and this microscope’s quality is as good as any i ever used back in college. I researched long and hard, read every review. I am very happy with my purchase and would highly recommend.

Nice binocular compound digital microscope and perfect purchase for my laboratory and for my ap biology, lab biology and anatomy and physiology students. Great price and value considering the high quality. I was extremely pleased with this product and everything, including the extra objectives were in perfect condition and in working order. Software was easy to download from there website, the only drawback was finding the enclosed cd without the mac powerbook version of the software. Although, this was easily found and downloaded from the amscope’s website. I was so happy with this purchase that i have decided to purchase 4 more disecting binocular compound microscopes from amscope again.

This is the most elite microscope i have ever used. The technical features will require methodical study and practice.the stage and illumination are high quality. With
deliberation you will be able to refocus on specific areas of fixed mounts by noting the two-axis calibrations and slide label. Optics are excellent.with care and a suitable padded case this scope and accessories could be safely portable to any place with ac power source (usa) or off-grid sources which match electrical requirements.

I like very much

The microscope is mostly great, i just can’t get anything in focus at x2500.

Very nice scope , needs a few improvements , like a top mount led light (no biggie mounted a pen light to it) and a better digital camera the 1.5 mp camera doesnt match the quality of the scope . It needs atleast a 3mp camera to complete the scope….there are better cameras available to upgrade it. Cant beat the scope for the price !!! Comes with pc software for the camera…..