What exactly can you view under the microscope at different magnifications? Microscope field of view changes as magnification changes. In short, as magnification increases, the field of view decreases. When looking through a high power compound microscope it can be difficult to determine what you will see through the eyepieces at different magnifications.
The images below were created to help you determine how much of the field of view will be occupied by certain samples at different magnifications. The following four samples are illustrated to show the microscope field of view at 200x, 400x, 600x and 1000x magnification:
- Black squares = microbes (2-8µm)
- Blue rectangles = nanoplankton (10-20µm)
- Red circles = red blood cells (6-8µm)
- Orange rectangles = Large organisms (100µm)
It is a common misconception that at 1000x magnification items will be visible under the microscope that are not visible at 400x. This is not typically true - you can view the same samples at 400x that you will view at 1000x, they will just take up a greater portion of the microscope's field of view at 1000x.
If you are having trouble determining what your microscope field of view will be at a certain magnification, contact Microscope World and we will be happy to help.