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Hyalella azteca – Around 8 mm body length

Diatoms - Nature’s Jewels viewed with a Microscope

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How Working Distance Affects Your Microscope Images

Posted by Motic America on

Have you ever crashed your microscope objective into a sample ?

At some point we all have This is where the concept of Working Distance comes in. You will see Working Distance (WD) often listed as a spec in microscope or objective brochures. This spec is important as it tells you the distance between the microscope objective lens and your focused sample. 

A longer working distance will have less resolution but more space. 

A short working distance will have better resolution but can come awfully close to your sample. 

Working distance in a microscope is the space between the objective lens and the object you're observing.

When do you make the decision to choose between Long and Short distance microscope objectives ?

It really depends on your sample. A mostly flat sample can afford a short working distance and good resolution. A sample with a lot of differing heights or peaks and valleys will benefit from a long working distance objective so as not to crash into neighbouring peaks. 

One other benefit of longer working distance is you have less out of focus areas in a thicker sample. This is known as Depth of Field. 


Want to know which microscopes fit you best? Fill in the form below and our specialists are glad to help!

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