Carl Zeiss has been a respected name in optical engineering and technology for over 150 years, and many of their microscopes are among the finest ever made. The microscope illustrated below is a standard laboratory microscope, introduced by Zeiss in the 1930s, that has proven to be a workhorse for both routine lab work and advanced research investigations as evidenced by the fact that many are still in service today.

The microscope stand is constructed with a sturdy cast iron frame that is polished and coated with a hard coat of black enamel. The extra weight of this frame stabilizes the microscope and reduces the de-focusing effects of vibration. Three objectives can be positioned in the revolving nosepiece, and the sample is viewed through a Huygenian eyepiece positioned in a single monocular body tube. The substage condenser usually corrects for a low to medium degree of chromatic aberration and the concave mirror below the stage is designed to optimize illumination of the specimen. Focusing is achieved through a rack and pinion gear set enabled with a knurled knob where the body tube attaches to the stand. The stage is an X-Y mechanical stage with translation afforded in both directions by rack work mechanisms. A spring-loaded clip is used to secure the specimen to the mechanical stage holder. This microscope can be adapted for photomicrography by addition of the appropriate adapters to the eyepiece socket.

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