Three different 170mm body tubes were made for this unit along with seven different nosepieces and 14 condensers.Įach of the four different types of lamphouses can accept mercury, xenon, or halogen bulbs. The many different types of interchangeable components for this Leitz microscope allows customization of virtually every segment of the unit.

Epi illumination schemes for each viewing techniqueĪll of these variations can be accomplished by replacing a standard microscope component with a specialized condenser, body tube, illumination source, or nosepiece.

It was designed to be able to accommodate many imaging techniques including: Manufactured in black, hammer-tone gray, silver gray, and ivory, the first black units are rare and considered to be quite collectable.Ī rather large microscope weighing 44 lbs in its pristine state, when accessorized for some viewing methods it weighs upwards of 60 lbs.

The first widefield microscope, its field of view was 28mm which more than doubled the viewing field of existing microscopes. This modular system can be used for all types of microscopy with the addition o f the proper accessory package and is still in use in many research facilities. The Orthoplan was produced without significant design changes for 25 years. The venerable Orthoplan was the premier model manufactured from 1966-1991. Leitz microscopes are known for their high quality and durability. This company merged with the Cambridge Instrument Company in 1990 and was reborn as the Leica Holding B.V. Leica is now the brand name for what used to be known as Leitz microscopes. Ownership of Leitz changed hands over the 1970’s and 1980’s and for several years operated as Wild Leitz Holding AG. Through the years, Leitz microscopes have continued to evolve as cameras and other products have assumed greater prominence in its product mix. The 1950’s and 1960’s were earmarked by competition with Zeiss microscopes, with each company trying to best the other. Then in the 1970’s, competition with Japanese companies such as Olympus and Nikon shrank market share and profitability. Max Berek, discovering how to mathematically compute the depth of field in microscope imagery. The company was at the forefront of polarized light microscopy with one of its engineers, Dr.

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