Macroscope (Wild-Leica)

This article is about the optical instrument (a type of microscope, from the Wild and Leica optical companies). For other uses, see Macroscope.
A Wild M400 macroscope

A macroscope or photomacroscope in its camera-equipped version (in German: makroskop / photomakroskop) is a type of optical microscope developed and named by Swiss microscope manufacturers Wild Heerbrugg and later, after that company's merger with Leica in 1987, by Leica Microsystems of Germany, optimised for high quality macro photography and/or viewing using a single objective lens and light path, rather than stereoscopic viewing of specimens, at magnifications up to around x40 (which can be increased further with optional supplementary lenses or higher power eyepieces). The Wild, subsequently Leica "macroscope" line was in production from approximately 1976–2003; it was succeeded by the Leica Z6 and Z16 offerings, which continued an equivalent (optically improved) functionality, but without the "macroscope" designation. The macroscope remains a useful, if somewhat specialised, instrument for examination of relevant specimens in various laboratories today.[1]

  1. ^ A Google Scholar search for "wild" OR "leica" AND "macroscope", yielded 4,120 results as at August 2023; to repeat this search use this URL.