The AmScope B490 compound binocular microscope has a sliding head, a pair of 10x widefield eyepieces, a forward-facing nosepiece with four DIN achromatic objectives, Brightfield halogen illumination, a double-layer mechanical stage with a stage stop to protect slides and objectives from damage, and anti-mold surfaces to preserve optics in high-humidity areas. The compensation-free binocular viewing head has a pair of 10x widefield eyepieces and sliding head to adjust inter-pupillary distance, a fixed 30-degree vertical inclination to reduce eye and neck strain, and a 360-degree rotation capability to provide a more comprehensive view and enable sharing. The sliding head has a range of 55 to 75mm to accommodate individual eye differences, and bi-lateral dioptric adjustment accommodates individual eye-strength differences. The forward-facing nosepiece has 4x, 10x, 40xS (spring), and 100xS (spring, oil) DIN achromatic optical-glass objectives that combine with the eyepieces to provide color correction of magnified images. The 40xS objective is spring loaded to prevent slide damage when focusing. The 100xS spring-loaded oil objective provides increased resolution over a standard objective. A compound microscope is used for inspection and dissection of specimens when two-dimensional images are desired.

The microscope has lower (transmitted, diascopic) Brightfield illumination that transmits light up through the specimen for enhanced visibility of translucent and transparent objects. Brightfield (BF) illumination allows the specimen to absorb light, resulting in a dark image on a light background. Halogen illumination provides bright light in a concentrated path and has a rheostat to control light intensity. The 1.25 NA Abbe condenser is mounted on a rack-and-pinion control system, can be adjusted to control the distance of the light from the stage, and has an iris diaphragm to optimize the amount of light illuminating the specimen. The double-