Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

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Rorschach
Posts: 147
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2019 11:35 pm
Location: Finland

Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

Post by Rorschach »

Has anyone tried if the Stemi 2000 is compatible with the current K EDU stand? I believe both conform to the 76mm holder standard so that should be ok but would be nice to hear from someone with actual experience.

At work we are considering new stands for our Stemi 2000 scopes, of which we have ten.

Scarodactyl
Posts: 1617
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:26 am

Re: Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

Post by Scarodactyl »

No reason I can think of that it wouldn't, these are both 76mm heads as you say. Is there a reason this particular stand, uh, stands out? I doubt it's made in Germany, but it's probably priced like it is knowing Zeiss.

Rorschach
Posts: 147
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2019 11:35 pm
Location: Finland

Re: Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

Post by Rorschach »

Thanks, that is my thinking as well.

This particular stand seems ideal for use with our course Stemi 2000 scopes as it has both BF and DF. Yet the base is not thick, allowing fatigue-free manipulation of the specimens (invertebrates mostly). I also like how the incident LED spot options are implemented: there's a choice of a single light which is optimally situated on the axis of the focusing column. This allows complete freedom of hand movements under the scope. Alternatively there's a double LED spot available (a short gooseneck type) that allows more options on the angle of light.

Here is the Zeiss K EDU stand (without either LED spot installed):
Zeiss_stand_K_EDU.jpg
The current stands (Zeiss stand C) were actually intended for the bottom of the barrell scope, the Stemi DV4. But we put the Stemi 2000s on them and they worked perfectly together. I heard this surprised even the Zeiss factory and a little while later they actually had this option officially available. You can thank me for that I guess :D What was nice about the stand C was that it has both a LED spot light and BF transmitted. Plus they were equipped with the cheap DF attachment that replaces the clear/frosted BF glass on the base, giving a poor man's darkfield. So they were very versatile. They were cheap yet lasted for more than 10 years. Now they are finally exhibiting too many mechanical problems.

Here's an image of the Stand C with a DV4 on it:
Zeiss_stand_C.jpg

Scarodactyl
Posts: 1617
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:26 am

Re: Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

Post by Scarodactyl »

Ah yeah, the 'ol fisher price scope (though Leica definitely has them beat on questionable stereo styling decisions).
I suppose thickness is important, but I wonder if a Nikon or Olympus base could be cheaper, or even one from spot imaging (edit: guess not, looks like they discontinued their last tlb series bases, though it looks like at least Meiji is copying them). You don't see many bf/df stands offered by Chinese vendors but it may be worth exploring as well--the Leica-like stands at least seem quite well made. I would think time spent exploring alternatives to Zeiss, at least for something basic and non-optical like a stand, could pay out serious savings.

Rorschach
Posts: 147
Joined: Fri Mar 08, 2019 11:35 pm
Location: Finland

Re: Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

Post by Rorschach »

Yeah, that DV4 is definitely one of worst looking scopes ever. But the main drawback was lack of zoom range and general lack of features and upgrade options. That is why we rather invested into the main optics and went with the Stemi 2000. But funds were finite so we had to settle to the Stand C on them to make ends meet. The thinking was to focus on getting maximum optical quality for that number of scopes and consequently invest less on the stands. Stands are more of a commodity and will not last as long as the optics bodies anyways. However, the Stand C turned out to be a bit more durable than I initially thought.

I think the stand K EDU won't cost more than 800 euros a piece with the single LED spot included. That's not bad for what it delivers.

Scarodactyl
Posts: 1617
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:26 am

Re: Zeiss Stemi 2000 on a Zeiss K EDU stand?

Post by Scarodactyl »

Yeah, for switchable bf/df that's not bad at all. LED spots are pretty standard now, but it's weird that the Chinese makers haven't gotten in on bf/df stands--they only seem to be available on really expensive stereos (or gemscopes which are a totally different animal anyway.)

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