Abstract: There is disclosed a microscope having improved means for determining precisely the position of a specimen in relation to the microscope. The microscope comprises a base, a mounting stage for holding a specimen, a microscope objective for viewing the specimen, mounting means adjustably mounting the mounting stage on the base for altering the position of the specimen relative to the microscope objective, and displacement means coupled with the mounting stage for moving the latter relative to the base. The mounting means comprises a flexure mounting, and a strain gauge provided on the flexure mounting for monitoring the extent of flexure of the mounting when the mounting stage is displaced by the displacement means.

Abstract: There is disclosed an optical microscope which comprises an adjustable mounting stage on which a specimen can be located, and a viewing head having an eyepiece, and a high magnification viewing system which is focussable on the specimen, after appropriate adjustment of the mounting stage, to enable the specimen to be viewed via the eyepiece. To provide improved positioning of a specimen so that predetermined areas thereof can be more readily located in the field of view of the microscope, the adjustable mounting stage has first and second mounting locations which are spaced apart by a predetermined distance and which serve to mount respectively a first specimen and a second replica or reference specimen, the second specimen bearing at least one predetermined reference point, line, grid, area or the like.

Abstract: Image-shearing apparatus comprises a television camera tube for receiving an optical image from a microscope objective. Electrical circuitry receives the output signal from the camera tube and provides a display image in which a horizontal band is uniformly shifted relative to the remainder of the frame. The amount of lateral shift is adjustable, preferably in a calibrated manner. Then, by registering an edge portion of the image in the shifted band with an adjacent edge portion outside the band, the apparatus may be used with particular advantage in sizing.