History of Microscopy

Simple microscope with doublet and triplet optics. Production of simple microscopes begins.

Carl Zeiss sells his first compound microscope.

High-performance microphotographic system from Roderich Zeiss (1850–1919).

Greenough stereomicroscope.

Metallographic system based on Martens design.

Invention of the ultramicroscope by Henry Siedentopf and Richard A. Zsigmondy

Ultraviolet microscope by August Köhler and Moritz von Rohr

Test setup for fluorescence microscopy by August Köhler and Henry Siedentopf.

The famous L-stand becomes the standard for microscope design

First prototype of a phase-contrast microscope based on Zernike’s original design; he wins the Nobel Prize in 1953

Device for microcinematography: Under the direction of Kurt Michel, the first film on cell division is produced in a "micro"laboratory with the aid of a phase-contrast microscope.

The "Standard" microscope becomes one of the most successful models in the history of Carl Zeiss

Launch of an all-new photomicroscope with integrated camera and automatic exposure control

Axiomat, a microscope with unparalleled stability and image quality

The laser scanning microscope, a microscope system with object scanning through an oscillating laser beam and electronic image processing

ZEISS unveils a new generation of microscopes: the "pyramids": the design includes special features of the Axioplan, Axiophot, and Axiotron: ICS (Infinity Color Corrected System) and SI (System Integration)

The ApoTome imaging process allows high-quality, economical optical sections to be produced by means of biological samples marked by fluorescence In the same year it won the R&D 100 Award

The LSM 5 LIVE, a light microscope, with which living cells can be examined 20 times faster and in a particularly gentle manner, enters series production in Jena and receives the R&D Award for its performance in real-time research.

Illumination apparatus with focusable condenser: Ernst Abbe

Ernst Abbe’s research results allow microscope optics to be produced on the basis of mathematical calculations for the first time

Microscopes with homogeneous immersion, calculated by Abbe according to ideas by J.W. Stephenson

First apochromatic microscope lens, a color-corrected objective lens for three wavelengths based on the calculations of Ernst Abbe The foundation for this achievement was in part the concerted attempts by Abbe and Schott to improve optical glass

Illumination device with separate control of the luminous field and condenser aperture: August Köhler (1866–1948)

The Pancratic condenser made for an ideal way of combining a microscope with the whole illumination device for the first time

Plan-Apochromats and Plan-Achromats with a flat image field for photomicrography based on calculations by Hans Boegehold (1876–1965)

Neofluar: new optics for making microscopes

Ultrafluar: Carl Zeiss manufactures lens system for ultraviolet light and visible light – a major step forwards in micro-spectral photometry 

Differential interference contrast (DIC) device according to Georges Nomarski

PlasDIC by ZEISS allows the use of plastic dishes for microscopic examinations to apply the differential interference contrast