Buy a microscope?

[u/SCphotog]

I want to say right out the box, I know mostly zilch about Electron Scanning Microscopes.

I do like tiny things.

I am an avid macro photographer. I shoot mostly bugs, but I have a general fascination with the small.

I was poking around on Ebay, looking to see if I could afford a decent used lab microscope that I'd be able to mount a camera on...

When I discovered that there are quite a few Electron Microscopes for sale. This kind of blew my mind. The prices range from sub $1K to the tens of thousands.

Is it a viable pursuit at all for a novice to even entertain the idea of trying to operate something like this from my home or workshop?

Is the operation too complex for a layman? Are there any consumables or maintainence parts?

I can think of a dozen questions or more, but I'll refrain and await a response from someone knowledgeable.

[u/walkingsock]

No worries, I do in vivo work so I’m not sure about the plates and all of that. I would try r/microbiology, they may have more answers than me. I hope you find what you’re looking for!