You will need a stereo microscope to view more substantial specimens. In addition, you don’t have to make a microscope slide for the stereo microscopes. You can observe: parrot feather, circuit board, star sands, crystals, jewelry, leaves, strawberries, bees, bills, fingerprints and more. 

Unlike a compound microscope that can only see a very thin specimen, stereo microscopes can be used for viewing almost anything you can fit under them. However, stereo microscopes offer lower magnification, typically 2.5x-50x, comparing to compound microscopes. 

Stereo microscopes are branched out from other light microscopes for the application of viewing “3D” objects. These include substantial specimens, such as insects, feathers, leaves, rocks, sand grains, gems, coins, and stamps, etc. Functionally, a stereo microscope is like a powerful magnifying glass. Unlike a compound microscope that offers a flat image, stereo microscopes give the viewer a 3-dimensional image that you can see the texture of a larger specimen.