∞ generated and posted on 2016.01.14 ∞
The total area of what is actually visible when you peer at a specimen through a microscope.
As magnification is increased the size of the field of view will decline meaning that less of the specimen or its background will appear than is the case at lower magnification.
The narrowing or reduction in the field of view at higher magnifications can mean that when one is seeking to view larger specimens, e.g., whole insects, it often can be more practical to view the specimen at a lower rather than higher magnification. Basically, you can view less of an image in more detail or more of an image in less detail, but not both. For relatively large specimens, and low magnification viewing, a dissecting microscope can be preferable to a compound microscope.