The Olympus stand E was launched on the market in 1958. The most well-known version is the one with the external Köhler lamp. A mirror, a simple lamp without field diaphragm (model LSK) or the aforementioned Köhler lamp (model LSE) can be placed in the base of the stand. All parts on this microscope are easy to disassemble; the mechanical stage, for example, can be removed very easily by moving the lever on the side upwards. There is no need to use a screwdriver here. The objectives have a parfocal lenght 37 mm (36.65 mm) and the planachromats actually harmonize better with the later CWHK10x eyepieces than with the WF10x eyepieces. There were accessories for dark field illumination, phase contrast, polarization microscopy and incident light microscopy made for this microscope. Unfortunately, some objectives for this microscope are difficult to find; a 20/0.40 lens is rarely found on the second-hand market. The Olympus E can also be equipped with 45 mm objectives, the mechanical stage can be adjusted accordingly. In this respect it is a more flexible microscope than, for example, the Zeiss Standard, where only 45 mm objectives can be used.

Trinocular version of the Olympus E microscope. Here with centerable condenser and external Köhler illumination.