speed, resolution, photo damage, and penetration depth are crucial for almost every application of microscopy in biological research. exciting new techniques like localization microscopy, structured illumination microscopy, and light-sheet microscopy enable faster, gentler, higher-resolution imaging that was once thought impossible. however, these techniques typically involve tradeoffs; for example, structured illumination microscopy sacrifices speed and penetration depth to achieve high resolution. i'll describe improved optical and computational approaches to localization microscopy, structured illumination microscopy, and light-sheet microscopy which eliminate these drawbacks, creating viable replacements for the current generation of conventional microscopes.