Final answer:
Electron microscopy offers high-resolution images but requires killing the specimen, is costly, and cannot observe live cells, making it unsuitable for studying dynamic processes like mitosis in action.
Step-by-step explanation:
The disadvantages of using an electron microscope to study mitosis include the requirement to kill the specimen, the costliness of the equipment, and the inability to observe live processes. Electron microscopes use a beam of electrons rather than light, granting higher magnification and resolution, but they necessitate placing the specimen within a vacuum for the electrons to be effectively transmitted. This method is incompatible with observing living cells undergoing mitosis. Additionally, the preparation process for samples in electron microscopy is both complex and destructive, which means ongoing biological processes like mitosis cannot be witnessed in real-time.
Another considerable disadvantage is the limited capacity to view only ultra-thin specimens, due to the electron beam's inability to penetrate thick samples effectively. Such limitations are crucial when choosing a microscopy technique for studying dynamic processes like cell division. Although electron microscopy offers unparalleled detail for static cellular structures, light microscopy remains the preferred method for observing living cells and processes like mitosis because it does not require cell destruction and allows for real-time observation.