We will describe the status of current ground-based solar spectroscopic and imaging instruments used in solar observations. We will describe the advantages and disadvantages of using these two classes of instruments with examples drawn from the Improved Solar Optical Observing Network (ISOON) and Synoptic Long Term Investigations of the Sun (SOLIS) Network. Besides instrumental requirements and lessons learned from existing ground-based instruments, this talk will also focus on the future needs and requirements of ground-based solar optical observations. © 2011 Copyright Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).