Can anyone recommend a digital microscope?

[MrBones]

Hello,

I am looking to buy a portable, digital microscope, that can be used for small to medium specimens. I can't afford anything too fancy, but I really want something that is at least decent. Does anyone have any recommendations?

[Kane]

There are a number of options for USB scopes. I've used Carson brand in the past, which has a flexible shaft neck. It is good for getting some detail, but will not be as great a quality as spending much more on a standalone microscope. One of the distinct challenges in going the more affordable route will be FOV (field of vision) /. depth of field (DOF). In other words, objects under higher magnification will also magnify the distance between background and foreground, resulting in blurring. Getting around that usually requires using what is known as stacking software, which takes numerous photos at different depths and composites an image that removes the blur.

 

Models like these usually run between $25-$100 USD and can be found plenty places online. They can be plugged into your laptop, desktop (and sometimes tablet), and usually will come with some kind of software (or it can be downloaded) to permit taking pictures and viewing.

 

[MrBones]

6 minutes ago, Kane said:

There are a number of options for USB scopes. I've used Carson brand in the past, which has a flexible shaft neck. It is good for getting some detail, but will not be as great a quality as spending much more on a standalone microscope. 

 

Models like these usually run between $25-$100 USD and can be found plenty places online. They can be plugged into your laptop, desktop (and sometimes tablet), and usually will come with some kind of software (or it can be downloaded) to permit taking pictures and viewing.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! The one in the picture you posted looks perfect, I will have to have a look at some USB scopes.

Just one question, do they usually come with built in lights?

[Kane]

1 minute ago, MrBones said:

Just one question, do they usually come with built in lights?

Absolutely! -- Or at least all the models I've seen. They come equipped with a small ring of LED lights. The one I have has fairly good lumens (the more lumens, the better to see under magnification as things get darker the smaller you go!). 

[connorp]

9 hours ago, MrBones said:

Thanks for the suggestion! The one in the picture you posted looks perfect, I will have to have a look at some USB scopes.

Just one question, do they usually come with built in lights?

I have the one in the picture. It's not bad for taking microfossil photos. Certainly not a good choice if you're looking to use it for prepping though. The DOF is not good and it requires frequent adjusting. That said, it was pretty cheap. Also, the software is compatible with my MacBook. I've purchased (and then returned) a few others that claimed to work with Macs but didn't.

 

I don't think there is really a middle ground for digital microscopes. You can either get a cheaper one (<$50), or spend much more on a much nicer one like a Dino-Lite. The ones priced in the middle ($50-150 or so) really don't seem to provide that much benefit over the cheaper ones. That's my experience anyways

[MrBones]

4 hours ago, connorp said:

I have the one in the picture. It's not bad for taking microfossil photos. Certainly not a good choice if you're looking to use it for prepping though. The DOF is not good and it requires frequent adjusting. That said, it was pretty cheap. Also, the software is compatible with my MacBook. I've purchased (and then returned) a few others that claimed to work with Macs but didn't.

 

I don't think there is really a middle ground for digital microscopes. You can either get a cheaper one (<$50), or spend much more on a much nicer one like a Dino-Lite. The ones priced in the middle ($50-150 or so) really don't seem to provide that much benefit over the cheaper ones. That's my experience anyways

Thanks, I really only want to use it to get pictures of details that can't be made out on a regular photo. I have a regular microscope, but I can't fit any of my specimens in it.

[Phevo]

I have used a digital microscrope from Dino-lite for taking pictures of sand grains and it worked great, if you want to picture something with more volume you will need to do some image stacking though