Celestron 44300 HandHeld Digital Microscope

by Celestron

Product Details

• Item Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000Q74GUW
• Item model number: 44300
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,627 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
  • #58 in Camera & Photo > Binoculars, Telescopes & Optics > Microscopes > USB Microscopes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 1, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Description

The Celestron 44300 Handheld Digital Microscope is a large breakthrough in microscope design. It has a digital camera and LED illuminator built into a small, compact package that weighs just three ounces. You view and capture images (snapshots or video) at 20x power or 400x power on a PC or laptop computer with the attached USB cable. This microscope can be used in virtually every area that a traditional microscope is used. It also features a knurled ring for focusing, white LED illumination, and CD-ROM driver. Operating system requirements are Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP, and Vista.

Product Description

Capture images of what you see in the lens of this breakthrough microscope – ideal for students and teachers!Handheld digital microscope up to 400x magnificationDigital camera and LED illumination built inView and capture images (snapshots or video) on a PC or laptop computerIntegrate images into reports or projectsPowers available - 20x and 400xWhite LED illuminationWeight is just 3 oz. (85g)USB 2.0 cable includedKnurled ring for focusingCompact size - 5" x 1.375" (127mm x 35mm)CD-ROM driverOperating system requirements: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP/VistaThis breakthrough design lets you see the microscopic world and share your discoveries by snapping images and videos on your PC or laptop.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent microscope for the price, November 17, 2007

By 

W. Peterson "Fantasy Fan" (A better world) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Celestron 44300 HandHeld Digital Microscope (Electronics)

Received and tested. Found Celestron handheld microscope all that it claimed to be. With either 20x or 400x, together with computer software magnifications I was able to effectively range in magnification from 20x to 400x...Clear images were easily obtainable and the four LED lamps together with self adjusting software provided excellent lighting. computer installation of included software is relatively fast and easy.

28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Poor Quality Control, Not Recommended, April 30, 2008

By 

Random Viewer (Northern Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestron 44300 HandHeld Digital Microscope (Electronics)

The major problems I had with this item are:

1. The lens had edge-to-edge streaks on the surface.
2. The image had constant blobs that did not move, as if the CCD was dirty.
3. The focus cylinder would stick and jump making focusing impossible. A drop of grease could have fixed this.
4. The software issued a Windows Certificate warning and has no options to set the install directory. It is a one-shot installation.

The microscope is too expensive for such poor quality.

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Doesn't work with Vista 64 bit, June 5, 2008

By 

Steve "need to see small things" (Edwards CO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Celestron 44300 HandHeld Digital Microscope (Electronics)

The driver won't work with windows Vista 64 bit system. I found this out after talking to multiple support people and submitting requests on the internet. I never recieved any response, I always had to spend 20 minutes on hold to talk to someone.

Camera feels cheap and I imagine it would be difficult to push "click" button without shaking the camera.
Since I was never able to use it, I can't say if the quality is good or bad.
I have used Dino-lite scopes before and I was impressed with them, that is what I am going to buy right now.

I was impressed with Amazon's return procedure, if you buy one it will be easy to return.