USB Digital Computer Microscope

by DekCell

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001GLR212
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

[Features:] ** Image Max. Resolution: 1.3 Mega Pixel. ** Imaging sensor: Dual Axis 27X & 100X Microscope Lens. ** Magnification Ratio: 10X to 200X. ** Focus range: Manual Focus from 10mm to Inf. ** Color: 24 RGB. ** [Still Image] Formats: JPEG, Resolution: 1280x1024, 640x480, 320x240, 160x120. ** [Movie Clips] Formats: AVI, Resolution: 1280x1024, 640x480, 320x240, 160x120. ** FPS: 30fps under 600 LUS Brightness. ** Light Soucse: 4 LED White Lights. ** White balance: Auto. ** EV compensation: Auto. ** Flicker Freq: 50Hz/60Hz. ** PC interface: USB 2.0. ** Shutter: 1 sec to 1/1000 sec. ** Power supply: 5V DC from USB Port. ** Dimension: 100mm(L) x 33mm(R) //System Requirements: Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, XP. ** Accessories: 1 x Software CD, 1 x Adjustable Stand, 1 x Lens Cap

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Electronics Inspection and documentation A+, December 20, 2008

By 

Tess.1 (Mass, in United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: USB Digital Computer Microscope (Electronics)

We purchased the Scope for use in documenting imperfections in electronic hardware, but are using it to create work instructions, and other production documentation. The photos are 1.3 MPix which provides the needed resolution for our purpose. The scope also works as a close-up camera for email photo's. There are better out there, but for the price we can have a scope at each inspection station. The USB connection make connection to the computers simple and easy. No problems and we have had the scopes in place for almost a year.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Have reasonable expectations -, December 11, 2008

By 

Potamos - See all my reviews

This review is from: USB Digital Computer Microscope (Electronics)

Received this several days ago and so far am reasonably happy with it. What was recieved was a Digimicro brand digital USB microscope. When considering this bear in mind that this is a low-cost item and so don't expect miracles with it, but depending on what you plan to do with it and as long as you understand its limitations this is a good product. Focusing the scope uses a combination of a manual wheel and adjusting the distance to the object.

My reason for purchasing this product is to help with identification of insect specimens (not in the field - I'll collect them and then ID them indoors, so this doesn't have to be outdoor-rugged). I figured this scope was inexpensive enough that if something happens to it I wouldn't be out a lot of money and if it works for what I want it for I'll get a useful tool to help me get a close look at small features that are key in telling the difference between families of insects and photograph them. As it's winter now I won't be able to use it in that way for a few months, but I've used it so far to look at various things around the house - coins, paper, cloth, hair, and so on.

Some Pros:

software is included that allows you to tweak the images (hue, contrast, etc) for a bit better picture, but you can also just plug and play without using the software - as soon as you get it, plug it into your USB port and you're good to go, you just won't be able to tweak the images.

The photos are decent, in my opinion - with the software and some experimentation with light levels you can get a good picture. The scope itself has LED lights with two light levels, but sometimes you can get a decent look without using the lights, depending on what you're looking at. The key in my opinion is to experiment and not get frustrated if you don't get a good image the first try!

No batteries - it is powered through your USB port, so you don't need to worry about having batteries on hand or changing them.

Cons:

At least so far I can't seem to use it to capture video. Since I'm not particularly interested in taking video images, this isn't much of a negative for me personally and it may be that I just haven't figured out how to do it correctly yet, but if that's the case then it's not intuitive.

Light colored items and reflective items tend to wash out when using the LED lights, but with some experimentation with the accompanying software, turning off the lights or using an alternative light source can help reduce those issues. Again, I think the key with this thing is going to be to try different settings, light levels, etc.

The photo button and focus wheel both are stiff and can make it tricky to keep steady while taking a photo while using it free-hand. Alternatively on taking a photo you can use the mouse and click the option to take a photo on your computer screen, but that requires holding the scope steady with one hand, while mousing and clicking with the other - a bit like rubbing your stomach and patting your head but doable. A suggestion is to have the arrow already in the right place so that all you need to do is hit the mouse button. It takes a moment for the image to capture, so you do not want to move for a couple of seconds after hitting the (either mouse or camera) button.

On the whole, I think it'll do the job I want it for, but there are a few negatives to put up with. As I said before, keep in mind that this is an inexpensive model, and keep your expectations modest with that in mind.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Digimicro USB Microscope, January 11, 2009

By 

Ravi R - See all my reviews

This review is from: USB Digital Computer Microscope (Electronics)

Got this USB microscope. Though I am satisfied with the magnification, I am disappointed due to the following issues:
a) focus wheel is very tight - disturbs the position of the microscope everytime when you try to focus
b) image capture button on the microscope is very rigid. Pressing the "capture" button moves the microscope. You can not get a clean image at the highest magnification.
c) watch out for a 2-3 seconds delay between "pressing the capture button" and actual image appearance on the screen.
d) PC software could have been better - like "snap shot" etc.