Customer Reviews

Digital Blue: QX3 Microscope

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The software for Windows is rather careless. It is hard wired for rather low screen resolution, (it's either VGA or XGA), and sets the resolution "for you" like so much kid's software. Unfortunately, unlike every other software I've had that does it, it doesn't restore the video settings when you exit. I found a freeware program that restores the settings, and I now run it from inside a .BAT file, but this is careless. Intel needed to write better software than this to make a profit in the consumer products business. They didn't, and they had to bow out.

The image sensor is also really noisy. I don't know if it's CCD or something cheaper. I suppose this was necessary to build it to a low price point. But it is annoying.

But, it is better then the optical microscope I had as a kid 30 years ago. But that one came with better prepared slides. The USB powering is very nice. The driver provided is TWAIN, so you could acquire images from image editing software if you choose.

Requiring a USB connection and a computer to attach it to, this is very much like a webcam, except that it can do 10X, 40X and 200X. It has incident and base illumination; focus is touchy at 200X but look at the price. This video microscope is a favorite at our microscopy center open houses. When compared with the cardboard tube 'scopes they sell at toy stores, this is a gem. This allows realtime viewing, as well as image and video capture. These can be viewed on the computer, emailed etc. and comes with software. (...).

As a PhD that daily works with cutting edge microscopes and imaging systems I recommend this "toy" for anyone. This digital microscope is probably the best value for ANY microscopist, child or adult. This scope does more than others 10X its price that are marketed towards the scientific community. Some might consider the software childish but behind the cute noises and buttons this is an excellent little tool. All controls are very intuitive, and my two children (ages 5 & 7) were able to use it with little or no help. Anyone intrested in this microscope should check out the following website devoted to the QX3.

I just returned it. The image was so poor that above minimum magnification I couldn't even tell what I was looking at.
It would have been a fantastic item if they had just used a better CCD. The plastic moving parts were very imprecise also.
I gave it two stars just because the idea is excellent.
I would gladly pay 20 dollars more for a decent image sensor.
Oh well.

This is an unbeliveable value for anyone looking to buy a child something more than a video game. My two children (7 & 9) have been having a ball with the microscope and exploring things and examining them up to 200X magnification! The software is fun for kids and adults. My daughter and son have taken digital pictures, and movies of items they collected with it. The software install and microscope set up is a breeze. The software is easy and fun to use. I would advise common sense when allowing young children to use the microscope. The microscope does require some limited supervision from an adult, simply to assist them if they have any trouble, or to guide the activity. Besides, Would you really want to leave a 7 & 9 year old unattended with their insects and other discoveries by your computer?

Bottom line this is a wonderful product and it is being sold at a bargain price. You can spend your money on another mindless game for a child, or try something different and and assist them in exploring the micro world around them. Both my kids and I have enjoyed it and are looking forward to doing more things with it this summer as they explore our creek and woods.

This microscope can create digital images and movies that can be imported into Powerpoints, Word documents and other productivity software. It supports inquiry and inspires questions to lead to further exploration. It is also just plain fun!

People giving this item a bad review have apparently never seen the quality of microscope (or telescope, for that matter) that you can usually get for [this price]; they're usually so bad as to be nearly completely worthless.
On the other hand, we have had one of these for over a year, and we have had quite a bit of fun with it. It's NORMAL to have a hard time telling what you're looking at at 200x; things look very different there. And the depth of field at that kind of magnification is close to zero; you have to focus very carefully. This is not a problem specific to this unit, it's a problem with high magnification in general.

It is breakable, so you should't give it to a kid who's not capable of being careful with it.

In short, I think this is an excellent toy, fun for the kids and educational.

I kid you not, I overheard two Ph.D's talking. One was discribing this fantastic new microscope he'd just purchased for field work. 200x, timelapse, movie, illuminate from above or below...the other doc just HAD to get one, who makes it? Why intel, it's a TOY and sells for under a hundred bucks.
I went back to my computer and ordered one that day...and my only regret is that I didn't order one for every kid I know. My five year old is absolutely fascinated by this subject! did you know bees wings have hair on them? She didn't(well, I didn't either!), but now we have photos! want to see what's swimming in that stagnant water? We have movies! This is the best educational toy I've ever seen!
Software works perfectly on my xp machine, unit is plug-and-play. the only problem is that the scope didn't fit snugly in the base, so I shimmed it with a strip of cardboard. You can morph, paint and email your collection to grandma! Software is incredibly robust...not simply a viewer, and easy for youngsters to use!
It's been discontinued by Intel so they're getting tougher to find, and that's too bad! get one while you can!

*update* !Digital blue has brought these back for christmass 2002!

My 6th grade students love this microscope. They have imported both still pictures and movies of mosquito larvae from pond water into Power Point Presetations. They also imported a movie of a live mosquito they captured. They were able to get decent, not great, pictures of bread mold, decaying materials, and other micro-organism related things. I have four of these in my classroom and will soon be ordering more. No, they're not the greatest microscopes in the world, and sure they have their little glitches ( it seems to me that most of these kinds of products do), but for the price and what I want to use them for, they are great.

If you're looking for an inexpensive alternative to an electronic miscroscope- this is it. In numismatics, a microscope is a must. This little baby is a gem. Not only does it display results instantly on your screen in real time, it allows you to take snapshots, as many as you want, save them, then export them to any folder you want on your hard drive. It is highly versatile. Anyone who is seriously considering spending hundreds of dollars on a computer/digital microscope should try this first- if you like it you've saved a lot of money, if not you haven't lost much and you have something the kids can "play with"

This is a CMOS system, not CCD. Do a Google search for a fsu website referencing QX3+. The site enumerates many mods and accessories for improving images, as well as discussing microscopy techniques. I use it for pro ID imaging.