I have done a bit of research into this topic for the same reason - from what I have read, there are many cheap/mass-produced options that are functional but not of a high build quality. I’ve seen these for $250-400 online. The way to go for a well-built, reliable scope seems to be to get a second-hand one from an older, more reputable brand if you can find a good/trustworthy seller. Brands like Leica, Meiji, Zeiss, Nikon, Olympus, etc. I have seen some promising ones for $400-700. These are obviously not cheap, and for basic use, something from AmScope like this brightfield binocular scope w/ camera might be a good tool for the job: https://amscope.com/collections/compound-microscopes-brightfield/products/b120c-e5