You know what they say about limitations being the secret to creativity? There’s a lot of truth in that. About a month back I purchased more out of curiosity than anything else, a Black Friday deal on a wireless cheapo ($40) digital microscope. In any case, it was more fun than I expected, especial…

As I said, it required some post-shooting image therapy. I wish I could convince the manufacturer to put out a version JUST for bug hunters. And most of that would be in the driver/app software. Some edge enhancement and other auto enhancers are ‘burned in’ to the software stream, and I wish that …

Even a cheap plastic 20€ USB microscope can make useful images (but I bought a 50€ stand from Conrad, the original one was crappy). Images 4-7 of https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/194366868 were made using that (and an OTG stick which turns a phone into a computer having USB-A :female_sign:). …

That’s what this one was. A cheap little tube. I removed the clear outer bottom guard and just went in with it. The stand that came with was rubbish anyhow. I think our it more as a deep macro lens because it actually has an impressive DOF for this level of mag – and budget.

There is a theorem in geometrical optics that DOF depends only on aperture and magnification. So the great DOF just comes from the fact that the built-in camera is cheap ;-)

I built a microscope from an inverted canon 55-18mm lens (SIC) and a disembodied webcam. It does pretty well, other than having dust inside.

I have one of those cheap USB microscopes, but unfortunately, my microscope software (MyPackage) doesn’t acknowledge its existence. I used to run it off ViewPlayCap, but the antiviral software on my newer laptop considers that too sketchy and refuses to let me download it. So, I had to get a more u…

Also, of course, they should just drop their claim of 4K imaging. If it’s 1080x1920 at the source (HD), for this money, that’s still pretty great. But I guess they are fooling enough people (by simply doubling pixel resolution in the software) to not make them want to keep doing that. Arrgh. Even…

People like to hear what they like to hear. And of course, that means they don’t want to hear what they don’t want to hear. I mean here are two large pizzas. The same size box. This one is cut into 8 pieces, this one is cut into 10. Both the same price! Guess which one is considered a better deal?

[image] broacher: I mean here are two large pizzas. The same size box. This one is cut into 8 pieces, this one is cut into 10. Both the same price! Guess which one is considered a better deal? That sounds like people who speak of “drought” because the reservior is lower than it was when the c…

New Year's resolution: low. Toying around with a digital microscope

Nature Talk

wildmaven January 5, 2024, 7:11pm 2

This microscope is handheld? These are amazing if so! Wow!

Topic		Replies	Views
Cheap-shots and McGyver-Macros: photo desperations and fun with low-end macro toys Nature Talk	1	155	November 1, 2025
Beginner Camera for Insect Photos Nature Talk photography	29	6168	September 26, 2024
iPhone Macro Lens needed Tutorials gear	26	1787	December 4, 2025
Reasonable macro camera upgrades from IPhone 14 Pro? Nature Talk question , photography , macro	14	4505	November 29, 2023
What's a good affordable camera for insect observations? Nature Talk question , photography	9	19993	August 19, 2023

New Year's resolution: low. Toying around with a digital microscope

Related topics