USB Microscope, anyone?

[Matt3o]

I need to take some pictures of (mostly) acrylic pigments, I don't need anything super professional but all I find on amazon are basically toys. They say 500x but they are actually 30-50x tops with digital zoom which is not enough for what I need. Also camera resolution is always pretty low in the 1-4 MP range.

Does anyone have some suggestions on a decent USB microscope that doesn't break the bank?

Thanks

[suicidal_orange]

Some important questions which would help us to search.

What level of optical zoom do you need?
What resolution are you hoping for?
What is your budget?

I found this one which seems to be slightly better all round than you've found, unless you're hoping to view the image directly on your computer which it doesn't do.  And it's not exactly cheap...

[Matt3o]

I was hoping a real optical zoom of 150-200x, image resolution 5 MP would be the bare minimum, the budget whatever it takes. Direct-to-PC would be really nice.

[TalkingTree]

I was hoping a real optical zoom of 150-200x, image resolution 5 MP would be the bare minimum, the budget whatever it takes. Direct-to-PC would be really nice.

If you really need that large zoom, your only chance is to buy a medical microscope. I don't know what's your experience with microscopes, nor what would you use it for, but anyway you might want to consider this one.

[Michael]

Is this sort of what you need?


http://www.amazon.com/Crenova%C2%AE-Microscope-Magnifier-Adjustable-UM039/dp/B012G28SMG/

[Matt3o]

Is this sort of what you need?


http://www.amazon.com/Crenova%C2%AE-Microscope-Magnifier-Adjustable-UM039/dp/B012G28SMG/

that's good on paper, but it's not actually x300

[Michael]

Is this sort of what you need?


http://www.amazon.com/Crenova%C2%AE-Microscope-Magnifier-Adjustable-UM039/dp/B012G28SMG/

that's good on paper, but it's not actually x300

So how do you determine what is actually what it says without testing it?


Here's another
http://www.amazon.com/Crenova%C2%AE-UM012C-Digital-Microscope-Magnifier/dp/B012G28SLC/

[Matt3o]

Is this sort of what you need?


http://www.amazon.com/Crenova%C2%AE-Microscope-Magnifier-Adjustable-UM039/dp/B012G28SMG/

that's good on paper, but it's not actually x300

So how do you determine what is actually what it says without testing it?

google

[robscomputer]

I have the Plugable USB microscope and while it's fun to look at coins, it's not something I would call a "microscope". It's more like the macro setting on a camera. Also the stand is very wobbly and you have to manually focus the camera, so it's some skill to capture the details just right. The plus side is the camera has built in LED's to give good lighting on the subject.

[Matt3o]

thanks, indeed that's what I thought. It seems I can't find a mid-range microscope, you go from toy to pro with nothing in between.