Matryoshka Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 My dd would really like a microscope for Christmas. I'd like to get one that has a digital option (something that attaches to the computer is fine), as she has bad eyesight and needs glasses to see anything, so while she can look through an optical scope, I think the digital option would really increase its usefulness for us. It would be nice if it could also be used optically. What magnification should I be looking for? I see one from Celestron for $69, and others seem to run $249-$299 and up(!). Is the $69 one "cheap" do you think? There are very few details in the specs. Any other recommendations for things I should look for/avoid? Any brands that are good/bad? Do you have one you love/hate? If I'm going to buy the darn thing, though, I want it to be able to last through high school biology, and not just be a toy. TIA for any advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 If at all possible, I would recommend going with a standard microscope rather than a digital model (or a camera attachment for a standard microscope). The Celestron model you mention is not suitable for serious work, particularly at the highschool level. If you check out the HST web site for digital microscopes/cameras, you'll find that about the least expensive model that's suitable for even standard high school biology lab work (not AP) sells for close to $400, and a mainstream model suitable for highschool work (including AP) is $650. The problem is that to get any reasonable image quality, you're looking at $200 to $300 or more just for the camera, not including the microscope you mount it on. Is your daughter simply far- or near-sighted, or does she have astigmatism? If the former, she should be able to see a sharp image through a standard microscope simply by adjusting the focus. If she is astigmatic, does she wear contacts or glasses for correction? If the former, she should be able to use a standard microscope successfully. If she wear glasses, you may be able to purchase a replacement eyepiece with long eye relief, which would allow her to use the microscope while wearing glasses. In fact, depending on the particular microscope and eyepiece in question and depending on her glasses, she may be able to use the standard microscope without changing anything. If you do decide to get a digital microscope/camera, make sure it supports "Live View". In other words, that the camera/sensor allows you to view in real time what's under the microscope objective lens. Some cameras/sensors work in off-line mode, where you have to capture an image to the computer before you can see it on the computer display. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted December 1, 2011 Share Posted December 1, 2011 (edited) I own this digital microscope and I'm satisfied with it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014YNGCK/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details I also own this one from Home Science Tools, which seems to be a pretty typical home microscope (on par with Sonlight and Apologia's recommended models): http://www.hometrainingtools.com/home-microscope/p/MI-4100STD/ We look at slides side by side and I personally like the digital microscope because I prefer to look at a screen with both eyes open. :) I suppose this can also be achieved through attachments between a computer and microscope, but I use a Mac so software driver options were sketchy when I researched it. ETA: I guess I should mention what I like about the digital microscope.... it's VERY lightweight and comes in it's own carrying case. It includes an adjustable stage which makes adjusting the slides and focussing very easy. The 100-400x has been good enough to see onion cells, mushroom spores and typical prepared slides. There have been some things that definitely need higher magnification and we've found slides on the internet and used DIVE (which provides video for all labs). Edited December 2, 2011 by amtmcm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheHomeScientist Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 I own this digital microscope and I'm satisfied with it: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014YNGCK/ref=oh_o03_s00_i00_details You apparently lucked out and got a good example. If you look at the reviews, a significant fraction of the people who bought one of these were disappointed by the quality, including at least one person who ended up sending it back twice for replacements and eventually gave up and got his money back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 You apparently lucked out and got a good example. If you look at the reviews, a significant fraction of the people who bought one of these were disappointed by the quality, including at least one person who ended up sending it back twice for replacements and eventually gave up and got his money back. Yes, the first one I received didn't work. The digital screen didn't turn on. The replacement is fine and worked right out of the box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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