# Seeking recommendation: USB microscope
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 25, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873 "2009-11-25T04:05:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 8
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/1 "2009-11-25T04:05:02Z")
I’m looking for an inexpensive but not crappy USB microscope as a gift for my nephew (age 7). (For those unfamiliar, this is basically a USB-connected video camera arranged with lenses that lets it act as a microscope.)
Googling presents an array of such devices. The cheap ones are really cheap ($50) but I’m somewhat skeptical that these will produce acceptable results. OTOH, I don’t want to spend hundreds.
Anyone have any useful experience here?
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### Author:  [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2009, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/2 "2009-11-26T16:42:12Z")
The blue ones that used to be “Intel” but are now under a different name work fine and are great for curious kids. I’m not sure what you’re thinking “acceptable results” are from a $ 50 microscope.
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### Author:  [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2009, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/3 "2009-11-26T22:20:56Z")
Ask [in this coin-related forum.](http://www.cointalk.com/f30/) People use these extensively to photograph coins, and there will be many recommendations.
Some specific threads:
[http://www.cointalk.com/t62619/](http://www.cointalk.com/t62619/)
[http://www.cointalk.com/t76152/](http://www.cointalk.com/t76152/)
[http://www.cointalk.com/t58725/](http://www.cointalk.com/t58725/)
[http://www.cointalk.com/t57938/](http://www.cointalk.com/t57938/)
[http://www.cointalk.com/t48512/](http://www.cointalk.com/t48512/)
Joe
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### Author:  [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/4 "2009-11-26T23:18:31Z")
It can be very frustrating to get a cheap 'scope that will not perform well, especiall a digital one. You would have to pay somewhere around $200-300 to get a decent one. The cheapies have only a 0.3 megapixel camera which gives poor pictures, and such a scope probably will not have a mechancal stage or decent optics.
Anywhere, here is a [site](http://www.hometrainingtools.com/microscopes-accessories/c/10/) where there are variety of microscopes for students.
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### Author:  [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2009, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/5 "2009-11-27T00:18:37Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#):
>
> The cheapies have only a 0.3 megapixel camera which gives poor pictures…
But it’s displaying on the computer screen, isn’t it? VGA is only 0.3 megapixels, and that’s if you use the entire screen.
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### Author:  [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2009, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/6 "2009-11-27T17:04:54Z")
I use [these](http://www.bodelin.com/proscopehr/support/) in my museum exhibits. Not real cheap, but very durable.
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### Author:  [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2009, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/7 "2009-11-27T19:59:51Z")
I got a pretty cool old-fashioned mechanical microscope when I was seven or eight. I think it went up to 15 or 20x? It was super cool and couldn’t have been more than $75 or $90 in today’s dollars. Have you looked into those at all? Maybe you could get a used one.
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### Author:  [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)
#### Post date: [November 27, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seeking-recommendation-usb-microscope/518873/8 "2009-11-27T20:35:01Z")
> [@astro](#):
>
> The blue ones that used to be “Intel” but are now under a different name work fine and are great for curious kids. I’m not sure what you’re thinking “acceptable results” are from a $ 50 microscope.
Like [this one](http://store.digiblue.com/QX5_Computer_Microscope_for_PC_p/db12011.htm), **astro**?