# USB-Microscope **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 14, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271 "2013-02-14T10:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Simple\_Mind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7cd45c/32.png) [@Simple\_Mind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Mind)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/1 "2013-02-14T10:48:09Z")
Hi, I am interested in one of this new USB-Microscopes that are reasonably priced, I seen one advertised for 150$, the specs. as follows: 10-400mm?, 9 Megapixel, JEPG, AVI, 15 fps. 800x600 10…40x, 200x, the brand is "AsiaTEC Marketing LTD. Can anybody tell me anything about it? Thanks ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/2 "2013-02-14T12:47:55Z")
It’s a fairly low resolution webcam with (probably cheap) microscope/macro lenses on the front. Probably OK for schoolkids to look at mini-beasts, but I suspect you’ll be disappointed if you want an actual microscope. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/3 "2013-02-14T13:17:39Z")
That’s pretty expensive for what seems like a cheap webcam with a cheap macro lens. You can probably find something equivalent for much cheaper. This [$40 USB microscope](http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Deluxe-Handheld-Digital-Microscope/dp/B004QF0A1Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360847097&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+microscope) is probably just as good. If you’re willing to spend $150ish, you can get decent quality student microscopes with much better optics that include a digital camera. Here are a [couple](http://www.amazon.com/AmScope-20x-40x-80x-Digital-Binocular-Microscope/dp/B005B288TW/ref=sr_1_31?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1360846978&sr=1-31) [examples](http://www.amazon.com/AmScope-40X-1000X-Full-Glass-Biological-Microscope/dp/B006FCI0G8/ref=sr_1_10?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1360846891&sr=1-10). And of course, with good optics there is no limit on price… ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/4 "2013-02-14T13:20:09Z")
$150 is too much. I got mine for about $60, and I see it on amazon for less: > **[Amazon.com: Digital USB Microscope Video Camera : Toys & Games](https://www.amazon.com/Digital-USB-Microscope-Video-Camera/dp/B0011E0IYW)** > > This new Digital USB Microscope turns your computer into a great tool for microscopic exploration! Connects directly to your computer with a simple USB connection. Software for connection drivers and viewer is included. 1.3 Mega pixel digital camera... It’s ok but nothing spectacular. As the previous post noted, ‘microscope’ is probably not the best word for it. It’s more like a USB magnifying device. I use it for working on circuit boards where my eyes fail me. The included driver did not play well with Windows 7/64, so I had to find a generic camera viewer for it, which works ok but the motion is very choppy when moving the scope around. Once I finally get it focused and still, the image is sharp and clear. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/5 "2013-02-14T13:34:49Z")
Odd that they say 9 Megapixel in one part of the copy and 800x600 (VGA level graphics) in the other. ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/6 "2013-02-14T13:57:28Z")
I got one for about 30-40 euros on ebay. I use it to read the tiny (and usually faded) print on some electronic components and I am fairly happy with it. But it comes nowhere near the power of a real microscope. And another problem is that as you change the magnification level it goes out of focus and you have to move the camera relative to the specimen. That wouldn’t be much of a problem if it came with a good adjustable stand, but as it is the stand is flimsy and difficult to adjust. If I have some spare time tomorrow, I will post some sample pictures to get a rough idea. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/7 "2013-02-14T17:25:14Z")
> [@Mr.Miskatonic](#): > > Odd that they say 9 Megapixel in one part of the copy and 800x600 (VGA level graphics) in the other. There’s a great deal of that kind of bullshit in the webcam market, unfortunately. In some cases, it means the thing comes with some software that (uselessly) interpolates the low-res sensor image up to 5, 8, 20 megapixels. Other times, it’s just an outright lie. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/8 "2013-02-14T20:46:24Z")
I have this [Veho](http://www.amazon.com/Veho-VMS-004-Discovery-Microscope-Magnification/dp/B0025U0L8Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1360873886&sr=1-1&keywords=veho+usb+microscope) one which is probably very similar to the one you are looking at. It is enormous fun but the specs are somewhat creative with the facts. 400x is what you might get on the highest magnification when displayed full-screen on a good sized monitor. It does not equate to what you would see through a regular 400x microscope. The quoted resolution is interpolated, the actual resolution is much more modest, 800x600 I think. It is very easy to use but the instruction leaflet makes a very poor job of explaining it. I know many people expect it to zoom from 20x to 400x when in fact it just has two magnification settings. As suggested above it is just a web cam with really close focussing optics. The results actually can be pretty good if you can accept the 800x600 limit, but don’t pay $150 for one. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2013, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/9 "2013-02-14T22:37:00Z")
If you have access to a normal optical microscope (or can find one for sale affordably), you can also consider a digital eyepiece like [this one](http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-Digital-Microscope-Imager-44421/dp/B003DVP7CE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360881319&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+digital+imager). It slides in where the eyepiece would normally go and connects to a computer via USB. I used that one for Botany lab and it worked very, very well. We had great microscopes with 1000x objective lenses, but it was hard to keep squinting through the eyepiece. That blew everything up beautifully on my laptop. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/10 "2013-02-15T05:25:01Z")
> [@ticker](#): > > I have this [Veho](http://www.amazon.com/Veho-VMS-004-Discovery-Microscope-Magnification/dp/B0025U0L8Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1360873886&sr=1-1&keywords=veho+usb+microscope) one which is probably very similar to the one you are looking at. That looks like the one I have, except there are no markings of any kind on mine. Being that I’m in Thailand, it’s probably a Chinese copy. As I said, it works well enough for what I need, but I would have been sorely disappointed had I paid $150 for it. [picture of the device](http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1473/5747827/15966180/405662884.jpg) [screenshot](http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL1473/5747827/15966180/405662865.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/11 "2013-05-09T09:21:25Z")
Hi, I’m thinking of getting a USB microscope as well, but only if it can see finer details than the macro mode on my camera. Here are some pictures I’ve taken: [https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kY8lkXSQCeA/UYtpAUzEOhI/AAAAAAABQkM/VpFlWxAU2DM/s0/CIMG3378.JPG](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-kY8lkXSQCeA/UYtpAUzEOhI/AAAAAAABQkM/VpFlWxAU2DM/s0/CIMG3378.JPG) (the diameter of each cylinder is 2 mm) [https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nFkwLqkQkx4/T6FAYe0uFnI/AAAAAAAA7WA/Oeh3d-RgIYA/s0/CIMG0133.JPG](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-nFkwLqkQkx4/T6FAYe0uFnI/AAAAAAAA7WA/Oeh3d-RgIYA/s0/CIMG0133.JPG) iPhone 4 screen Do you think these USB microscopes have higher resolution? ---
**Author:** ![Dog80](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6bbea6/32.png) [@Dog80](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dog80)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2013, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/12 "2013-05-09T20:04:11Z")
Here’s a sample from my chinese microscope I bought from ebay: [![](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) ](http://tinypic.com/images/goodbye.jpg) This is a closeup from my computer monitor. It is the corner of the “Z” from the [FileZilla](https://filezilla-project.org/) desktop icon. You can actually see the red, green and blue from the individual pixels of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![thicksantorum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@thicksantorum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thicksantorum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/13 "2013-05-10T00:31:17Z")
You can get a decent Chinese-brand bio scope (40/100/400/1000x, binocular, mechanical stage, halogen) for ~$200 online, point your camera/phone down the tube, and get way better results… ---
**Author:** ![thicksantorum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@thicksantorum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thicksantorum)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/14 "2013-05-10T00:42:49Z")
aforementioned pointing of camera down tube: [http://i41.tinypic.com/23abm.jpg](http://i41.tinypic.com/23abm.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/15 "2013-05-10T03:31:04Z")
My father gave my son one. The worst aspect of it is the focus adjustment: at the sort of magnification it is capable of, you need a very smooth, very finely adjustable mechanism. The mechanism on this toy is too coarse, and won’t stay set. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/16 "2013-05-10T04:22:31Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > My father gave my son one. The worst aspect of it is the focus adjustment: at the sort of magnification it is capable of, you need a very smooth, very finely adjustable mechanism. The mechanism on this toy is too coarse, and won’t stay set. you may never get it to work well. you might get it to work better with practice. find which direction, up or down, that it tends not to move further and practice focusing from that direction. after coarsely moving it into focus then practice letting loose on the grip to just enough to get it to move for the last fine adjustment. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/17 "2013-05-10T12:45:23Z")
Yes, done all that. And you can get it to work, but it is frustrating and finickity, and if you breathe on it, everything changes. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2013, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-microscope/650271/18 "2013-05-10T15:28:12Z")
> [@Dog80](#): > > Here’s a sample from my chinese microscope I bought from ebay: > > [http://i40.tinypic.com/2n84go1.jpg](http://i40.tinypic.com/2n84go1.jpg) > > This is a closeup from my computer monitor. It is the corner of the “Z” from the [FileZilla](https://filezilla-project.org/) desktop icon. You can actually see the red, green and blue from the individual pixels of the screen. Thanks, it looks slightly clearer than my camera’s picture, even if you take into account monitors have about half the pixel density. I’m looking at the pictures taken by [Amazon.com: Aven 26700-300 ZipScope USB Digital Microscope with 2 Mega-Pixel 10x-50x Optical, 200x Digital Magnification : Electronics](http://www.amazon.com/Aven-26700-300-Microscope-Mega-Pixel-Magnification/dp/B004M8SQ6Q/ref=sr_1_19?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1368199520&sr=1-19) now, and they look quite good.