Just Got My USB Microscope Camera !

Congrats ksmcents, you won't regret it. It's worth every penny if you need to check lots of coins, this is the ONLY way to go. I've had it for about a week and I've already lost count of how many coins I've photographed. A real time saver.

Hey thanks for the kind words hawkeye, it was the least I could do to help a brother out. Glad I could save you from smashing it to pieces Let us know if the drivers I emailed you work on your machine. By the way the laptop webcam issue can be a bit tricky. I had an issue on my Vista laptop that I still haven't gotten around to figuring out.. Apparently the issue or conflict is related to the Webcam software trying to handle the USB microscope. When actually the USB microscope has its own image capture software that allows you to snap photos with a click of the mouse. So if you can figure out how to make the USB image capture software the default for the USB scope then you should be okay.. The software also has an editing feature that allows you to work with the photos; make lines, shapes, measuremens and notes into your image. That software was included in the email I sent.

The lighting takes lots of experimentation but you will be rewarded with great shots once you get it down to a science. You can create a wide range of effects by placing the light(s) at different angles and distances from the coins or different methods of diffusing the lights. Your going to find that some methods work alot better on certain coins than they do on others. I know absolutely zero about the the science of lighting and photography, so I just experiment until I find what works.. OH yeah and the members of this forum have lots of great tips and help on lighting, I believe SuperDave was one of the people that helped me out with getting set up early on in this thread.. Also read through the photography forum, theres tons written on different lighting techniques that work just as good on this scope as they do with other camera setups.

BTW; VERY IMPORTANT to make sure the scope is at an exact 90* degree angle to the coin. It must be absolutely square to get proper focus and to keep the coin round looking and not ob-longed. the slightest tilt will throw things out of whack.

Definitely get that stand setup ASAP! It won't add any new layers of complexity, in fact it will eliminate at least one frustrating and time consuming part of using a USB scope. It could not be simpler to use, and will save you countless hours of time and frustration.. I think you've already got the idea of how to use it. Just as you described it. Once you get the coin in the frame you focus the scope and shoot, and go to the next coin.. It's that easy. Plus you can also use the stand adjustment to fine tune your focus as well.

One thing I would like to add before I forget, is that even though myself and others here have sung praises about the capabilities of USB microscope cameras, It is important for anyone reading this to remember that USB Microscopes were only intended to be used to examine tiny objects and details. I don't think they were really designed for or capable of producing those high quality images of coins we see that make us all drool. You can only get those results by using high end equipment and setups. But what this device offers is a heck of allot of bang for the buck, and once your good at using one you will be able to capture some very decent images.

daniels; I haven't removed the clear end piece from mine just because I feel it adds additional protection to the lens, (scratches, dust, etc).. I also like to use it for checking varieties; I love looking for those Canada varieties. The only complaint I have about that clear plastic end piece when it comes to taking super close ups, and probably the reason why you removed it, is that when you get the scope right on top of the coin the clear plastic cone creates these funky reflections from the lights that just throw the shot off. I think that's due in part to using the built in LED lights, and how they reflect off the coin and around the inside of the cone and back into the lens. So I hardly ever use the built in lights for close ups, and only use them when taking pics from a good distance. I think there was a general consensus among us about those built in lights being way too strong and even casting a bluish tone into the image.. So I mostly just do not use them, and just use external lighting 99% of the time.

BTW; Once you get the stand you will be able to set it up ONCE, and scan as many coins as you need to without ever worrying about the scope moving on you, or having to re-focus it each time you touch it.

Harry,
Still a work in progress. The drivers worked quite well. There is much more functionality in what you sent versus what came with the scope.

Focusing is still an issue. Regardless of how I light the coin, there are areas that seem to be "bubbled up" for lack of a better term. I thighly suspect that the stand (ordered from Lighthouse over a week and a hal ago. Called and they said they are "really backed up", so I need to wait for another week. What a crock!)will help is as much as the cheesy stand that comes with the unit causes the scope to be aligned at something other than 9 degrees lest it fall over.

If this Celestron were available right now http://www.adorama.com/CNMSHMP.html I'd cut my losses and cancel the stand and buy this one. However, it's still not available.

Anyway, enough whinning for now. I'll kee you posted.

Looks good for a digital camera. You may have saved me a lot of $. Did you use a photography box it may help on lighting. Search on how to make your own for photo's.

Ready for this sit down when you read what we paid. Here it goes a whopping $27.00 us dollars....
Go to the first page and you will find the link there in the first post from harry

Nice camera. I love those pics you took with it.

Got my USB microscope today and spent a few hours getting it to work. Seems the CD that came with the scope was missing some files and the scope itself is a no-name Chinese mass produced version. I tried a number of software sets that failed to work with it before I finally tried MicroCapture. Now it works, but this software doesn't have the measurement tools. Oh, well, I can still use my photograph programs.

First coin I looked at had a defect. ( Lincoln Penny with cracked head and a little pool of metal at tip of crack.) Oh, this is going to be fun!

Sorry if it's fuzzy, but it is my first photo...





Or, determining that my D/S was actually Zinc Rot...




You've unleashed a monster. Thanks.