Just Got My USB Microscope Camera !

well I finally did it I bought my first microscope cant wait to get it. Was such a good price ill post some pics when it arrives in 5-7 business days

Congrats. And for the low price, I don't think you will be disappointed. Once you get the hang of it and see it's potential, you'll be glad you got it. Looking forward to pics.




You're summary is not too far off. I see it more as a glorified microscope with photo capabilities It really is designed more for the tiny details, and it does it well. I would say that was the main reason for getting it, but it also works well on whole coin photography. Besides the low price what sold me was the simplicity of the setup: built in stand, built in light, built in software, all for under $30 bucks... And it works!




I successfully installed it on both a Windows 7 desktop PC, and a Windows Vista Laptop. I admit the installation is not foolproof, instructions are sketchy, so some familiarity with installing drivers and software is required. The mistakes I made installing on the Windows 7 PC was connecting through a hub during setup, and forgetting to run BOTH the hardware driver and the capture software. The problem I experienced on the Windows Vista laptop was that it conflicted with the built in webcam and causes the scope to freeze temporarily. I haven't addressed the Laptop issue, since I do not use it often, but I read it can be overcome by simply disabling the webcam while the scope is in use. I suspect most bad reviews are at least partly due to installation errors.

daniels,

It is going well, I am having a blast with my new toy. It is probably the most satisfying $26 I've spent in a long time. I have enlisted it in a rather ambitious project that I'm currently working on. Recently I began inventory and cataloging of my entire World coins, Canada collection, and U.S. coins into a spreadsheet. So I am using the camera on the scope to identify, grade and photograph each coin, front and back. Then I'm using the microscope feature to identify varieties. The software comes with the capability to draw lines, angles, and measurements. This is extremely handy with identifying my Canadian tokens in particular. They are chock full of varieties some are practically impossible to identify without a tool like this. My only frustration so far is that I've already placed most of my coins in 2x2 flips ..so the reflection from the LED's on the Mylar window is sometimes difficult to overcome..

Have you gotten yours yet? I am looking forward to seeing how you do with it.

The mylar in the 2x2's is pretty reflective, not very uniform in thickness, and usually not flat if there are high points on the coin above the rim. This will really mess up your shots, especially any at higher magnification for varieties. Always best to shoot the coin "raw" and then put it in the 2x2.

Actually I have been experimenting with ways to get around the nuisance Glare problem from the Mylar 2x2's. You have to play with different combinations of light sources and intensity, distances and angles of both the light sources and the microscope. These shots were taken from the same distance, about 7 inches above the coin, using only the built in LED's as the light source. With the scope at just a fraction of an angle, just enough to bounce the reflection away. Not too much or you'll lose focus on half the coin. The close up was taken by zooming in or increasing magnification through the software. If a close up detail shot requires getting the scope right on the Mylar then I shut off the built in LED's and use an external indirect light source. My dimmable goose neck table lamp has been getting me by with that. I was able to minimize the glare just enough to suit my needs, enough to identify and catalog my coins. The focus is a little off, you can see a little glare, but its accurate enough for my need. If I wanted to capture the coin in a more accurate or perfect shot then I would just remove it from the 2x2. By the way this coin is in a 1/2 dollar sized 2x2 so its fairly large.

Any idea if this works with 64bit windows 7?

fresh out of the box let me know what you think

Is the faces on the 1943 glossy? I see a wear pattern on the motto, is it glossy there? I'm thinking it is a reprocessed coin. The surface doesn't appear original from what I can see so far.