Need Some Opinions On Stereoscope Choices

a 3.5x-45x is very good,any higher is over kill for coins.IMHO coop has a real nice set up.
John1

Can you view the coins on your monitor as you're checking them ?

That kind of money - not that it's relevant to your needs - will buy you a pro-level, full-on dSLR imaging setup capable of everything from minute levels of magnification to full-face images of the largest coins, producing images of a quality the equal of the best photographers here. Such a rig would have an inherent capability (in fact, it's the designed use) of putting the image on your monitor for focusing and study purposes.

It would not, however, be nearly as efficient at volume searching for varieties as the scopes you're considering. For you, I think the best bet would be a variable trinocular with a maximum magnification of about 45x. More mag is irrelevant. The trinocular setup allows you to add a camera of your choice down the road, and if the optics are good enough the quality of said camera doesn't much matter because you'll be sending it such a clear image. I would advise against bespoke, inclusive cameras - their extra cost doesn't buy the quality of camera you could get by adding one of your own.

A trinocular with a cheap used dSLR would produce images of staggering quality, and give you the option of adding a dedicated lens to the dSLR later for full-face imagery.

Thank you and much appreciated input from both SsuperDdave and westcoin.. A couple things I should mention that I left out are I accidently implied that I would be buying the whole setup with camera and all by the links provided but I'm only interested in purchasing the trinocular stereoscope. I have a Nikon D40 that I will be using with an adapter to fit the scope for photographing purposes.. I will definetly be needing some help in this area as I am a total newbie when it comes to using either of these items on an advanced level to achieve superb results.

As dave mentioned above mentioned setup seems to be the most appropriate way to go for searching volume and hopefully will make it much easier on me for identifying some of the more extreme varieties that are hard to identify with just a 10x loupe and getting great quality pictures of them as well.. I would eventually like to turn it into a little side business if possible but not my main goal.. I will apologize in advance for any stupid questions I may ask in the future but will do my best to learn..

I am familiar a bit with the lighting setups needed from threads read on here and already have most of the equipment needed for that part of it.. I will however need some help in getting the camera settings correct.. Anything past auto mode is kinda unfamiliar territory to me although I do understand macro photography a bit from reading on here and playing around with it on my little digital camera in my free time to see what settings achieve best results, but the D40 is a whole different ball game so if anyone has one and shoots with it, I would love to know your settings or a starting point atleast...

Thanks to everyone that responded and I am still looking at stereoscopes as I don't want to make a impulse purchase and regret it but I have a good idea of whats needed and whats not so I can make an informed decision..





Yes I have a 24" lcd monitor for live viewing which will make it much easier on the back and neck.

I'm thinking your D40 in such an application will probably give you nice images on Auto. You may need to apply a set of one-time corrections (same settings for all shots from the 'scope under similar lighting) because the Nikon won't have a lens feeding it information, but that's something we can work out once you have the specific equipment in place.

The key to quality images is quality optics, and you're getting some quality optics. Between that and a nice dSLR there will be some real giggles at what you're shooting.

jprine...start here:

https://goccf.com/t/158182