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Registered Member #2463
Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
Location:
Posts: 1546
The local branch of Active Electronics has Aven Mighty Scope and the accessory stand on sale for a while. This is to be used on a workbench to gather info on projects/repairs etc. Previously a Canon handycam on a tripod was used because the zoom allowed views of details down to about 1 CM. as well as larger shots. The Aven is a 10X-200X USB scope, but doesnt allow wide shots. Has anyone used this or one similar at a reasonable price. About $200.
Registered Member #3040
Joined: Tue Jul 27 2010, 03:15PM
Location: South of London. UK
Posts: 237
I got one of these (only really useful to UK buyers)
You need to be careful to check the specs. when buying digital microscopes, many are only VGA quality and pretty rubbish. I already posted a link elsewhere to a 100TQFP adapter I made all the pictures were taken with the above microscope. I use a retort stand to hold it
Registered Member #27
Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058
Only real problem is the very small depth of field. Here is a snapshot from the one I have:
All the webcams I have taken apart could taken shots like that by adjusting the focus so it can get really close. I have added a Nikon F mount to one, then I can use for example a 50 mm f/1.8 lens with manual aperture to get shots like that from a significant distance, or a cheap 70-300 mm zoom to get close ups from the other side of a room. It will not get the enlargement of a proper microscope but I can get much much closer than in that picture.
As Martin King points out, most of the ones you buy are bad quality and that is because they are very cheap webcams/CCTV cameras with the focus adjusted.
Registered Member #543
Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992
The sales literature makes no mention of numerical aperture, which alone determines the axial and horizontal resolution of the instrument.
There are several different methods of calculating the depth of focus, but all take account of wavelength, refractive indices of the media, numerical aperture, and so on, and all produce results measured in microns.
The depth of focus limitation can be largely overcome using software like Helicon Focus, which allows an incremental stack of in-focus 'slices' to be amalgamated into a single in-focus image, producing remarkable images undreampt of 20 years ago.
This gadget might well be useful for some quality control applications, or to fill a child's Christmas stocking, but, as always, it is the application that determines the suitability of an instrument for any particular purpose.
Registered Member #2463
Joined: Wed Nov 11 2009, 03:49AM
Location:
Posts: 1546
Thank you for input. The IEEE Spectrum mag had an article on making a microscope out of a webcam last month. But time is an issue and the Aven unit might be used for an upcoming demo simply because it can throw up an image on a laptop. Aven has magnifiers that range in to the thousands of dollars so I have no illusions here about quality.
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AVEN digital microscope
