Recommendation? Looking for a Good USB Microscope

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Aug 13, 2020
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I'm looking for a good USB microscope that meets all of the following criteria:

1. Must be compatible with MacOS 10.13.6+,
2. Must have 100x or higher magnification,
3. Must have a digital length scale built-in so I can at least measure the size of the structures on-screen.
4. Must be suitable for examining the edge of a blade.

If anyone here owns such USB microscope or knows of any, please post here.
 
If you’re looking for a truly great USB microscope, DinoLite makes the best ones out there and they’re Mac compatible. They’re not cheap, though. I bought a fairly entry level model and it was $300. I use it for pest insect identification for agriculture. It was recommended to me by one of the leading agricultural pest control entomologists in North America. You should find one in their lineup that will suit your uses perfectly. I’m extremely pleased with mine after about 1.5 years using it.
Hope this helps!
 
Thank you for the recommendation! I checked out their website and found the USB microscope with the wanted features.

Automatic Magnification Reading (AMR) is what I've been looking for. And Dino-Lite AM73915MZT is the one I want. The features it offers are almost comparable to Zeiss. Not sure about the optics quality, though.

Dino-Lite AM73915MZT is priced at around $1300. Combined with RK-06F stand, it will meet all of my needs.
 
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Thank you for the recommendation! I checked out their website and found the USB microscope with the wanted features.

Automatic Magnification Reading (AMR) is what I've been looking for. And Dino-Lite AM73915MZT is the one I want. The features it offers are almost comparable to Zeiss. Not sure about the optics quality, though.

Dino-Lite AM73915MZT is priced at around $1300. Combined with RK-06F stand, it will meet all of my needs.
That's an amazing unit - more than I needed! Glad I could help and I hope it's exactly what you need. What are you using it for, IF it's ok to ask?
 
That's an amazing unit - more than I needed! Glad I could help and I hope it's exactly what you need. What are you using it for, IF it's ok to ask?
It's primarily for close examination of PCBs, SAC alloys, circuit components, and the edge of knife blades.

My interest in AM73915MZT is due to the advanced features offered by its software:
mPkIkEs.png


Also, multiple LEDs surrounding the objective lens allow me to control the lightings in each quadrant.
EDOF, EDR, and AMR are features I used heavily on a Zeiss microscope when I was working in a nano-fab. They're indispensable in high-quality optical microscopy. A Zeiss microscope with these features can easily cost $35k+. If I can have comparable quality and features at a mere fraction of the price, I'll take it.

IshS0D1.png


But then I just found out this:

Z9U5z1S.png

Another example of mac users getting stinted again. There's no point in getting AM73915MZT if I can't utilize EDOF/EDR.

Dino-Lite does offer another version (AM73515MZT) without EDOF/EDR for about a couple hundred dollars less. But having no functional EDOF/EDR that's compatible with MacOS is a big letdown.
 
I have an older version of that dino-lite and would rate it 2/10 at best. The software for Mac/OS is hot garbage.

Image stacking generally requires that you have some well defined lines or edges, like those sample images. It won't work with a knife bevel unless you have nice straight parallel scratches, and even then you will never resolve the apex.

In my experience, a good macro lens will outperform a USB microscope.

 
Thanks for your input, ToddS.

AD7013MTL really is an outdated model so I wasn't able to get any info on it from the Dino-Lite website. But going by the nomenclature, it looks like it was a low-end model. I'm guessing/hoping the optics on AM73915MZT is superior to AD7013MTL.

The image quality of the blade edge taken by Mitutoyo FS70 looks impressive. But priced at $7k+ just for the microscope, it's a bit excessive for personal use as a hobbyist/enthusiast. Adding a digital camera would cost an additional $$$. Zeiss Axiocam ICC5 is not a cheap camera (Anything Zeiss is not cheap). My guess is that Mitutoyo FS70 + Zeiss Axiocam ICC5 setup will cost roughly $10k+. That's definitely excessive for my intended use as a hobbyist.

If I can find a setup that can provide image quality comparable to those you linked above, I'll be happy.
Any specific recommendations for under $1500? I am interested in a setup that will give me the best digital image quality and sharpest resolution for the price.

In the meantime, I should visit the nearest Dino-Lite dealer and actually try out their product before I commit to buying anything.
 
The 7013 was the top of the line long-working distance model, it was over $1k. Obviously the Mitutoyo isn't a hobbyist option - I recall it cost close to $40k all in.

At $1500, I think you are better looking at an AmScope with trinocular head and adapt and SLR camera.

I've really never made use of the dinolite - I concluded a long time ago that an SLR with a macro lens is a better option for my applications.

This image was taken with a Rebel and 100mm EF 2.8 Canon macro lens.

macro.jpg

This image was taken with the Dino-lite.

dino.jpg


I would also consider a Moment macro lens for the iphone ahead of a usb microscope.
 
Looked at an iScope on the AmScope website. $1651 but the all-inclusive system comes with a 5MP digital camera.

The picture of your - what looks like a photomask - taken with a Rebel DSLR looks out of focus and/or blurry (probably the latter from shooting handheld) in comparison to the Dino-Lite version. But the Dino-Lite version has awful ambient lighting.

Thanks for the $1500 recommendation. Over the next few months, I will explore these options and see which will suit me best.
 
The 7013 was the top of the line long-working distance model, it was over $1k. Obviously the Mitutoyo isn't a hobbyist option - I recall it cost close to $40k all in.

At $1500, I think you are better looking at an AmScope with trinocular head and adapt and SLR camera.

I've really never made use of the dinolite - I concluded a long time ago that an SLR with a macro lens is a better option for my applications.

This image was taken with a Rebel and 100mm EF 2.8 Canon macro lens.

macro.jpg

This image was taken with the Dino-lite.

dino.jpg


I would also consider a Moment macro lens for the iphone ahead of a usb microscope.

The Rebel may take a better picture if you can put more light on the subject and use it with a tripod/remote release. The manual for my camera notes that the auto focus uses contrast to do its job. With a tripod and manual focus, you may also get a better shot. Could need a polarizing filter if there is a lot of reflected light.

I have a cheap Bysameyee HD 2MP USB Microscope which uses the webcam software in Linux. Also says it works on macs. Not really good for any serious work, more like a kids toy.
 
I've been wanting to invest in a fairly good DSLR camera, something far better than what I can get from my crappy iPhone. If I can use a trinocular microscope + adapter + macro lens setup, thereby killing two birds with one stone, that'd be great. (I have had zero formal photography lessons/knowledge. But I'm willing to learn!)

A couple of questions, though. Suppose I get a Nikon D7500 with an f105mm macro lens. Would such a combo be appropriate for a high-resolution image at 200x magnification? Is there an adapter that will mount this camera to just about any trinocular microscope?
 
That is a Geller magnification standard with 50 micron lines and spaces.
The photo was taken with a tripod and is not out of focus, it's just at the limit of resolution.
The dinolite may have slightly better resolution, but the horrible led ring light is not suitable for the reflective metal surface.
It's also important to understand that this is the long working distance version, which gives greater depth of field at the expense of resolution.


Neither of these is in the ballpark of a proper microscope, now looking at the 2-micron lines and spaces region that is not even visible with the dinolite:
Here are images taken with a Zeiss Axioskop 2 and Luminera Infinity 1 camera with the 10x,20x,50x objectives.

10x.jpg

20x.jpg

50x.jpg

This is a 20 year old microscope, and they are available used for a few thousand, although not with desirable objective lenses.

If you use a DSLR as the image sensor, you don't use a camera lens, you use an adapter that mounts instead of the lens and probably a c-mount adapter on the other end to attach to the microscope. You want to use the entire sensor, not focus the image onto a small part of it.

There are many types and configurations of microscopes and you really need to match that to what you are doing. For example, I always use a stereo zoom to look at knife bevels because I need the long working distance and depth of field that allows me to hold the blade and move it around.

For a flat sample, nothing beats the Axioskop with sub-1mm working distance. At the same time, I can still resolve those 2um lines and spaces by eye in the stereo zoom at 15x mag with it's much greater depth of field.

Microscopes are all about trading off between resolution, contrast, depth of field, field of view.
 
I've been wanting to invest in a fairly good DSLR camera, something far better than what I can get from my crappy iPhone. If I can use a trinocular microscope + adapter + macro lens setup, thereby killing two birds with one stone, that'd be great. (I have had zero formal photography lessons/knowledge. But I'm willing to learn!)

A couple of questions, though. Suppose I get a Nikon D7500 with an f105mm macro lens. Would such a combo be appropriate for a high-resolution image at 200x magnification? Is there an adapter that will mount this camera to just about any trinocular microscope?

I don't know very much about macro photography but are you seeking to take still pictures at a high magnification? If you are looking for real time viewing you would be better off with an eye loupe or microscope. The thing you are trying to accomplish will define which tool would be best.
 
I don't know very much about macro photography but are you seeking to take still pictures at a high magnification?

Yes. More specifically, I am interested in having the capability to take high-resolution digital image of static objects at high magnification. And based on what I've examined so far, I don't think mere $1500 is going to cut it.

I'll look into it further by contacting some professionals and decide how much more $$$ I want to invest into such project.
 
Yes. More specifically, I am interested in having the capability to take high-resolution digital image of static objects at high magnification. And based on what I've examined so far, I don't think mere $1500 is going to cut it.

I'll look into it further by contacting some professionals and decide how much more $$$ I want to invest into such project.

You could look into used camera equipment, but I would ask around the camera forums. DP Review was still a pretty good resource.
 
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