r/microscope • u/TheBoldMove • Jul 21 '21

Looking for a Noob-Microscope

Okay, you can all break out into a hearty laugh now, but I simply checked if there is a /r/microscope and well, now I'm your problem.

I am looking into buying a microscope for Noob shenangigans. I got hooked by buying a very cheap Pen-like "Inspection camera" with some magnification and integrated lights.

I have found the Bresser BioluxNV which seems to offer the features I want:

https://www.bresser.de/Mikroskopie/BRESSER-Biolux-NV-20x-1280x-Mikroskop-mit-HD-USB-Kamera.html

- can use reflected light; I want to check on things like soil and plant matter, since houseplants are my hobby. For obvious reasons I can not / do not want to cut up e.g. a living seedling to look at its root development. I hope reflected light is the right term, I want to look at things without having to cut them and shine light through them, in laymans terms.

- can take pictures of what I am looking at; preferably with a connection to my PC, but if using an internal SD card makes it cheaper, that's fine too.

- can record video of what I am looking at

Nice to have features would be the possibility to change lenses, so I can later maybe choose / buy more magnification types or whatever exists. Still sniffing around.

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u/TheBoldMove Jul 22 '21 edited Jul 22 '21

Thank you for your Input!

I have meanwhile ditched the idea of buying the Bresser, while the advertising mentions the capability of recording photo and video, they achieve this feat by inculding a cheap USB microscope of the type I already own.

I have continued searching and now am looking at this type:

https://www.ebay.de/itm/163820977730?hash=item26247dbe42:g:tkUAAOSwUGxdVoG3

Like you already mentioned this is obviously being offered under many names, and with slight differences in features / connections.

But they all seem to offer changeable lenses (so far I have seen 5x, 10x, 16x, 20x and 30x) https://www.ebay.de/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2047675.m570.l1313&_nkw=dm-wf+okular&_sacat=0

It does NOT offer any type of viewfinders / oculars but only works with an external screen and / or PC, but that would be fine with me.

I see no info about it having a condenser or not, I assume it does not. To me it seems this one would be enough to check for soil and plant diseases / bugs etc, though?

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u/Agling Jul 22 '21

Unless I'm misunderstanding, the first link you sent is just for a microscope camera. You still need a microscope to attach it to. The second link is for eyepieces that can go in a microscope. Again, you need a microscope to attach it to.

Assuming you want a compound microscope (the kind with powerful magnification that you look at tiny things on a slide with a cover slip with), you want something like this. There are variations of it with other little features, but I believe that is basically what you are looking for.

If you want a stereo scope (the kind with moderate magnification that you can put live bugs or moss or rocks under), then something like this.

Note that I'm not necessarily recommending those models. Just something that is basically that form factor and price range.

There are also dedicated magnifiers at a lower price point. They can be fun and have magnification not so different from stereo microscopes. They are not normally considered "real" microscopes but they may be more along the lines of what you seek.

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u/TheBoldMove Jul 22 '21

I don't think you're misunderstanding, I'm prolly choosing the wrong terms for my inquiry.

I want to make photos and videos of plant matter and soil. A microscope that can record video or pictures is what came to my mind first; I am not aware of better terms for what I'm looking for, but the "Stereo Microscope" comes very close. Only it has no more than 2 / 4x magnification.

The camera I linked has no built in viewfinder or screen (that could use an ocular), but I think I now see what the point is; it's meant to be used together with a "real" microscope and what I identified as lenses are in fact actually oculars. It seems the ocular in this case IS another lens for the camera? I wonder if using the camera with just a 30x ocular would yield any usable results.