MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

@MichaelG - that was a great link! I'm getting it now!

Thanks!

@MichaelG - Well, I didn't notice that, or if I did, it didn't register with me. I'm not quite sure what the "USB Video Class (UVC)" means. I looked it up, but...I'm not sure how it works, or what it does. I get that there are two types of cameras, sensor cameras being one of these, and having this ...

@Topcode - good point about the Toupview. I haven't anything to lose (except the time I spend trying to make it work!) and if the software which comes with my camera is substandard, I'll give it a try.

Much thanks!

@J_WISC - really appreciate the details of your experiences with those two phone holders. If I need to go that route, I'll check them out. I wouldn't have thought of blocking the LIDAR camera sensor on the iPhone. That was one of the biggest hangups when I tried a different phone holder, I couldn't ...

@MichaelG - Again, much thanks! I now understand so much more about this topic than I did 6 hours ago.

OK, I'm getting a good feeling about this, and yes, it's on Amazon. I'll let you know how it works out.
Have a good evening.

@Topcode - much thanks for your input. I have previously seen reference to the Toupview software, but never discussed it with anyone using it. I went to the Toupview website and they have downloads for their Toupview Light software. Would you know if this is a universal microscope camera software pr...

@MichaelG Well, thanks for filling in that knowledge gap! WoW! I just realized, that when you looked at the specifications I posted earlier, you were positive about the resolution and frame rate. Looking at the resolution range (Resolution: 3840x2160;2560x1440;1920x1080) I see it is written in three...

@Hobbyst46 Thanks for your reply. From your insight, and other review of various cameras, it seems the software is one of the biggest drawbacks to many cameras. I'm going to just have to use it, try to see what works or does not, or if any workarounds. BTW, I'm wondering if any other software can be...

@Chas Wow! That's a LOT of information, and the workaround is fabulous! I've printed this information for future reference, because it is so detailed.

Much thanks for the details, and the pix to aid in the explanation.

@MichaelG: I understand some of what you're saying, but what numbers do I multiply to find out the active area vs the physical chip size? If Sensor size: 8.365mm(H)x6.615mm (V), what do I need to look at to compute active area? I'm a bit lost here... But thank you for your feedback! I'm learning a l...

Oh, to clarify: this is the typical information posted by sellers about their microscope cameras, which is where I could use some guidance picking out the 3-4 important details to compare among several different camera offerings. HAYEAR USB3.0 Digital Microscope Camera 8 Mega Pixels USB Live Video C...

Much thanks for your suggestions, and especially the links. Most helpful! I had already looked at the Hayear 5mp camera, I’m going to try it out and see if it’s as good as its reviews. I’m holding off for a while on the adapter/iPhone combo, but I’ve marked the links for future use. Yes, video is qu...

Stunning! Thanks for sharing!

I've viewed Oliver's video on the Summit 3.1MP digital microscope camera. It looks fine. It's not on Amazon, unfortunately. I was discussing cameras with an online pal who praises cameras with Sony IMX sensors. These seem to be quite a bit more expensive than I'm comfortable with. I'm really looking...

THAT is extraordinarily beautiful!

Thanks! The video footage is sadly not the best, but I'm always trying to improve the video capture.
It's the discovery of wonderful microscopic beauty that keeps me interested.

I just uploaded another of my favorite discoveries: the Bacillaria Paxillifer diatom colony.

Gosh, they're beautiful!

If you want to see, here's the link: https://youtu.be/NgcsZB-2oys

I am fortunate to have a microscope, but unfortunate in that it cannot delve deeply into the interesting beings I view. I was shopping for a better microscope, but what I want hasn't been found yet. So, instead of just letting my new hobby wither away, I've started going through my (not ideal by any...

I've never seen one of those before! Is he under a cover glass on the slide, which is why he's not hopping all around? Also, what magnification is that? Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for all the information! Wow! This is wonderful help for a new enthusiast :-) PeteM: yes, I have purchased an adapter for my iPhone (the one reviewed by Oliver), and I'm going to look tomorrow in the box at the top of the closet for one of my previous iPhone models to use, as suggested. I thi...

Thanks! I was speaking with a friend last night who got into the details, and I see that my line of thinking was off track.
Appreciate the observation. I didn't know.

So, I found small monitors - about 10" - used with security cameras, or for gaming or for Raspberry Pi. Here's an example: Haiway 10.1 inch Security Monitor, https://a.co/d/7L0uxBl And, I found a microscope camera: https://a.co/d/fAfEcBu So, my question is: do these two go together to provide me a w...

Just saw this, and I'm thrilled by the abundance of information and ease of use! Wow! Much thanks!

UPDATE Thanks to deep discounts on microscopes for Black Friday, the input received from members of this forum, and Oliver's store, I've located and ordered a microscope which I think will do the trick: Swift SW380B plus Oliver's pick for phone adapter. It definitely made sense to keep monitor and c...

Much thanks for all the detailed information. What you listed makes sense, and affordable. From the many similar to actual-duplicates of descriptions of features, most of these microscopes seem to be made in the same factory overseas. Reviews from buyers are often contradictory, and often they're en...

Thanks so much for both responses. My budget is pretty small as I'm a beginner hobbyist totally fascinated with microscopy. I'm wanting to see a bit more detail of the water life (ciliates, protists, diatoms) and be able to take decent photos and videos of them. So I'm currently in the $300-ish cate...

I'm literally dizzy from looking at hundreds of microscopes on Amazon. Every time I think I've found "THE" one, it doesn't have a camera. Or reviews say the pix and video is pretty bad...and so on. So here's what I'm looking for: 1) a compound microscope, three optics are OK but slots for four would...