MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I'm using an Amscope ma500 camera with their software.
I've tried taking video, but it is like a slide show.
Any suggestions? First one I can think of is feduce resolution.

No time to experiment today.
Thanks in advance,
Jim

Radazz wrote:I'm using an Amscope ma500 camera with their software.
I've tried taking video, but it is like a slide show.
Any suggestions? First one I can think of is feduce resolution.

No time to experiment today.
Thanks in advance,
Jim

He, you may possibly try the following to start with...

Your system's power-usage settings are a big factor system-wide for performance, especially graphics. What system are you running the camera-capture software on? If it's a Windows machine such as a laptop for example you are able to fine-tune your machine's power consumption options. For example, Windows 7, 10 and probably others have 'power plans', each defined to be best in a particular scenario such as 'on battery' or 'plugged in' for example.
Make sure that your machine's power-plans are not set to reduce performance when for example running on battery - ensure that your (power-plan) settings are set to maximise performance rather than say, how long the battery lasts when unplugged etc - you don't want any settings that are 'holding back' performance in order to maximise for example battery life when using a graphics application - these need your machine running at it's maximum performance-level even if on battery.

Just a couple of thoughts that may help old chap.

Radazz wrote:First one I can think of is feduce resolution.
Jim

I agree: reducing resolution would be the first thing I'd try. If that doesn't help, I'd try other things as mentioned by John B.
Also, please check the specs to see what resolution you can use with your computer's USB speed (USB2? USB3). I am only guessing that this might be a limiting factor.

The manufacturer's website for the MA-500CK (http://www.amscope.com/5-0mp-microscope ... ion_tabbed) says the frame rate is: "30 f/s @ 640x480, 8 f/s @ 2592x1944 pixels" It doesn't mention anything in between.

If you're trying to get the best resolution, you're getting 8 fps. That will look pretty jumpy. Most digital is at 30 fps, film is 24 fps, and anything below about 15 fps looks like a rapid-fire slide show. Go into the software and set it at 640x480@30 fps and it should be fine. USB 2 should support that without a problem. If you can find an HD setting (1920x1080) you might try that too.

Tom

Hi all, just a thought re the frame-rate support of USB 2. I have a Canon DSLR tethered to my laptop and indeed to an android tablet at times. Both of these give me totally smooth video from the Canon, and this to my mind suggests, as the Laptop's USB tether is USB 2, that USB 2 is more than capable of accommodating a fully smooth image-flow (e.g. 'video') via it's specification.

I'm no expert, but this suggests that any problem isn't with the USB standard per-se but rather the camera's capability or indeed that of the software 'each end' of the USB link?
When using ToupView with my trusty 2mp ToupCam USB camera the frame-rate is just about smooth at the maximum 2mp for 'live view' but for example the 5mp version and higher of these cameras needs to have the live-view frame-rate limited to achieve smooth-ish video for focus etc...

I've virtually no knowledge of this topic beyond my personal experience as a user and may well be wrong - I just though this may help a little.

You might be interested also in reading the review of the Toupcam S3CMOS by Oliver Kim on the main Microbe Hunter website http://www.microbehunter.com/toupcam-s3 ... pe-camera/ (or in Issue 53 of the Microbe Hunter magazine).

gekko wrote:You might be interested also in reading the review of the Toupcam S3CMOS by Oliver Kim on the main Microbe Hunter website http://www.microbehunter.com/toupcam-s3 ... pe-camera/ (or in Issue 53 of the Microbe Hunter magazine).

Hey gekko, that's a very helpful link indeed! Thanks for sharing it. Oliver's made a nice explanation that is really useful to read and save.

I (and I suspect others) sometimes forget how much work and effort Oliver has put into the main website and Microbe Hunter Magazine, and the wealth of very useful information they contain. Thank you Oliver!