MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

This "Kickstarter" program might be of interest.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/12 ... nfirmation

It's basically a lens to attach to a cell phone camera, along with a polarizer. Chromatic aberration is clearly present and the quality of illumination for higher magnifications is a question. The stand design is klunky and so on. Still, for the price it might be made into something like a useful field microscope? The lens quality does look better than the "Foldscope."

There are also other lens attachments for phone cameras out there. This one looks to be a bit better and (at around $50) a bit more expensive.

There's no guarantee with a Kickstarter program that the entrepreneurs will actually deliver anything or that it will be usable. Should they meet their mid-next-year pledge, I'll let you know.

An interesting development, Pete
The Pol feature is a ‘first’ I think …and could be its Unique Selling Point.

MichaelG.

Very interesting, thanks for sharing.

Very impressive, and it makes good sense to piggyback on the expensive technology already in the smartphone.
(They do get the Gecko's foot pad wrong, though--does not work by suction.)

The focusing method is so ingenious!
btw the same thing, a small microscope lens for the phone, can be obtained pillaging the objective of another broken phone, and place it reversed in front of the working camera. So object-sensor works at 1:1 (~1 micron details). Note that it is actually the same optical design of this Kickstarter project (a reversed phone lens).
With this setup, holding the sample near the phone, moving it, focusing, illumination, it's a pain. I started microscopy one 1/2 year ago with this setup, but soon upgraded to true, old, heavy brass microscopes. So much better.
For <10$ may buy it! Smartphone objectives cost 0.5 - 5.0 $ new, plus 5$ contribution for creativity, it's ok. For 50$, absolutely no, at this price I'll rather get another vintage black enamel beast. Or 10 broken phones and pillage their objective lenses; the Polarization film, strip it from the LCD screen...

Example with the LG G4 "twin phone lenses 1:1 relay", blood cells.
https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/ ... hp?t=41508
and other older papers, I've seen this setup from 2010 or earlier.

Hi Michael,
thank you for the link!
There are already a few phone-microscopes, but this one seems to be quite interesting. I have a micropeek microscope with brigth field, dark field and fluorescence and bluetooth connection to the phone, but is fairly big and difficult to mount in a detatchable way. How practical the setup is will depend on the use case. For sample checking I haven't really started to like it but it hasn't had much chance too. It probabl is best for flat epi objects like stamps or material surfaces.
The price of the 3-objective kits of the iMicro-microscope is ok in my view, it is not just a lens but a product, and they spend time on this.

@Patta,
thank you for the hint with the phone objective. I was wondering where they get the objectives for the iMicro. I once use a CD or DVD player lens for such a setup, but the image quality depended a lot on the phone it use and the compatability to the phone camera objective.

Bob

MicroBob wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:38 pm

Hi Michael,
thank you for the link!

…

Credit where credit’s due … PeteM gave us the link

MichaelG.

Sorry Pete, thank you for the link!

Bob

MicroBob wrote: ↑

Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:38 pm

Hi Michael,
thank you for the link!
There are already a few phone-microscopes, but this one seems to be quite interesting. I have a micropeek microscope with brigth field, dark field and fluorescence and bluetooth connection to the phone, but is fairly big and difficult to mount in a detatchable way. How practical the setup is will depend on the use case. For sample checking I haven't really started to like it but it hasn't had much chance too.

Bob

Ha.. finally I found another person who has micropeek . When I bought it few years ago, I had high hope on that one. As you mentioned, attaching it to the phone and focusing is pain in the back. Even though I give it a try time and again, I always go back to the traditional Microcope.

I was thinking about posting the same. This one seems to very similar problems/design that the micropeek has. Gecko attachment, only picture-no video, unique-not a proven focusing mechanism. Will keep an eye on it and if it work, I will get one to play with it. Good concept for field microscope though.