How to Choose a Portable Digital Microscope

Children love microscopes because they are naturally curious of small things. Students need them to complete their science projects. Researchers need powerful scopes to help them do their day-to-day work. As you can see, everyone can benefit from owning a portable digital microscope. Here are five microscopes all under $200 and one more of interest.

1. PC Link USB Digital Microscope with Metal Base by PC Link

This affordable microscope sells out quickly. It's a stand up model with the dimensions of 8.5 x 3 x 4 inches. It's a digital microscope, web camera, digital camera. The metal stand is attached. It zooms up to 900x. Due to the many small parts included in the kit, this product is not for children under 3 years of age. The set comes with many items that include software, blank slides, collecting vials and much, much more. "A great product. Easy to set up",[1] stated one satisfied user. It was priced under $43.00 at Computer Geeks.com.

2. Carson Optical zPix Digital Microscope with Integrated Camera grated Camera by Carson.

This microscope is best for educational and professional use. It also magnifies right on your computer screen. Zoom is between 26x - 130x. Click the shutter button to capture an image. The zPix comes with a specimen base, 1 prepared slide, 3 blank slides, forceps, an eye dropper and software. One customer stated, "Installation was a snap on Vista laptop and the captured pictures are crystal clear."[2] Sale priced under $100.00 at selected stores.

3. Digital Blue QX5 Microscope by Digital Blue.

An excellent educational tool for ages 7 on up! This digital microscope has an appealing blue color that makes it stand out from the rest. Magnifies at 10x, 60x and 200x. The kit includes two specimen jars, slide and clip, tweezers, containment dishes and an eye dropper. The durability is excellent, as one customer explained, "We have had the Digital Blue for a couple of years and have enjoyed it every time."[3] Retails for under $100.00.

4. Orion MicroXplore PC200 Digital Hand-held Scope by Orion Telescopes.

Powerful magnification for 10x, 20x and 50x. Includes image editing software. Flexible use for school, work and home. One customer commented, "Sharp image. High magnification."[4] Priced under $130.00.

5. The Dino-Digital Microscope by AnMo Electronics Corporation.

This tiny microscope is ideal for students, hobbyists, and as well as professionals. This tiny microscope works in conjunction with your pc or television utilizing the Dino Capture software. It magnifies from 10x, 100-200x and 400-600x! It has 3 objective lenses, a microphone for capturing and recording video, and weighs only about 550 grams. One customer stated, "Recently our junior high school science department received the Dino-Lite hand-held digital microscopes...both students and teachers were very excited and could not wait to put them to use. We immediately began to examine everything around us in microscopic detail. The students all took turns looking at leaves, soil, clothing, etc. Everyone had a great deal of fun and (they) were very anxious to use the new teaching tool for actual classroom projects." And a doctor also commented on his purchase, stating,"This hand-held, digital microscope can be used to document and measure object images found in association with the skin and skin lesions of patients with Morgellons disease."[5] I found this product at UniversalPart.com under $180.00.

And just an FYI, to view one of the best in the industry for professionals, check out the DG 3 Portable Digital Microscope Base Set by Scalar. DG 3 which is touted as being the 3rd in a series of the worlds first portable Digital Microscopes. Manufactured by Scalar back in 2006, the DG3 seems to be the choice among commercial and government entities such as NASA, Boeing and the United Space Alliance.[6] With its powerful magnification of 1000x, just like the desktop scopes, the DG3 definitely has secured a place in the industry. After magnification, surfaces are imaged by a 2.3 million pixel sensor. Optional lenses are sold separately. It is priced around $6,000.000 at Power Max .

By the way, Mel Sobel Microscopes, LTD has a microscope rental program for medical students. If you a med student or are shopping for one, consider this alternative to purchasing. Shop around to get the best price after you narrow down your selection to a few models. Rental prices vary.

Portable digital microscopes are fun for the entire family! From curious children to students to researchers. And the bonus is that the prices vary enough to make purchasing one affordable.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0010XOR0A/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_5?%5Fencoding=UTF8&filterBy=addFiveStar. Accessed August 16, 2008
[2] http://www.buytelescopes.com/product.asp?pid=12163. Accessed August 16, 2008.
[3] http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B00080DIT2/ref=dp_db_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1. Accessed August 16, 2008
[4] http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B000Z4J5KC/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?%5Fencoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=1. Accessed August 16, 2008.
[5] http://www.bigc.com/articles_reviews.php. Accessed August 16, 2008.
[6] http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2006_March_1/ai_n26777545. Accessed August 16, 2008