microscope attachment for iPhone?

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Sun Jul 30, 2017 10:01 pm

I have a friend who is looking for some sort of microscope attachment for his iPhone, preferably suitable for use with opaque subjects at magnifications equivalent to visual 100X.

I vaguely recall that such things have been discussed here at photomacrography.net, but not for some time.

What comes to mind?

--Rik

elf · Post by **elf** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:04 am

Your Google Fu is weak today

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... ght=iphone

Scroll down 18 or so items...

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:56 am

FWIW -
I have a couple of sorts, but only very cheap. I used them in a school.
Most don't go near 100x, and current thinking on magnifications seems to be to give area magnification, so what you used to get with a 10x loupe now only gives 3.3x,... "100x" might turn out to be 10x.
I expect these are too low-budget, but I can do some more tests if that would be useful:

These are very very cheap. You have to expand the view, = crop it. But the image isn't too bad, the lighting works. You put the front end hard against the subject surround, and the phone's focus covers a suitable range.

I'll have to photo a ruler to see what you actually get.

Much the same applies to these, "30x, 60x". The token UV light just about shows something on the most active banknote, eg the stripe on $5 & + bills.

These a a little better, if fiddly:
"60- 100x"

Above that I see eg item 252795703253 - search "Nurugo".
I haven't tried those.

An NB - later smartphones may be able to use an On-The-Go adapter to connect to a better, USB device .

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 5:10 am

I know Rik said he's interested in opaque subjects but in case someone comes to this thread with an interest in transparent ones, they can try the 'Foldscope", a 10x or 100x (depending on lens choice) origami device with a tiny bead lens which is optically decent and very very cheap (like <$1.00).

See:

https://www.foldscope.com/

From the website:
"The foldscope is an ultra-low cost microscope made from common materials such as paper. It is designed to be produced affordably, to be durable, and to give optical quality similar to conventional research microscopes."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ky-cqSI5mwE

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 9:50 am

That's a cute thing, I may have a use for 20 of those..
Q1 how can they make a T shirt to sell for $1.49
Q2 I wonder whether the glass beads recently mentioned (in the context of supporting insects) could be pressed into cardboard and serve as a similar, Van Leuvenhoek microscope.

If my memories are hanging together; 140x, spherical lens... about 0.5 mm WD. Tricky to light things, but not impossible.

Lou Jost · Post by **Lou Jost** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 10:05 am

The light comes from below, and iPhones capture the images and videos quite nicely. I was introduced to them by Stanford students I was guiding this month; we were able to look at and record videos of microorganisms like rotifers while we were in the jungle, no need for a lab. They gave away thirty or forty of them while they were here.

zzffnn · Post by **zzffnn** » Mon Jul 31, 2017 12:30 pm

Rik,

I am not sure there is such an iPhone attachment that provides good optical quality.

In the field, I would suggest using afocal iPhone over a "shop microscope" like this one:

http://www.peakoptics.com/index.php?mai ... ucts_id=31

eBay usually has a few used ones for good price. Optics should be standard RMS, though I am not 100% positive.

I have Peak's 1983 model 10x loupe and it is a beautiful 4 element achromat with a very wide view field.