Newbie to Micrography

Starting out in microscopy? Post images and ask questions relating to the microscope and get answers from our more advanced users on the subject.

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kindredstar
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Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2010 1:29 pm
Location: Near Toronto, Ontario,Canada
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Newbie to Micrography

Post by kindredstar »

Hi all !
I am a newbie to Micrography and I decided to purchase the Variscope Series 200 Trinocular microscope that includes a 9MP digital usb camera.
I wanted something a little better built than hobby scopes like the Deluxe LCD digital scope put out by celestron and was wondering what are your thoughts on this Variscope ? On the site I checked out..it's $809... I want to do this mainly for fun and its something to pursue on those cloudy nights when I cant use my telescopes to explore the cosmos..LOL :)

Charles Krebs
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Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
Location: Issaquah, WA USA
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Post by Charles Krebs »

kindredstar,

Welcome.

It's really hard to voice any opinion on equipment unless one has actually used it. I'm not aware of anyone here that has this microscope, but you never know.

$800 is a considerable sum. My first impression is that you may be spending far too much getting a 9Mp eyepiece camera of unknown quality. I think you would see better results apportioning more of your money toward a quality scope and optics, and less towards a more modest camera.

Generally when starting out with a "budget" in the price range you are considering, the decision is between an older used microscope by one of the "Big 4" ... Nikon, Olympus, Zeiss. Leica, or a new system that will generally be made in either China or India. Some of the Chinese gear is pretty decent, India less so.

Buying name brand used can usually get you higher quality equipment for the same money, but there is always some risk and uncertainty buying used. And there is such a huge variety of used microscope equipment it's hard to know what you need, and a place like eBay can be a minefield. When buying a new no-brand-name microscope the purchase process is less aggravating, and you'll be ready to go right out of the box, but it is hard to say what the quality will be.

If you give us some idea of the types of subjects you think will interest you, and the intended usage of the photographs it would be of some help.

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