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Author Topic: Digital Microscope  (Read 2258 times)

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Offline Blayne W

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Digital Microscope
« on: October 22, 2020, 01:12:25 pm »
Just want to tell you about this digital microscope I found.  I have had it for about a month. It has been very handy in identifying and cleaning coins.
Basically it has a 4.3 inch screen that enables you to see what the microscope is focused on.  Has the ability to take photos on SD card, though I havent tried it yet.  Also can connect to your computer and stream the output on a bigger screen.  I did find a bit of lag there but for tough to identify legends it certainly does help. Also has a light that can be adjusted for brightness.

I can provide a link on amazon site if anyone wants but  basically if you look for a digital microscope on there it should pop up.  There are several similar knock off brands that sell them.   I actually have had two, due to my first order getting lost then found.   Gave one to a friends 10 year old son, with some roman coins to get him started. 

I have been very happy with mine.

Couple photos of it in action, pardon my mess.  The third coin has a q-tip for reference.

Offline Mark F

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #1 on: October 22, 2020, 11:15:51 pm »
Very interesting! Can you reduce the resolution so that you can see the entire coin?

Mark

Offline Blayne W

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2020, 01:00:56 am »
Not that I have figured out.  I have played with adjusting the height of the lens away from the coin.  The lens height is adjustable by the knobs on the side, though doesn't go high enough to bring in the whole coin.  So I turn the lens away from the base and then prop it up higher.  It does work, as per the pictures.  When I do it, I have weight on the base, as with the camera out to the side, it tips.  The quality isn't the greatest but hopefully, the photos help illustrate.

Offline SC

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2020, 05:40:33 pm »
Interesting as it looks like the Leuchturm digital microscope I have with a screen bolted to the top and a larger stand to handle the greater weight.

The one I have was advertised as having variable magnification but that really seems to consist of moving it up and down and then focussing it, not an actual digital zoom.  As such it is not as useful as I thought - great for close-ups but not much more - or I just haven't mastered its use.  On the plus side the photo function is really easy.  My avatar pic comes form one such shot.

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(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline Blayne W

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2020, 05:47:40 pm »
I did buy a  microscope when I first started cleaning and attributing but just found I could not use it, wearing glasses and  looking through the eye piece just never seemed to work.
Became a glasses off, look through the eye piece then glasses back on to look up info, glasses off, glasses on type of situation

 I then bought a camera to stream it to my computer, that was a waste of money.   This has worked well for me and that is why I wanted to share the info.

Offline SC

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2020, 06:13:10 pm »
I agree the glasses to no glasses cycle for the real binocular microscope is a big pain - as is the crook in my over-50 neck that always results.

One problem with the digital one I have is that it displays the image on the laptop which has to sit some distance away.  This  makes cleaning using it very difficult. 

Yours fixes that with the screen right where the eye holes would be.

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(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline Ron C2

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #6 on: December 06, 2020, 01:19:41 pm »
I hope this question is not a hijack, but what is the ideal magnification to look for when buying a digital or binocular microscope for coin cleaning?  I've been thinking about buying something like this, but an ideal magnification range would be really helpful to know when shopping for options.
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Offline Mark F

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #7 on: December 06, 2020, 10:52:42 pm »
I almost never work at a magnification of less that 5x, and even then it is very rare for me to do much at that power. 90% of my work on a coin happens at 10x magnification. I have gone as much as 20x for some very detailed cleaning, but it is not that common. I have used magnification up to 30x sometimes, but never for cleaning - just to see something very closely. I clean exclusively using a binocular microscope, though I have a couple of digital scopes that are basically just used as cameras.

Interesting, to me at least, is that over time I realized that increasing zoom/power does not necessary produce greater understanding of what I'm actually seeing. Granted, I'm usually working on coins that are not perfectly preserved, because if they were so preserved I would by definition not need to work on them. That said, I often use a handheld lens sometimes between 3.5 and 5x to assist in attribution, as at higher magnification you might get greater clarity but not necessary a greater understanding and context.

Just a few data points for consideration.

Mark

Offline SC

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #8 on: December 07, 2020, 08:53:16 am »
I use a 20x.  The microscope is not adjustable and the 20x is quite high.  It was a gift or I might have returned it.

However, i have learned to love it as a cleaning tool.  The magnification is too high for an overall view.  But for cleaning fine details 20x can't be beat.

My ideal would be one with 5x, 10x and 20x options all available.

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Offline Ken W2

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2021, 02:17:23 pm »
I use 10X almost exclusively. That is plenty of magnification and on my inexpensive scope provides a good field of view. I've only been cleaning under a scope since last April.  It has made a HUGE difference in results.  I've also moved to no. 11 exacto blades and very fine diamond encrusted dental bits as my main tools, which also greatly improved results. I have both 5X and 20X lenses, but the 5X doesn't provide enough FOV (which is odd bc the 10X does) and I find the 20X to be too much magnification and provides a small FOV.

Ken       

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2021, 01:34:38 am »
I recently got a stereo microscope and I love it. Mine has 10X and 20X. I have found I use 10X 90% of the time. Once in a while I will put in the 20X diopters (or whatever they are called) for super detail, but they are just too much, you can't see enough of the coin for my liking. 10X is a nice compromise between magnification and seeing the coin. I also use a magnifying glass and a lighted magnifier thing that plugs in I stole from my wife (she used it for sewing). It is amazing to me what the different magnifications do or do not do. The 10X microscope is the bomb, though.

Offline paps

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #11 on: February 06, 2021, 09:19:58 am »
I picked this up for about $15 and it works great. i was curious to see what the coins looked like at extreme magnification. Compare genuine to fakes etc.

The first coin is fake Clodius Albinus Denarius - Notice the soft details and bumpy surface - evidence of casting.

The second is a Mark Antony denarius  - I had doubts about this one, but closer examination has eased my mind. - Very crisp and clear details and yes environmental damage is clearly evident, but the surface is consistent with other genuine denarii . This is a neat tool for study.

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #12 on: February 06, 2021, 02:45:51 pm »
Hi paps,
I have a question. The thing that has been holding me back on buying one of these inexpensive scopes is that in all the specs I see magnification seems to be too high for my needs. I want one of these only for photographing coins in their entirety. I have a microscope for examining the coins in detail. Can you get an entire coin with this digital scope? I cannot take photos to save my life of coins.
Thanks,
Virgil

Offline SC

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #13 on: February 06, 2021, 04:35:23 pm »
The main way they zoom is to move them closer or further from the item.  So it is possible to get an image of the entire coin, though you have to be further and further away the bigger it is.  You can't do it by holding the thing in your hand as it shakes the image too much.   I have done it by resting the microscope on a stack of books and pointing it down to the coin.  But not sure it is the best tool for entire coins.

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Offline paps

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #14 on: February 06, 2021, 04:37:51 pm »
I agree with otlichnik, the scope would have to be moved further away. However, I wouldn't recommend it for taking pics of the entire coin.

Offline SC

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #15 on: February 06, 2021, 04:44:28 pm »
Paps' use (above) shows its real value.  That is an awesome example of the important differences in surface details.

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(Shawn Caza, Ottawa)

Offline Virgil H

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #16 on: February 06, 2021, 07:43:08 pm »
Thanks Paps and Shawn,
I think I just need to learn how to do the photos with my camera, others seem to be able to do it, I should, too. I have a decent camera. And I have a scope for detail work.

Virgil

Offline Serendipity

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #17 on: February 06, 2021, 09:04:56 pm »
I have to confess that I’m also one of those coin collectors who prefers to use digital magnifying devices rather than the standard jeweller’s loupe when inspecting my coins.

Offline clueless

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Re: Digital Microscope
« Reply #18 on: March 04, 2021, 02:03:08 pm »
Something like this stand combined with one of those affordable USB microscopes:

https://www.leuchtturm.de/stativ-fuer-usb-digitalmikroskop-hoehe-40-5-cm.html

It provides you with the needed distance to the coin for you to be able to take pictures of pieces larger than sestertii.

There are several models on the market, some cheap, others not so cheap.

The big problem to cope with is what kind of light source to use, I have never arrived at a satisfactory solution myself here.

Clueless

 

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