I currently rely on an inexpensive swing
lamp with integrated magnifier for my low-power needs or a jeweler's loupe for higher magnification.
I rather like the thought of a low-powered microscope, though I have not used a microscope in decades. If I were to describe the ideal candidate based on this discussion, I believe it would be a zoom binocular scope with integrated LED lighting, potentially with a third optic for a camera. It seems that I would have to select two eyepieces and a lens for binocular viewing.
I see some eyepieces described as 10-20x, which if matched up with a 0.5x lens sounds like it would deliver 5-10x magnification. Does that sound right?
The next question is whether a third, digital camera, optic could also be found that would usefully deliver low-power magnification. From what I’ve seen, these tend to get expensive, and I don’t want to pay up for something that isn’t useful.