Review on 🔍 Celestron - Pro 5MP Digital USB Microscope - Handheld Magnifier for Windows PC and Mac - 20x-200x Magnification - Ideal for Stamp and Coin Collecting by Adam Johnson

I bought this scope hoping it would have better luck than one of the unnamed ones (read Veho). Having gained some experience with these USB oscilloscopes, I've probably been better able to deal with the barrage of complaints listed in the last dozen or so reviews. Some of the comments about "drops", reflections or artifacts are actually typical of dust particles. A Swiffer rag will clean most of it in seconds. I sharpen knives as a retired hobby and use a scope to check for scratches, chips, nicks and polish values. Understand that these are not real microscopes, but large ones. -Cameras with magnification. The image is processed from the video stream, not as a photo. Modern digital cameras do the opposite. My previous scope had a similar adjustment built into the body that changes magnification. The Celestron doesn't have variable magnification; This is set and configurable in the software, which simply crops the image. The resolution is full frame based, so when you zoom in it's like using the digital zoom on your small Nikon Coolpix camera. The Celestron adjusts the actual projection of the camera lens in the axial direction along with the housing as a tool to fine-tune the focus. does not improve the image on my screen. Fool, I need a high-resolution screen. However, capturing higher resolution images resulted in blurry images. Disclaimer: I mostly use the camera in manual mode. When I had a good image on screen (basic 2MP is actually better than HD video) and snapped an image, the software obviously uses interlacing to fill in the other 3MP. This means that more than one frame of video is actually required to create a higher resolution image. In portable mode, this means a blurry image. I haven't tested a real 5MP fixed mount image yet. However, this camera has some significant improvements over the unnamed camera I used. With fixed magnification and adjustable focus, I was able to customize it for my particular use. I set the focus point so that it falls on the plane of the front of the transparent plastic case. I can then touch any fairly direct component with the camera and instantly get near-perfect focus. I can tilt the camera to get the sheath flat and centered on the edge of the knife and move the camera along the edge, watching video from the edge as I move around the edge. Well! I can even record videos but the file size is huge! The unnamed picture capture button (Veho) is on the body, making it almost impossible to get a clear picture without interfering with the camera. I had to use the "Print Screen" button and then paste the image into another software. A very labor intensive process. I'm using Corel's version of Photoshop. Unlike the others, the Celestron has a grip knob with a cord, the body of which also includes a wheel to adjust the brightness of the LED. Do not disturb the camera! Very beautiful! The fixed magnification image displayed on my screen corresponds to my Veho's maximum magnification of about 185x (not the advertised 800x). What I need isn't that much more power than a sharper image of my knife blades. The calibration method provided is also good. This makes it easier to measure objects on the screen. I was able to measure the "scratch lines" to within a few microns. I found a bug where dimension size is unreadable due to font size when zoomed in. The software could use some other improvements, but it's much better than the no-name version. The instructions come as a .pdf file that's only about a dozen pages long. Some sections may need clarification, and a direct explanation of how videos and pictures are taken would be helpful. It would also be nice if I could change the color and font of the measurement tools. In certain lighting conditions, it simply disappeared. Incidentally, I was also able to operate my old camera with the Celestron software. You must restart the software after connecting another camera. Haven't played with it yet to test hybrid performance. I may find situations that favor one camera over another. Edit 12/2015: Seems like third party cameras will work with the software but you can't take pictures ) have a single lens that moves closer or farther from the 5 megapixel sensor to focus. The closer the lens is to the object, the greater the effective magnification. I use it in a fixed plane of focus - the front of the case, which I place against the knife edge. I found that all of these cameras have two positions where they focus on a specific plane. For me on my 21 inch monitor that's 50x and about 160x. I have found that 50x magnification is ideal for my application (knife blade). Some depth of field, easy focus. Upon closer inspection, I don't think interlacing increases resolution. I think it's really 5MP, but yes, 2MP is all you need for an HD monitor. To use 5MP you need to save it as a JPEG and scale it to the right level. To be honest, 5MP isn't much better than 2MP.