Celestron 44347 TetraView Digital Microscope Review

This is a simple and intuitive application. The photos I post show the prepared slide plus our own seaweed slide. I use it in an after school program for kids and kids ages 6-12 can control it and show each other how to use it. We use petri dishes to collect items for research and the kids start learning how to make slides.

I use microscopes to identify parasites. This scope doesn't stay focused for more than a second, leaving you unable to identify the vermin. The light under the film is not bright enough to illuminate the film or items on it. Even the "sample" slides they send with the device are fuzzy. In general, this is a rather weak unit. I would have sent it back but the box was destroyed before we could check the scope. Don't worry, it's not even worth it for a kid.

I have been working as a scientist with microscopes for many years. I know that a good microscope can be very expensive, so I didn't have high expectations for it. I regret to say that this microscope was completely unusable. The focus knob doesn't lock the stage, so the plane of focus is constantly changing when you're trying to take a picture. The screen resolution is also very low, making it almost impossible to focus properly when using higher magnification (thinner focal plane) lenses.

This microscope is very similar to the picture but looks *nothing* like the picture. First, this is not "Pentaview". It's a Quadraview with an extra lens in the box. The LED that is supposed to illuminate the field is BLOCKED by the mechanical table control. The camera automatically focuses on a whim, with a level of contrast that makes the image look like detail just disappears. The Celestron name used to be good; especially with telescopes. Unfortunately no longer. Conclusion: This microscope

Excellent in the field. (Optional battery operated). It does its job well, has digital memory, but there is a problem when viewed on a computer monitor. It's grainy. The advantages are that it is easy to use. Minus 5 achromatic - lenses 4x, 10x, 20x, 40x, 60x aren't as powerful as I need so I ordered a 100x lens hoping it would work. However, performance is application driven. It's durable and portable. It is helpful to see if there are germs in my compost tea. That's a big deal since you can't

This microscope has a very serious design flaw when viewing objects illuminated from above. The trapped light falling on the subject from above is nowhere near bright enough to produce an image on the screen. You will only see a dark screen until you use a flashlight or other additional light source and shine it on the object you want to see. How stupid is it to turn on a light source that isn't bright enough to illuminate any observable object? If you have ever used a quality microscope you…

A budget class biological microscope but quite suitable for educational purposes and even for some less critical real biological work. It's certainly a lot better than most cheap educational microscopes or horrible toy microscopes. USB port etc. Stored files are fine but perfect focus would be easier with a little higher resolution on the display device. I like that the screen pen has a place to attach it on the top of the case. The overhead light is mostly useless, but it's rarely useful…