Review on 🔍 Enhanced Plugable USB 2.0 Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm Observation Stand for Windows, Mac, Linux (2MP, 250x Magnification) by Todd Cowdrey

The scope didn't impress me at first as most of the controls are somewhat hidden due to the lack of a printed manual. A little play and a look at the FAQ revealed most of what I needed, but the lack of actual instructions would cost one star as it should have been included. I was a bit nervous about the quality of the material when I bought it, but I was pleasantly surprised. The suction cup is strong enough to withstand the force of a grown man when grasped, but is easily removed when the clamp is released. The mount is also sturdy, comparable to that of a high quality table lamp. The assembly is quite intuitive, but again there are no real instructions. The controls are shared between the real device and the desktop app. Focus and zoom are linked on the device, so only two zooms are possible. This eliminates much of the possible control and fine-tuning. Unless you manually adjust the resolution in the settings, it defaults to 0.3MP instead of 2MP. Speaking of the settings menu, other controls like contrast, brightness, saturation, and hue are also hidden here. Contrast/Brightness is mostly needed as dark objects tend to turn into "black spots” and lose detail on the digital page. Zooming is done with the focus knob (from focusing through a lot of blur to refocusing at a higher resolution). For those not used to microscopy, the depth of field is expectedly shallow, requiring you to focus back and forth for anything larger. All in all, for only $35, the features are truly remarkable. The resulting images are quite good, and the functionality is not far off Leica Microsystems' non-digital 10447197 EZ4 stereo microscope for $700-$1,000 with 10x eyepieces. Attached are images of an ant's antenna with a diameter of 1 mm (a) and the whole body (b); an acrobatic ant (c) in full growth and (d) in the thoracic spine; and a 4 mm chalcid eye (e) and wings (f) shot with an interchangeable telescopic sight.