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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2014 20:04:25 GMT -5
I am considering buying a microscope and I am wondering if anyone knows how much magnification I need to view jade crystals. I realize that all things rock can vary but I want to see the smallest and tightest crystal structure jade has to offer.
Thanks in advance Jim
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 19, 2014 21:58:36 GMT -5
Are you getting a USB microscope? I don't know anything about them or the answer to your question, but I think that they look like fun.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 19, 2014 22:27:35 GMT -5
I bought a tablet a while back so yes I am thinking about that. Easy to carry hounding and the grand kids would probably enjoy it. Jim
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 19, 2014 23:54:14 GMT -5
The USB microscopes are decent, but I don't find the optics to be as good as a stereo microscope. Although magnification power is less with a stereo microscope as opposed to a USB microscope.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2014 7:39:27 GMT -5
The USB microscopes are decent, but I don't find the optics to be as good as a stereo microscope. Although magnification power is less with a stereo microscope as opposed to a USB microscope. Thank you. I am finding that a lot of the USB scopes don't list the magnification. I guess you can blow it up as much as you want but the image quality drops really fast if the optics are cheap. I am starting to think that a regular mono scope with a digital USB pickup might be the way to go. Only problem with that is the tiny piece of rock you have to put under it. It would be much easier to adjust the height of a stand above a large rock. Still contemplating. Jim
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 20, 2014 13:20:27 GMT -5
The USB microscopes are decent, but I don't find the optics to be as good as a stereo microscope. Although magnification power is less with a stereo microscope as opposed to a USB microscope. Thank you. I am finding that a lot of the USB scopes don't list the magnification. I guess you can blow it up as much as you want but the image quality drops really fast if the optics are cheap. I am starting to think that a regular mono scope with a digital USB pickup might be the way to go. Only problem with that is the tiny piece of rock you have to put under it. It would be much easier to adjust the height of a stand above a large rock. Still contemplating. Jim Being that you are doing such small pieces I suggest going with a binocular stereo microscope. Or if you want to fork out a little more money you can get a trinocular so you can mount a camera while still using the binocular optics to view the piece. I have used my USB microscope, stereo microscope and regualr microscope to photograph stone so here are my opinions on each. The USB microscopes do have higher magnification than the stereo microscope. But they use LED lighting, which I don't like as much as incandescent lighting. The LED lights don't bring out as much of the true color and the overall lighting on the USBs is not as good. The other drawback to the USB microscopes is the inability to really adjust the magnification easily. You basically move the USB back or forth from the piece then adjust the focus. If doing this by hand though it is hard to hold it in focus while getting pics. You need a USB stand to really do this. Otherwise you are stuck with whatever magnification you get by holding the USB to the piece. I prefer to use the stereo microscope in most cases. The lighting is better and you can add additional lighting with a light ring or other sources. It is much easier to adjust the focus and the optics are a lot better. Photography is also a lot easier since both the scope and the piece being photographed are stationary. The magnification is lower compared to USB scopes. Generally the optics are between 20X to 80X standard although you can change the eye or objective optics to get higher magnifications. The cost is higher than a USB and you still have to buy the camera separately. Standard microscopes are the highest priced and have the highest magnifications. They will not allow you to view solid objects though like a USB or stereo microscope. I use this microscope to study thin sections of meteorites. The thin sections are ground thin enough to allow light to pass through the mineral specimen allowing their identification by cross polarization. From what it sounds like you need I would recommend the stereo microscope with a good USB camera or you can get a digital 35mm camera mount for the stereo microscope.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 20, 2014 14:22:02 GMT -5
Vegasjames, what kind of USB microscope are you using? There is a big difference in price. Are you using the higher end or the lower end?
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Post by vegasjames on Aug 20, 2014 15:11:54 GMT -5
Vegasjames, what kind of USB microscope are you using? There is a big difference in price. Are you using the higher end or the lower end? I have several. One I bought that is designed specifically for microscopes, but I was not impressed. Then I bought an adapter for my 35mm camera, which gives much better pics. Then I bought one of the handheld USB microscopes (Veho brand) that I use once in a while. Mostly to look for inclusions in meteorites. I don't recall the exact magnification on this one, but I think the max was 800X.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 20, 2014 15:35:49 GMT -5
Thanks. I was just wondering about the USB handheld microscopes. Some of the Veho brand scopes are only $45, but other brands can be $400. It would be nice to be able to try out the different models in a store.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2014 15:42:05 GMT -5
I am going to Billings Montana this weekend so I am taking a rock and checking out the electronic stores. Jim
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Post by Jugglerguy on Aug 20, 2014 15:53:35 GMT -5
Cool, I look forward to your report.
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