As a result magnification numbers and field of view are still the same as that original definition, regardless of the size of the monitor used. While monitor sizes have changed, the physical size of the camera chip used has not. Instead the magnification for a digital microscope was originally determined by how many times larger the sample was reproduced on a 15” monitor. Since the digital microscope does not have an eyepiece, the magnification cannot be found using this method. With a stereo microscope, the magnification is determined by multiplying the eyepiece magnification times the objective magnification. The resolution is directly related to the number of megapixels available on a specific model, from 1.3 MP, 2 MP, 5 MP and upwards.Ī primary difference between a stereo microscope and a digital microscope is the magnification. They offer high-resolution images which are normally recorded directly to a computer, and which also use the computer power for their built-in LED light source. They continue to fall in price, especially compared with traditional optical microscopes. The invention of the USB port resulted in a multitude of USB microscopes ranging in quality and magnification. This system also was much more compacted than previous models with a reduction in the number of cables and physical size of the unit itself.Ī digital microscope allows several students in Laos to examine insect parts. Then in late 2015 they released a system that once again had the computer separate, but connected to the computer by USB 3.0, taking advantage of the speed and longevity of the USB connection. Around 2005 they introduced advanced all-in-one units that did not require a computer, but had the monitor and computer built-in. Over time that connection was changed to Firewire 800 to handle a large amount of digital information coming from the digital camera. The original connection to the computer was analog through an S-video connection. It included a control box and a lens connected to a computer. An optical microscope can also be fitted with a digital camera.Īn early digital microscope was made by a company in Tokyo, Japan in 1986, which is now known as Hirox Co. The low price commercial microscopes normally omit the optics for illumination (for example Köhler illumination and phase contrast illumination) and are more akin to webcams with a macro lens.
The optics for the human eye are omitted.ĭigital microscopes range from, usually inexpensive, USB digital microscopes to advanced industrial digital microscopes costing tens of thousands of dollars.
Since the image is focused on the digital circuit, the entire system is designed for the monitor image. A digital microscope often has its own in-built LED light source, and differs from an optical microscope in that there is no provision to observe the sample directly through an eyepiece.
USB DIGITAL MICROSCOPE 1000X MAGNIFICATION SOFTWARE
Entomologist using a digital microscope to magnify a miniature insect.Ī digital microscope is a variation of a traditional optical microscope that uses optics and a digital camera to output an image to a monitor, sometimes by means of software running on a computer.