We have all seen those cheap digital microscopes, whether in USB format or with its own screen, all of them promising super-clear images of everything from butterfly wings to electronics at amazing magnification levels. In response to this, we have to paraphrase The Simpsons: in this Universe, we obey the laws of physics. This applies doubly so for image sensors and optics, which is where fundamental physics can only be dodged so far by heavy post-processing.

On the optics side, the lack of significant depth of field is problematic. Although the workarounds suggested in the video work, such as focus stacking and diffusing the light projected onto the subject, it is essential to be aware of the limitations of these microscopes. That said, since we’re comparing a $150 digital microscope with a $1,500 Sony digital camera with macro lens, there’s some leeway here to say that the former will be ‘good enough’ for many tasks, but so might a simple jeweler’s loupe for even less.

Do digital microscope specs match reality?

This video has been a year in the making. Last June, 2022, I purchased a variety of six different digital microscopes that I saw on the Amazon website. All of them boasted extremely high magnification numbers, so I was immediately skeptical of their capabilities. A microscope cable of 1000x magnification for only $10? That sounds way too good to be true…

For each of the six microscopes, I will take photographs at their highest magnification setting and compare them against my metallurgical microscope’s photos. In its current configuration for this video, my ME580 metallurgical microscope is capable of a maximum of 500x magnification. I’ll use two objects for these photos; a microscope calibration slide, and a silicon chip that happens to have a doodle of Sonic on it.

Here’s the order of the microscopes:

0:35 – Analysis criteria and tests
1:09 – AmScope SM-4TZ-144A
3:34 – AmScope ME580TA-PZ-2L
5:16 – SHIIRI USB Microscope
10:40 – Oxbird USB Microscope
13:03 – Annlov Digital Microscope
17:19 – Canada USB Microscope
18:46 – BYSAMEYEE 4KHD WIFI
23:18 – TOMLOV DM201
27:00 – Final thoughts

I would highly recommend against purchasing these cheaper digital microscopes if you were hoping to look at silicon chips up close. Even though they may be more expensive, there are many better options available.

The problem is on new Android versions
https://www.epanorama.net/blog/2020/07/10/usb-cameras-connected-to-android-10-device-do-not-work/