What is a digital microscope and how do I choose?

A handheld digital microscope is a small microscope that you connect to a computer to view the image instead of looking through an eyepiece.  It is compact and portable, avoids eyestrain, lets you capture photos and videos of what you see, and makes it easy to make measurements since you can perform them with a computer onscreen instead of trying to do them manually. 

A small handheld microscope includes built-in lighting, a camera and lens, and takes up much less room than conventional microscopes.  These units are portable, needing only a USB device such as a laptop or tablet for power.  Since you are viewing the image on your device’s screen, you can share the image for demonstration purposes or save it for later using the imaging software.  

Handheld digital microscopes vary between their physical size, their resolution, how they change between magnifications, whether they are designed to work without a stand, whether they have a built-in screen or connect to a USB device (such as a computer, tablet or phone) or an HDMI monitor.  Those that connect to a computer can use software to perform advanced features and don’t need an electrical source for power.

With built-in LEDs, handheld digital microscopes can use different kinds of lighting with multiple wavelengths. Zarbeco uniquely offers white, ultraviolet light (UV) and two wavelengths of near infrared light (IR) all in one unit as options in their portable digital microscopes.

When looking at the features of a handheld digital microscope, a few of the most important issues include image quality and magnification.  There is no standard for magnification determination in digital microscopy.  At Zarbeco, LLC we use the viewing area of an Olympus stereoscope as our reference magnification, so the expectations are matched with a visual microscope. Other microscope manufacturers may have inflated magnification, because they are looking at digital magnification because on a screen you can increase the zoom. They also may have empty magnification because although the magnification changes, there is no increase in resolution. If you rely on digital magnification, then it’s like saying the magnification is based on how large a computer screen you are using rather than what the image looks like. 

The real issue for user satisfaction is how small an object you can see clearly.  This means that more important than magnification is image resolution.  That tells you how small an object you will see in your image.  When Zarbeco lists resolution as better than 1.7 micron resolution, that means you can distinguish an object sized at 1.7 microns.  The other thing to look at is field of view.  How large an object you can see clearly is more important than listing a magnification.

Another way to determine resolution is the number of megapixels your camera has.  Beware of cheap competitors that list high megapixels but can’t show high magnification images that correspond with micron level objects.

Another feature that is important for the user’s satisfaction is how fast is the update speed of the camera.  It is generally listed in frames per second (fps) and the more fps it is the less disjointed your image will be when you move the microscope or watch a movie.  A movie that has smooth connections for their images will look more realistic and “live”.  Zarbeco has microscopes that have up to 60 fps which show a very realistic image and movies and you don’t see lag when you move the microscope across your specimen.

The ease of changing magnification is another feature which affects user experience.  Zarbeco has a unique system with a small focus arm on the side that you can move while holding the microscope in the same hand. It focuses and zooms at the same time. It doesn’t need a stand (but has stands as options if you prefer) and you don’t have to use a dial to change the magnification.  

The software you use is also important because of its features and how easy they are to use directly impact the user.  Zarbeco includes different versions of its Video Toolbox Software with their microscopes.  They have the ability for still and moving image capture, and time lapse, and also have live measurement capabilities.  It is easy to use and is feature-rich especially to view at micron level measurement. It also has labelling features and live onscreen measurement and you can open the images in your favorite photo editing software. 

The calibration of the software is another feature important for measurement since the microscope needs to be calibrated before you can accurately measure. Zarbeco has a patented tool, the CaliWedge for one button software calibration to make it easy to calibrate and the software allows you to save calibrations at different magnifications.  Other features that allow the microscope to easily make digital measurements are edge detection where the measurement tool finds and goes to the edge of your sample.  Using the mouse flywheel to move the measurement tools also helps you easily take accurate and easy measurements.

When portability is important, a handheld digital microscope is the tool of choice.  When keeping in mind the many features that matter you can pick out a handheld digital microscope that has accurate magnification listed as well as easy to use software with advanced features.

Any other questions please contact us at sales@zarbeco.com or (973) 933-2043.