We bought a digital microscope for R350 — here is what its photos look like
Microscopes were once expensive devices used primarily in laboratories and scientific settings. This changed with the advent of digital devices, which are mass-produced.
You can now buy a digital microscope from an electronic shop for R300 that offers the same performance as advanced devices from a few decades ago.
To see what the performance of a cheap microscope is like, MyBroadband bought a digital microscope for R350.
The device supports a magnification of up to 1600 times and can take photos and videos using a 2MP camera.
The microscope connects to a computer via USB and is detected as a webcam, which means you can use webcam software to take pictures and videos.
The recommended software for the microscope is a program called HiView, which helps you calibrate the microscope through an included printed size reference.
This calibration then makes it possible to accurately measure the dimensions of small objects, like pixels on a screen.
While the resolution of the images is only 640×480, this is adequate for inspections of small parts like pixel counts.
To put the device through its paces, MyBroadband took photos of the surfaces of objects in the Broad Media office.
Printed red line on paper
Click pencil tip
Utility knife blade tip
Fountain pen tip
Dell 27-inch Full HD monitor pixels
Mousepad surface
Cloth lanyard surface
Water bottle surface (with condensation)
Wooden door surface
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