Can anyone let me know of a good coin microscope with a 1 megapixel to 5 megapixel USB camera built-in? I would like to keep the cost under $500. It doesn't need to be high power, I'm thinking 10X, 20X, 40X. Stereo optics would be nice, but not a requirement. I would also like to know of an online collectors supply company for flips boxes etc. I went NUTS this month and spent my coin budget for the next 6 months bought about 250 coins, and want to add GOOD photos to my collecting software. I did find 5 Peace and Morgan VAMs, to my surprise, that are all certified between MS61 and MS63, but none are marked as VAMs. Is this normal? Do the coin grading services not look for VAMs? I also bought an 18.4" monster laptop to go with my monster 2TB desktop. Amy's gonna kill me, so she may have a sale on all my collecting items and coins. However, she bought about 30 or 40 coins on her own, so I may be safe. I can't wait to get her '53 Franklin in so we can get it graded! Anyway, we had a GREAT month of collecting... we just can't eat for a week or two. Thanks, Ben
@ Yoko - I am new at this but I have been eyeballing this - http://cgi.ebay.com/New-USB-200X-Zo...62206795?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0#ht_10701wt_913 It looks awesome, watch the video...I would get the stand also...I have a great camera with Macro and never seem to get the lighting right
I think it will barely get a half dime image at its lowest. I have a similar model I don't use, because of that fact. It is fair for the small areas of a coin such as RPMs or such, but I most often also need the full obverse and reverse. Since you have a good camera with macro lens, I would recommend instead of the microscope, buying the book below if you don't have it and read it before buying. http://www.amazon.com/Numismatic-Ph...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1282766931&sr=8-1 Also, if lighting in the problem, very often a photo tent such as the one below will allow you to get nice lighting. Daylight type CFL bulbs of spots can be used if you don't have the flash/slave equipment. I made on out of an old gallon plastic milk container, and it helped a lot, but the diffusion of the cloth seems better for reflective surfaces such as coins or gemstones. http://cgi.ebay.com/16-PHOTO-STUDIO-TENT-KIT-Jewerly-PHOTOGRAPHY-05LS-/250683700448?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0 Type in photo tent on ebay for a range of types sizes, etc. Jim
Man, I heard you on the laptop ! I also upgraded to the HD wide display and It's like having a new set of eyes. The 1000x display and really make the pics stand out. Hey, if the wife gets too angry, do the hang dog thing. As long as you don't argue back and let them yell a bit. They get over it. LOL SSSSssh, DO NOT tell my wife I said that or I will be playing whipped pup for the next year. Thanks for asking about the microscope, that's info I am looking for also. gary
Any truely seasoned wife know's the puppy dog act. We just want you to understand that you're always wrong. Ran out of milk--it's your fault. Dog went on the carpet--it's your fault. GUYS--Just always accept EVERYTHING is your fault and your marriage will last.
Before you buy that look at this thread. The price on that unit is too high since you can order the same one from the link in this thread for 149.99 http://www.cointalk.com/t125137/?highlight= Richard
Yep - we know. Every married guy I know can explain out it is always their fault. And some of their wives will blame me - guilt by association. Congrats on the additions to your collection! I agree camera is better than a scope. I also recommend not going over you budget - as a matter of fact I recommend not hitting the budget. Why you may ask? Because if another 53 frankie like that 1 becomes available you can't get it. Also too much too fast can be a disaster in some cases, since a year down the road you might want to focus on something special. Just this year I started purging a lot of coins from my collection. Just something to think about in the long run. Enjoy - cause it is a fun hobby to me.
I bought the what I thought was a high-end name brand that works the same way and I HATE it. it's almost impossible to use and get a good shot. It also has about 12 dead pixels in the scope. I have never been able to get a usable shot from it. It was much less than the one you're looking at, but the good old standard style microscope design is the only way to go. This is just from my experiance... that's why I wanted to know what people thought. I do have a Nikon digital that takes GREAT pictures, but I want some thing I can hook up to the Laptop, Desktop and TV to view the coin details without killing my eyes. I'm not going to use it for photos, I have that covered. I just want to look at fine details without a loop. You may have better luck than me, but I vote no on the type of scope you list above. Just my 2 cents. Ben
If I had it to do oer again, I would definitely have opted for the trinocular microscope similar to this. Be aware that the camera accessories listed are not included in the price. Chris http://store.amscope.com/sm-2tz.html
I use a simple digital blue scope for that. Nothing fancy and not you can not see the whole coin, but 60x does fine to look at details. Not sure if it would work on my tv or not - plus last I heard it still does not work with windows 7(that was months ago).
I may go with this one. http://www.amazon.com/Celestron-443...1_fkmr1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1282956231&sr=8-2-fkmr1 Camera is built in, you can use SD cards (I have 6) and you can share the view with others without taking turns looking in a view finder. I just have to make sure it will display on my other screens, too. I have a 24" desktop monitor I plan on using most of the time. I'm still looking, so I may go another directions. Any suggestions... just let me know! I'll send you my phone number if you want to talk about equipment, coins and related items. Because I'm disabled, this is going to be what I do for the next 30 or 40 years... I hope. I'm learning everything I can about US coins. I may forget it, but I'll keep on trying! Thanks! Ben
