Anyone have any experience with stereo microscopes? Especially with AmScope? I'm trying to get more information before I spend $200+. Any reviews or suggestions are appreciated.
I don't know about this specific scope, but the 5-10-15-30 settings are ideal for coins. Anything over 50 is pretty much wasted, and difficult to interpret. Show us this scope's competition.
I heard another member (don't remember who) say that these are great for viewing and photographing coins. I can imagine they are cause I remember in high school and college labs looking through stereo microscopes (albeit higher quality) and they were great for studying texture on things. I remember the field of view being wide and clear. As for competition to this specific model, I honestly don't see anything in this price range. That's the biggest thing that has me apprehensive about this one. Usually price is a good indicator of quality and wondering if the quality difference is as large as the price difference. I don't need it to be super high grade, just good enough. Or at least worth $240. If anyone else knows of other models, please feel free to post them.
What is your goal with this potential purchase? In my experience and niche, anything above 10x has no real practical value.
Mainly to study coins. I would like to learn the intricacies of coins. I'm thinking it could help me spot damage, details and counterfeits. To be honest, it's just going to be a toy . Eventually I will probably get bored of just looking at coins and put all kinds of junk under it like bugs, leaves, and whatever else I can think of. But it will be mainly for coins .
Tom B, what you say is true, but it's hard to find a decent scope that doesn't run out at least to 25X; the manufacturer just can't resist, and it supports his bragging rights to newbie users.
I don't know about bragging, if you were talking about me. I couldn't care less about showing off. I know 5x and 10x are best for coins. I wouldn't mind having more than that though just to see what's really going on "deep down". Maybe I can see the bacteria on coins . The extra magnification (though unnecessary for coins) would also give me the flexibility to use it for other stuff when I get bored of looking at coins (if I were to).
That's another thing. It's possible I could someday use it for my coin listing photos, although I don't plan on it nor see it happening. I actually like my smart phone camera with the macro focus setting for that. The photos I do plan on taking with the microscope would be for saving on my external hard drive. Have a file for each coin. It can't hurt to document your coins with photos also.
No, no, it's the manufacturer who's bragging about the high (and mostly useless) magnifications. He adds a feature with a low marginal cost, and bumps the price 50%. That's what I meant.
