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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Ordinary Fool, post: 2783736, member: 85318&quot;]Get you a cheap USB scope AND one of these perhaps</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Stereo-Zoom-7-Stereo-Microscope-with-Illuminator-/371990365136?hash=item569c5a83d0:g:2LwAAOSwHLNZTIuH" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Stereo-Zoom-7-Stereo-Microscope-with-Illuminator-/371990365136?hash=item569c5a83d0:g:2LwAAOSwHLNZTIuH" rel="nofollow">http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Stereo-Zoom-7-Stereo-Microscope-with-Illuminator-/371990365136?hash=item569c5a83d0:g:2LwAAOSwHLNZTIuH</a></p><p><br /></p><p>This one needs eyepiece (20-125 bucks athough they are servicable) and the SZ7 at it&#039;s lowest zoom, without a demagnifying &quot;barlow&quot; has a field of view that won&#039;t quite swallow a whole quarter. Pretty sure, I&#039;m too lazy to go look and verify. </p><p><br /></p><p>The objective lenses are stated to be scratched and these on the SZ7 are tricky to find cheap, and tricky to replace without a complete disassembly replacing the entire objective lens assembly (you can see there are just two tiny lenses and to merely remove and replace them can be done, but, it ain&#039;t easy). Even after doing that, adjusting everything with useful precision isn&#039;t a task for an average joe that can change his own oil and adjust the bucket shims in his DOHC engine.</p><p><br /></p><p>But, sometimes, you can snag one in nice shape and turn key ready for this money or a little more. Barlows for them are more expensive than the more common earlier units.</p><p><br /></p><p>Or one like this SZ4</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Stereo-Zoom-4-0-7x-3-0x-head-with-heavy-duty-stand-/232310291257?hash=item3616c5bb39:g:nj0AAOSwceNZSenm" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Stereo-Zoom-4-0-7x-3-0x-head-with-heavy-duty-stand-/232310291257?hash=item3616c5bb39:g:nj0AAOSwceNZSenm" rel="nofollow">http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bausch-Lomb-Stereo-Zoom-4-0-7x-3-0x-head-with-heavy-duty-stand-/232310291257?hash=item3616c5bb39:g:nj0AAOSwceNZSenm</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Who knows if this one is worth owning since it is missing both eyepieces yet the seller says it may need adjusting? These are easier to fix than the SZ7&#039;s with parts/accessories being cheaper.</p><p><br /></p><p>Those were just the first two search hits and 4&#039;s can be plucked off craigslist and eBay for 100 bucks or less, ready to use. Sometimes you can get lucky and find one loaded with everything and more for that money or still a bargain and 3 times.</p><p><br /></p><p>A good loupe will never allow you to see a coin like a stereo and looking at coins all day through a loupe will work you much harder than using a stereo.</p><p><br /></p><p>A cheap USB microscope won&#039;t show what a stereo will and only recommended because you can pop up on your pc screen and compare to known attributed varieties once found, without having to look back and forth between your eyepieces and screen. That and, of course, they are very inexpensive.</p><p><br /></p><p>I have medical stereo glasses (cheapies and good ones), flip visor, good loupes etc. I view them as take along travel stuff for coins when I&#039;m not going to pack a stereo into places requiring a lower profile.</p><p><br /></p><p>For inspection and picking off fine details at my desk, I use the stereo because it gets the job done and doesn&#039;t have me worn out and exhausted at the end of the day.</p><p><br /></p><p>Don&#039;t get a fixed stage scope, get one with variable zoom and don&#039;t get a cheapier amscope just to get a new one. I like their trinocular&#039;s simulafocal feature, but, the optical quality and color correction leaves much to be desired.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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