Mr. H
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Member - APS #129381
Posts: 935
What I collect: US, Netherlands, Whatever suits my fancy.
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Post by Mr. H on Dec 23, 2020 19:04:19 GMT
Looking for something that can do about 100x.
Would also like to understand the zoom function - I can't tell from any of the eBay descriptions if they have a true 100x or it's just a digital zoom?
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renden
Member
Posts: 8,705 
What I collect: World W collector with ++ interests in BNA (Canada etc) and USA
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Post by renden on Dec 23, 2020 19:24:36 GMT
Looking for something that can do about 100x. Would also like to understand the zoom function - I can't tell from any of the eBay descriptions if they have a true 100x or it's just a digital zoom? Mine does 1000X and paid roughly $50 and not the greatest microscope  taken with an Iphone 12 René |
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brightonpete
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On a hike at Goodrich-Loomis
Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Dec 23, 2020 19:49:30 GMT
I bought the pricey Celestron microscope, new. It worked fine until Apple updated their system, or rather I updated Apple's system. Now nada. It is a useless piece of junk to me now.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Dec 23, 2020 21:57:13 GMT
I have a Celestron HD Digital Microscope Imager which I use on an old Unitron dissecting scope I've been hauling around for 30+ years- I bought it to accept a T-mount for use with my Olympus OM1 35mm camera (now quite obsolete). The Celestron came with adapters and it fits the T-mount nicely.
It does state it will only support 2 MPS on OSX- seems just fine to my eyes, and I can get "up close and personal". I f I try a small area at hi-res on my scanner 3200 dpi, if nI magnify it it pixellates fairly quickly
I don't know what the actual "x" factor is, the scope is 10 - 55x and then the camera is added to that
I am checking with Celestron to see if there are any updates for the software
Having said that, I purchased initial an AmScope and it would not even work on a Mac (even though they said it would) and after replacing it once because they thought maybe it was defective, they refunded my money, including shipping. I did try the scope at work (Microsoft) but the software I did not find impressive. For the Celstron I save the image and do any editing (arrows, circles, etc) in Illustrator
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Ryan
Member
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 2,720
What I collect: If I have a catalogue for it, I collect it. And I have many catalogues ....
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Post by Ryan on Dec 24, 2020 3:56:32 GMT
Looking for something that can do about 100x. I don't know if you've seen this older thread on TSF regarding microscopes - in it, I show some 60x and 200x views with my scope. 200x is simply too magnified for stamps, I think - you end up seeing individual paper fibres and every stamp looks unique at that level of magnification. 60x is plenty for my tastes. This image is the top of a letter "R" at 200x.  Ryan |
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,335
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Dec 24, 2020 10:51:08 GMT
I have the Celestron too like BrightonPete but continue to look for something better. I realized the lighting by the scope needs to be more off axis to show some details I want to see,
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Mr. H
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Member - APS #129381
Posts: 935
What I collect: US, Netherlands, Whatever suits my fancy.
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Post by Mr. H on Dec 25, 2020 15:37:17 GMT
My wife got me a Celestron Handheld Digital Pro for Christmas. I'll let you know what I think after I 've had a chance to use it a few times.
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Post by jkjblue on Dec 25, 2020 16:27:35 GMT
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ameis33
Member
What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet
Posts: 505
What I collect: Poland and Italy Republic
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Post by ameis33 on Feb 1, 2021 21:54:13 GMT
Can i change a little bit the question? Assuming a flat scanner could be better then a microscope, which scanner? (or which brand?)
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on Feb 1, 2021 22:43:09 GMT
Here is a sample from my Canon Lide 400 scanner. It is a very nice & cheap scanner. It takes its power from the USB connection to the computer. The Canon scanning software only scans to 600 dpi and that is what this image is. The image size is 617 x 521 pixels.  That's OK. But if you get VueScan, you can scan up to 4,800 dpi! This one is less quality jpg, so it could be displayed here. The image size of this is 4,848 x 4,150! I'm not sure if you can get the full size of the image this way. I can't get the full size. I guess I need to upload somewhere and then link to it.  But that would be more than what you are looking for in image size, I'm sure! Here is a snippet of the full size of the image...  Is that big enough for your needs?  |
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WERT
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What I collect: Canada and Provinces
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Post by WERT on Feb 2, 2021 0:20:47 GMT
Good stuff brightonpete....You can clean it up a bit to, like below.
Robert
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on Feb 2, 2021 1:43:09 GMT
Why bother when you can scan so much larger and clearer at 4,800 DPI? The second image is not 4,800 DPI. It is munged here by the constraints of the website. Those smaller images were just to show the differences between the two, but best to do it yourself with your own scanner.
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Feb 3, 2022 19:02:31 GMT
brightonpete If you still have your Celestron camera, I just upgraded to Monterey (no choice....new software wouldn't even load onto Mojave....) The bad news - the Celestron software just crashes, but Photobooth does recognize the camera.... only catch is the image is reversed (until you take the photo as long as "Autoflip" (in Edit drop down) is checked..... This may not be all cameras- I have the Microscope digital imager and the prism in my scope may be the culprit.... but there Celestron software (when it worked) corrected this) Otherwise the impact of Monterey has been minimal- If anyone knows of an open source program for using with a digital camera to capture images let me know please!?!
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brightonpete
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Post by brightonpete on Feb 3, 2022 19:11:44 GMT
stainlessb - I have no idea on that. I never knew Photo Booth would work with the microscope! Celestron gave up on the Mac unfortunately. I've long since given up on microscopes and scan at 4,800 DPI, or zoom in with my iPhone 12. You should be able to flip the resulting reversed image in any software and probably in Apple's Photos app and save the headache of looking for other fixes. Have you tried that?
Never mind my advice on flipping the picture. I just re-read your message. Same problem with speeling errors I guess!
Peter
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tobben63
Member
Stamp eat sleep repeat
Posts: 1,866
What I collect: I collect to much, world wide!
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Post by tobben63 on Feb 3, 2022 19:36:32 GMT
I bought the pricey Celestron microscope, new. It worked fine until Apple updated their system, or rather I updated Apple's system. Now nada. It is a useless piece of junk to me now. What is a useless piece of junk, Apple or the microscope?  |
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Feb 3, 2022 21:21:10 GMT
This seems to be an issue with the digital scope people- Amscopes cameras do not work at all on a Mac (not even recognized). Th Celestron works fine as far as image and was great on Mojave, but the reverse image prior to scanning is a PITA. I have sent another inquiry to Celestron to see if they are doing anything to address this (even a beta test version)
My Epson V600 scanner will not scan >3200 dpi, which is fine for most things, but on some of the variant traits, a higher resolution makes things easier. The digital scope does have the disadvantage of a reduced field (whereas the scanner will only let me crop to a minimum and no further). The Epson software and the SilverFast both scan higher but I do not like the Epson software color recognition settings, and the Silverfast lacks some functionality that makes it a bit arduous for stamps (and it is really designed for photos)
Maybe having to look at things backward will help stave off Alzheimers?!?
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brightonpete
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Posts: 5,110
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Post by brightonpete on Feb 3, 2022 23:54:15 GMT
What is a useless piece of junk, Apple or the microscope?
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stainlessb
Member
qaStaHvIS yIn 'ej chep
Posts: 4,642
What I collect: currently focused on most of western Europe, much of which is spent on France, Belgium, Germany and Great Britain Queen Victoria
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Post by stainlessb on Feb 4, 2022 0:13:46 GMT
What is a useless piece of junk, Apple or the microscope? and now we're trapped in their world..... |
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angore
Member
Posts: 5,335
What I collect: WW, focus on British Empire
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Post by angore on Feb 4, 2022 12:04:00 GMT
For the Epson V600, VueScan does not scan above 3200 in flat bed mode. It does go to 9600 in transparency mode. Epson Scan allows scans the the higher settings but have not compared if the scans are actually better.
In the Windows world, there is a freeware app called AMCap that supposedly works with most cameras like the Celestron.
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