This microscope is solidly built and has a lot of great features, including a movable stage with calipers to hold slides. However it also has complicating feature. One important note: There is a black pin on the right side of the scope, which is not mentioned in the manual. DO NOT unscrew it, or the whole top of the scope will fall off!
The main problem I'm having is that the instruction manual is a shambles of poorly-written and worse-translated verbiage that references certain parts of the scope, but not others, and doesn't clearly explain the parts it references. Add to that the fact that it references things that aren't shown in the illustrations, and the confusion increases. It appears that the manual was written for a different microscope and not edited to describe the use of this one. The translation into English is worse than sloppy, barely intelligible in places.
The scope comes with a small CD that will install the "Strangeview" program on a PC to allow you to see images on the computer screen and save photos and videos. I only installed it on an old disused laptop because somewhere in the installation process I was instructed that if my virus software objected I had to turn that off to install the program. Being as this software comes from an unknown source, I'm not willing to install it on a newer computer.
If you want to install the software on a Mac, you'll need to send an email to an address given in the manual and ask to be sent a link to download the software. I emailed that address about another issue 3 days ago and have not yet received any acknowledgment or response.
The software does work fairly well and has nice features such as letting you input information onto the screen when taking photos and videos. But it crashes frequently and can't be shut down without resorting to Alt-Ctrl-Del and End Process. If you click on the Help icon in the software it opens a blank document with nothing but a title and a date.
When using the electronic eyepiece to output images to the computer, I find it very difficult to achieve focus on the higher magnifications. A quality eyepiece ought to screw into the receptacle, but this one just sits loosely in and is easy to jostle out of position.
Some of the mp4 files saved by Strangeview will not play on my computer while others will, and it appears that ones that I've added identifying visual data to are the ones that won't play. They are apparently written with a different codec that Windows Media Player does not recognize.
The best way I'm finding to use the scope is by attaching a smart phone to one of the eyepieces with the supplied Mobile Phone Support.
Overall the scope's performance is good. The different objective lenses click in solidly with reasonable precision. You'll need to refocus with each lens change though. The coarse and fine focus knobs work well.
There is no company name on the scope or in the manual, so there is no way to contact the manufacturer for further information, and the email address supplied in the manual has not brought any response within 3 days.
I seriously considered giving only 3 stars because of the shabby instruction manual and nonresponsive email address, but the microscope is solid and functional, so if it came with an adequate manual and a better computer program I might even give it 5 stars.
The main problem I'm having is that the instruction manual is a shambles of poorly-written and worse-translated verbiage that references certain parts of the scope, but not others, and doesn't clearly explain the parts it references. Add to that the fact that it references things that aren't shown in the illustrations, and the confusion increases. It appears that the manual was written for a different microscope and not edited to describe the use of this one. The translation into English is worse than sloppy, barely intelligible in places.
The scope comes with a small CD that will install the "Strangeview" program on a PC to allow you to see images on the computer screen and save photos and videos. I only installed it on an old disused laptop because somewhere in the installation process I was instructed that if my virus software objected I had to turn that off to install the program. Being as this software comes from an unknown source, I'm not willing to install it on a newer computer.
If you want to install the software on a Mac, you'll need to send an email to an address given in the manual and ask to be sent a link to download the software. I emailed that address about another issue 3 days ago and have not yet received any acknowledgment or response.
The software does work fairly well and has nice features such as letting you input information onto the screen when taking photos and videos. But it crashes frequently and can't be shut down without resorting to Alt-Ctrl-Del and End Process. If you click on the Help icon in the software it opens a blank document with nothing but a title and a date.
When using the electronic eyepiece to output images to the computer, I find it very difficult to achieve focus on the higher magnifications. A quality eyepiece ought to screw into the receptacle, but this one just sits loosely in and is easy to jostle out of position.
Some of the mp4 files saved by Strangeview will not play on my computer while others will, and it appears that ones that I've added identifying visual data to are the ones that won't play. They are apparently written with a different codec that Windows Media Player does not recognize.
The best way I'm finding to use the scope is by attaching a smart phone to one of the eyepieces with the supplied Mobile Phone Support.
Overall the scope's performance is good. The different objective lenses click in solidly with reasonable precision. You'll need to refocus with each lens change though. The coarse and fine focus knobs work well.
There is no company name on the scope or in the manual, so there is no way to contact the manufacturer for further information, and the email address supplied in the manual has not brought any response within 3 days.
I seriously considered giving only 3 stars because of the shabby instruction manual and nonresponsive email address, but the microscope is solid and functional, so if it came with an adequate manual and a better computer program I might even give it 5 stars.
29/08/2024
The microscope itself is amazing and with all the correct pieces and software, you can do some awesome things. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it came with a disk instead of a link to download the software to use the eyepiece. And the instructions didn't really give good instructions on how to set it up. But they did state in the instructions to email them if you can't use the disk. When I emailed they were very responsive. The first link they sent didn't work but they provided other options based off if I had a Mac or PC and they gave me the correct software for my Mac and it worked. It took a while to position it correctly though to actually see something on my screen but I figured that out as I kept playing with it. The instructions weren't that great but the product itself was well worth the investment.
28/08/2024
Very impressed with the quality of the optics.
The construction is definitely sturdy.
The only "con" I can really think of is that the binoculars don't come with eye cups, but that's about it.
Either way I'm definitely impressed with how well this is designed and built, and would definitely recommend!
The construction is definitely sturdy.
The only "con" I can really think of is that the binoculars don't come with eye cups, but that's about it.
Either way I'm definitely impressed with how well this is designed and built, and would definitely recommend!
11/08/2024
I got this for my son, since he’s into all that science stuff, and he absolutely loves it. It’s a very high quality microscope, especially for such a great price. It’s sturdy and durable, and comes with a case to carry it around in. He really loves how you can project the specimens onto his computer. I highly recommend getting this, it’s well worth it.
11/08/2024
Absolutely amazing!!! Thank you so much!! So easy to use and set up! Great quality!!! Love it so much!!!!
31/07/2024
Is a great teaching microscope sturdy and easy to use.
17/07/2024
Great scope for the price, could use a top-mount slide illumination and a device cover should be included, but overall I am very satisfied.
14/05/2024
I ordered this microscope because I homeschool my kids and it is awesome! Very heavy duty and comes with multiple eye pieces, some prepared slides, empty slides, a petri dish, a collection flask and an attachment that allows you to attach your phone to the eyepiece. It is pretty simple to start using, but I'm sure there are things that I haven't even figured out how to use yet. It is definitely beyond what you usually get for a kids at home microscope.
14/04/2024