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The main reason the guy built this was so he could photograph certain kinds of specimens on an angle and reduce glare. It seems like a fairly specialized use c

The main reason the guy built this was so he could photograph certain kinds of specimens on an angle and reduce glare. It seems like a fairly specialized use case. If you just want or need to look at stuff under a microscope, it's probably better just to buy an inexpensive one. You can get a pretty decent one in the $300-$400 range. I have one of AM Scope's stereo boom microscopes and works great for what I need it for. It is quality stuff and they have a range of different types of microscopes.

Damogran6 5y ago
I was going to lambaste you for being pedantic and having no soul and then I went to an scope and looked at what was available and MAN can you buy a lot of microscope for not a lot of money. I’m assuming the quality is there. It’s a far cry from the prices I recall in the 80’s when I was a teenager. (Well, probably similar, but in 1980’s dollars)
- dekhn 5y ago
  yes, the amscopes are extremely high quality.
- samstave 5y ago
  One of the top things gobbled up during the multiple tech failure times (like the first one in ~2001-ish and ~2008 etc... Was the liqudating of assets from failed companies, and microscopes were abound, and were grabbed up super fast in the asset auctions. I never needed one, but I always regretted not buying one - ~$5,000 scope for $50... That and every Oscilloscope were always bought up fast as heck.
- blululu 5y ago
  Can confirm. The quality and prices are if AmScope are good and microscopy is a fun hobby. If you just want to build a microscope then build one but IMO using a microscope is a more enjoyable hobby than building one. Also even if you start with a decent microscope there are a lot of interesting diy projects involving focus and lighting and computational imaging.
- freedomben 5y ago
  Wow, that is indeed wild. A fellow student with me in the 80s broke a school microscope and I remember it being such a big deal that lawyers and lawsuits and even threats of violence broke out. I don't remember the dollar figure but I remember thinking you could get a car for a whole lot less than a microscope. I want to say it was 10s of thousands.
  - d110af5ccf 5y ago
    What sort of microscope though? A modern confocal microscope setup with something like a 100x oil immersion objective isn't cheap.
MrYellowP 5y ago
> inexpensive > in the $300-$400 range. inexpensive, relatively speaking. $300-$400 might be inexpensive for a microscope, but it's not inexpensive per se.
- tjoff 5y ago
  In the context, comparing it to a $300-$400 DIY solution it isn't expensive. A different thing, sure, but not more money.
waynesonfire 5y ago
Would I be able to examine the edge of plane iron blade on such a microscope? Blade is 0.125" thick and sharpened at a 35 degree bevel. Or, would the this lego microscope be a better tool given it's been designed for angles?
contingencies 5y ago
The cheap 'zoom tube' ones are great. $150-200 gets ~135-180x magnification with HDMI output, real time video and a nice lighting ring thrown in.

Damogran6 5y ago

I was going to lambaste you for being pedantic and having no soul and then I went to an scope and looked at what was available and MAN can you buy a lot of microscope for not a lot of money. I’m assuming the quality is there. It’s a far cry from the prices I recall in the 80’s when I was a teenager. (Well, probably similar, but in 1980’s dollars)

dekhn 5y ago
yes, the amscopes are extremely high quality.
samstave 5y ago
One of the top things gobbled up during the multiple tech failure times (like the first one in ~2001-ish and ~2008 etc... Was the liqudating of assets from failed companies, and microscopes were abound, and were grabbed up super fast in the asset auctions. I never needed one, but I always regretted not buying one - ~$5,000 scope for $50... That and every Oscilloscope were always bought up fast as heck.
blululu 5y ago
Can confirm. The quality and prices are if AmScope are good and microscopy is a fun hobby. If you just want to build a microscope then build one but IMO using a microscope is a more enjoyable hobby than building one. Also even if you start with a decent microscope there are a lot of interesting diy projects involving focus and lighting and computational imaging.
freedomben 5y ago
Wow, that is indeed wild. A fellow student with me in the 80s broke a school microscope and I remember it being such a big deal that lawyers and lawsuits and even threats of violence broke out. I don't remember the dollar figure but I remember thinking you could get a car for a whole lot less than a microscope. I want to say it was 10s of thousands.
- d110af5ccf 5y ago
  What sort of microscope though? A modern confocal microscope setup with something like a 100x oil immersion objective isn't cheap.

MrYellowP 5y ago

> inexpensive > in the $300-$400 range. inexpensive, relatively speaking. $300-$400 might be inexpensive for a microscope, but it's not inexpensive per se.

tjoff 5y ago
In the context, comparing it to a $300-$400 DIY solution it isn't expensive. A different thing, sure, but not more money.

waynesonfire 5y ago

Would I be able to examine the edge of plane iron blade on such a microscope? Blade is 0.125" thick and sharpened at a 35 degree bevel. Or, would the this lego microscope be a better tool given it's been designed for angles?

contingencies 5y ago

The cheap 'zoom tube' ones are great. $150-200 gets ~135-180x magnification with HDMI output, real time video and a nice lighting ring thrown in.