Since the invention of the first microscope in the late 1500s, microscopy has been a steady fascination for scores of people. From its use in medical breakthroughs to its ability to illuminate and magnify, microscopes have served an important purpose throughout history, both in professional and personal use.

While microscopes play an important role still today, the traditional laboratory microscope is being replaced by digital microscopes in another advancement of science. Digital microscopes include a regular microscope with a digital camera, which allows a user to see what he/she is studying instantly. Most digital microscopes are connected to a computer via a USB port.

Advantages of using digital microscopes include:

• Research: The biggest thing any microscope is used for is research. Using a digital microscope allows scientists and other researchers a chance to save images and print them from the equipment, which helps them to be able to closely examination what they’re studying. Having the chance to study and save images with ease makes a digital microscope a great choice for research and development, manufacturing and inspection, quality control and assurance and failure analysis.
• Options: Depending on what type of digital microscope you use, some of them come with one eyepiece or more. Having one with two eyepieces allows a user to view something with both eyes rather than just one. Some digital microscopes also allow for the storage of more than one user profile, which allows researchers for example to simply select their profile on a microscope and get to work.
• Education: Using a digital microscope also allows for many educational opportunities. Compared with a traditional microscope, a digital microscope allows many students to study something at once, especially when the microscope’s camera is hooked up to a computer. Additionally, students can go back and view images of a specimen later since photos can easily be stored.

As with anything there are a few disadvantages to using digital microscopes. Perhaps the biggest one is the need for a reliable power connection for it to work correctly. Since there are no eyepieces with some of the digital microscopes offered, students, researchers and others must rely on a monitor to display what they’re looking at. If there’s not a reliable power source to power the monitor, it hinders the ability to look at what you’re trying to study.

If you’re looking to buy a digital microscope, there are five major factors you must consider:

• Lighting Options
• Working Distance
• Connection Options
• Magnification and Field of View
• Quality and Price

A Dino Lite microscope is designed to provide quick, dependable and accurate results for a wide range of applications. A Dino Lite microscope offers users a great number of magnification and illumination options and there are microscopes that fit every budget and every use, from home use to professional use.

If you’re looking for a USB microscope camera, a Dino Lite microscope is a reliable option. A basic USB Dino Lite microscope can start magnification at 10x and top of the line models can extend to 400x magnification and even higher. If you’re looking for a USB microscope, Dino Lite offers basic models as well as more advanced models (Edge Series) and also microscopes for medial and laboratory use.

In addition to USB models, Dino Lite also offers several handheld microscopes including ones that are compatible with a TV via RCA, VGA and high definition outputs.