Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

sandra wrote:
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra




-- Sandra

Believe it or not try toys r us, I was shoppin for my granddkids and
saw some real nice ones up to 400 there





John Rutz
Z5 New Mexico

good judgement comes from bad experience, and that comes from bad
judgement

see my pond at:

http://www.fuerjefe.com

May I suggest that you look in to the computer based microscope from, I
believe, either Microsoft or Logitech. Have plenty of power and you can
zoom on-screen. Much better than the old types.

"sandra" wrote in message
...
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I
need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

On Sun, 11 May 2003 16:59:35 -0500, John Rutz wrote:



sandra wrote:
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other
things. Do any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow
for 100-400 magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100
that magnify to 10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that
means 100-400? I have a jewelry loupe that I use for examination of
some of the more obvious pests but some of my fish kept off site
from my pond have a condition that I need to investigate further
with a microscope. Thanks in advance. sandra

-- Sandra

Believe it or not try toys r us, I was shoppin for my granddkids
and saw some real nice ones up to 400 there

John Rutz

I once bought one of those from Toys-R-Us for Elder Daughter. It
worked (and still works after ten years) fine, but be aware that it
has plastic optics so if there is a problem with it you may as well
throw it away.

Cybe R. Wizard
--
Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P.
Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P.
"Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y.
Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L

I have a Digital Blue kids microscope. Connects to your PC. ONly 3
magnifications - 10x, 60x and 200X. Works well. About $50

--
Bob Alston

http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/
"flyline" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
May I suggest that you look in to the computer based microscope from, I
believe, either Microsoft or Logitech. Have plenty of power and you can
zoom on-screen. Much better than the old types.

"sandra" wrote in message
...
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things.
Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have
a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious
pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I
need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

On Sun, 11 May 2003 17:45:38 -0500, "Cybe R. Wizard"
wrote:

On Sun, 11 May 2003 16:59:35 -0500, John Rutz wrote:



sandra wrote:
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other
things. Do any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow
for 100-400 magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100
that magnify to 10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that
means 100-400? I have a jewelry loupe that I use for examination of
some of the more obvious pests but some of my fish kept off site
from my pond have a condition that I need to investigate further
with a microscope. Thanks in advance. sandra

-- Sandra

Believe it or not try toys r us, I was shoppin for my granddkids
and saw some real nice ones up to 400 there

John Rutz

I once bought one of those from Toys-R-Us for Elder Daughter. It
worked (and still works after ten years) fine, but be aware that it
has plastic optics so if there is a problem with it you may as well
throw it away.

Cybe R. Wizard

Hey Cybe!

I didn't know you were into fish too!

Azul

Digital Blue kids microscope is called the "Intel play QX3 microscope".
Has decent optics, built-in lightsources, AGC and NR filter built into
viewer software - an incredible value really.
They were made by Intel - discontinued - but can still be had.
Google "Intel play QX3 microscope" reveals sites like:
http://www.intel.com/intelplay/
http://www.compuvisor.com/digbluqx3usb.html
HTH
~ MattO

"Bob Alston" wrote in message
.. .
I have a Digital Blue kids microscope. Connects to your PC. ONly 3
magnifications - 10x, 60x and 200X. Works well. About $50

--
Bob Alston

http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/
"flyline" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
May I suggest that you look in to the computer based microscope from, I
believe, either Microsoft or Logitech. Have plenty of power and you can
zoom on-screen. Much better than the old types.

"sandra" wrote in message
...
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other
things.
Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I
have
a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious
pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I
need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

On Sun, 11 May 2003 20:11:21 -0500, Azul wrote:

Hey Cybe!

I didn't know you were into fish too!

Azul

Hi, Azul! Yes, I'm a long time ponder with two ponds I still
maintain at my old house (now my Mom's) and a larger one currently in
the works here at the new domicile.
I have only five koi of any size (14 to 18 inches) but bunches of
smaller ones plus a veritable plethora of goldfish. Bullfrogs and
other critters I didn't buy, of course, are not included in the
count.
Good to see you since you don't post limericks much anymore! In
fact, just tonight a fellow ponder/limericker has asked for a bit of
cyberwizardry over there in AJL under the subject, "Snakes!" Check it
out! Do you pond also?
(see ref. #2 in my sig)

Cybe R. Wizard
--
Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P.
Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P.
"Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y.
Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L

10X = ten magnification 40x=40 magnification
"sandra" wrote in message
...
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I
need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

10X-40X is not bad, but ten times less powerful than 100-400
(100X-400X). You'll greatly appreciate the higher magnification if
you are looking at pond water. Not as inexpensive as you have seen,
but there are some reasonable prices for decent scopes at:

http://microscopeworld.com/misc/gift-ideas.htm

"sandra" wrote:

Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

"sandra" wrote in message ...
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I need
to investigate further with a microscope.

There are, for all intents and purposes two kinds of microscopes that
have good quality. There are the scopes that are designed to look at
opaque objects such as insects, minerals, etc, that have powers up to
2-300, and those that are designed to look at microscope slides and
have powers up to about 1000. You simply cannot get either one with
adequate optics for this task for $100.

For the opaque you might try Ebay for Wild/Herbrugge, an excellent
brand, for the slide type you might try Leitz, or AO, again on Ebay.
All the rest are toys, and can not really be relied on for real
diagnostic work.

On Sun, 11 May 2003 22:23:08 -0500, "Cybe R. Wizard"
wrote:

On Sun, 11 May 2003 20:11:21 -0500, Azul wrote:

Hey Cybe!

I didn't know you were into fish too!

Azul

Hi, Azul! Yes, I'm a long time ponder with two ponds I still
maintain at my old house (now my Mom's) and a larger one currently in
the works here at the new domicile.
I have only five koi of any size (14 to 18 inches) but bunches of
smaller ones plus a veritable plethora of goldfish. Bullfrogs and
other critters I didn't buy, of course, are not included in the
count.
Good to see you since you don't post limericks much anymore! In
fact, just tonight a fellow ponder/limericker has asked for a bit of
cyberwizardry over there in AJL under the subject, "Snakes!" Check it
out! Do you pond also?
(see ref. #2 in my sig)

Cybe R. Wizard

No I don't have a pond, but I now have 3 aquariums and 7 fancy
goldfish. You can cop a look see at:

http://www.sentex.net/~eamoe/OurSite/index.html

Just bought the third tank yesterday. It was a Mom's day present from
my other half. I wish we owned the place where we are renting. (When
you see the pics you'll know why) I would be putting in a pond at the
first sign of good weather.


Since I moved to this area, I just have not had much time to write
limericks. I look everyday, but the muse is just passing me by. I
sing in a choir and in another group, plus play golf whenever the
weather permits.


Azul

On 5-11-03, Sandra wrote:

Im looking into buying a microscope for
parasite ID among other things. Do any
of you have opinions on a good brand
that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online
for under $100 that magnify to 10x-40x.
I haven't been able to figure out if that
means 100-400?

Hi Sandra,

I'm new here, but I know a bit about this subject, so I thought I'd
respond.

Look at the description of the microscope. In addition to the the 10X
and 40X magnification, which I suspect is the power of the objective
lenses, that is the lenses at the "bottom" of the scope, you will
probably see a mention of 10X for the eyepiece magnification.

That eyepiece power, multiplied times the objective lens power gives the
total magnification.

For instance, I have a microscope with a 10X eyepiece and 6X, 10X and
40X objectives, which means the microscope magnifies 60X, 100X or 400X,
depending on which objective is in use.

There are now inexpensive "student" microscopes, that will be quite
sufficient for casual use in the price range that you mention. Just make
sure that it is a standard size microscope and has glass, color
corrected lenses. Mine is of this variety, and works quite well. I paid
a bit over 100 for it, but not much, and I suspect that you're looking
at similar models. Avoid the scopes that you see in toy stores, as they
will almost certainly be really bad.

For fish parasites, that should be plenty of power.

Also, i've seen some results of the inexpensive computer microscopes,
and the images that they produce aren't too bad, but they aren't up to
the quality of a decent standard scope. You'll see a lot more detail
with a traditional microscope.

John

Visit my web pages, Mushrooms of the Chicago Region at:
http://community.webtv.net/Mycofan/Mushroomsofthe , also my fractal
art page at http://community.webtv.net/Inspiring2/MyDigitalArt

Sandra, this is the one I purchased. It's a very nice, basic microscope with
a lot of the bells and whistles. It does the 40X, 100X, and 400X, which is
probably all you'll ever need. With practice, you can even spot costia at
400X. It's monocular versus binocular; I have eye problems, so binocular may
cause me more problems than it would "cure". This 'scope is $165.00.
http://www.sonlight.com/microscope.html

Now, if you want to spend more money (and if I thought I would use it enough
to justify the added expense), I *lust* after this one:
http://microscopeworld.com/high/hpre.htm , Model 162. But when you specify
the objective lenses you want, you get up around $788 for semi-plan lenses
(plan just seem a little "much" for the added money) And you could always go
for the third optic for digital camera (and that's a whole other gig!), but
I've taken very good digital photos with my camera set to macro/flash off
right through my little ol' monocular 'scope (my digital camera will also do
..mpg's, so I can even do "movies" of a wiggler if I need to).

For what it's worth, I purchased one of the Intel microscopes as an "entry
level". It was flaky to focus, the light source was inadequate, and the
plastic lenses just didn't cut it. But like I said earlier, I have eye
problems, so that may have had something to do with it. A plus for it, on
the other hand, is that it shows up on your computer screen, so it's pretty
large, and you can save directly to the computer without having to download
from your camera.

If you go that way, here's a site that will make things a little easier to
use it: http://www.rmcain.com/mcama/special/qx3/QX3Twain.mv

And here are a few sites that will help you learn how to use your new
microscope:

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~bioslabs/me...icroscopy.html
http://www.koitime.com/Content/microscopy.htm
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/larr...ct2/proj2.html
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/pond/index.html

I probably have a few more, but not all my bookmarks are where they should
be, so I'd have to look. These are enough to keep you busy for a while!

Have fun!
Lee



"sandra" wrote in message
...
Im looking into buying a microscope for parasite ID among other things. Do
any of you have opinions on a good brand that will allow for 100-400
magnifications. I've seen some online for under $100 that magnify to
10x-40x. I haven't been able to figure out if that means 100-400? I have a
jewelry loupe that I use for examination of some of the more obvious pests
but some of my fish kept off site from my pond have a condition that I
need
to investigate further with a microscope.
Thanks in advance.
sandra

what vocal part do you sing? i'm a mezzo soprano - 2nd alto (1st tenor,
even, if it's high)
mad
--
You know you're High Church when someone says "May the Force be with you"
and you reply, "And also with you!"

From: Azul
Organization: Eve's Garden
Reply-To:
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria,rec.aquaria.freshwater.goldfish,rec.po nds
Date: Mon, 12 May 2003 07:22:54 -0400
Subject: microscope opinions appreciated

On Sun, 11 May 2003 22:23:08 -0500, "Cybe R. Wizard"
wrote:

On Sun, 11 May 2003 20:11:21 -0500, Azul wrote:

Hey Cybe!

I didn't know you were into fish too!

Azul

Hi, Azul! Yes, I'm a long time ponder with two ponds I still
maintain at my old house (now my Mom's) and a larger one currently in
the works here at the new domicile.
I have only five koi of any size (14 to 18 inches) but bunches of
smaller ones plus a veritable plethora of goldfish. Bullfrogs and
other critters I didn't buy, of course, are not included in the
count.
Good to see you since you don't post limericks much anymore! In
fact, just tonight a fellow ponder/limericker has asked for a bit of
cyberwizardry over there in AJL under the subject, "Snakes!" Check it
out! Do you pond also?
(see ref. #2 in my sig)

Cybe R. Wizard

No I don't have a pond, but I now have 3 aquariums and 7 fancy
goldfish. You can cop a look see at:

http://www.sentex.net/~eamoe/OurSite/index.html

Just bought the third tank yesterday. It was a Mom's day present from
my other half. I wish we owned the place where we are renting. (When
you see the pics you'll know why) I would be putting in a pond at the
first sign of good weather.


Since I moved to this area, I just have not had much time to write
limericks. I look everyday, but the muse is just passing me by. I
sing in a choir and in another group, plus play golf whenever the
weather permits.


Azul



-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----