Don’t just buy the first or cheapest camera you see and able to attach to your microscope. If you want to spend your money wisely, make sure to look for the most important features of a USB microscope camera as listed below.
11 Most Important Features of a USB Microscope Camera
USB 2.0 Connection – Don’t just settle for any USB microscope camera. Look for one that offers universal serial bus version 2 connection because it allows faster transfer and greater bandwidth compared to IEEE 1394 Firewire or even those offered by SCSI digital cameras. It’s best to buy a camera that has more than one USB 2.0 port available for simultaneous multiple connections.
Also, the provision of a USB 2.0 port will mean automatic access to the USB 2.0 Interface and this can give you smoother and better previews of captured images on your computer monitor or whichever type of screen you’re using.
Variety of Microscopic Imagery Techniques – Look for a USB microscope camera that’s not exclusive to presenting images captured with bright field microscopy. Nowadays, ordinary optical microscopes are not as powerful as they were before and more and more opaque samples are being studied. To maximize the use of your USB microscope camera, look for one that can also handle images captured with polarized, transmitted, or reflected light, by video and other microscopic techniques.
Use with Microscopes and Other Equipment – It’s also better if you look for a USB microscope camera that you can connect or use with various or better yet, all types of microscopes. Certain camera models, for instance, come with a standard C-mount so that you can not only use it with microscopes but metallographs and even macro lens set up. But of course, if you don’t need a multipurpose USB microscope camera then just make sure what you buy is compatible with your microscope!
White Balance and Color Controls – There are times when you need for quick auto adjustments of your image’s color levels and white balance. There are also other times when you need to be very precise in choosing the right levels for your photo. Because of these, it’s important that you look for a USB microscope camera that can offer you both automatic and manual control over captured images. Make sure that the camera can also render the colors vividly and completely!
Image Editing – Only a few USB microscope cameras come with image editing features. In fact, this feature alone can drive up the product price but it’s still money well-spent considering how it allows you to create original and customizable image and video text overlays. These can then be used for additional referencing and alignment, helping you to work on your images more efficiently.
Look for cameras that also allow you to specify target or interest areas of your images so that you can compress them into smaller files.
Other Image-Connected Features – Check out the time-lapse image capture of your camera. Is it enough for your needs? Does it offer auto-exposure functions?
User Presets – User presets lets your camera “remember” your preferred configurations. This is useful if more than one person is using the USB microscope camera or if you’re using the camera for more than one kind of specimen. With user presets, you don’t have to waste time configuring your camera over and over. With just one click, everything is instantly adjusted to your preferences!
Installation and Playing – A lot of time can be wasted figuring out just how a camera works or how to install it. To avoid wasting precious time and effort, look for a USB microscope camera that you can just plug in and play with any compatible device. If installation is required, make sure that it can be done quickly and simply. It’s preferable if you won’t need additional hardware just to install the camera and make it compatible with another electronic device.
File Formats – Always look for USB microscope cameras that can record images or videos with your preferred file formats or at least with commonly used formats that you won’t have a hard time looking for a player to view it with.
All-in-One Cable – It can be very tiring and frustrating to need various cables and wires just to perform simple functions. Fortunately, there are USB microscope cameras that come with just one cable for your data connection, control, and battery power or charging needs.
Customer Service and Support – And last but not the least of the most important features of a USB microscope camera is the customer support. A lot of things can go wrong when using this type of camera, especially if it’s your first time to do so; thus, make sure you buy one that guarantees to help you out even after the purchase. Don’t forget to check out the product warranty!