iOptron ST-640 Digital Microscope with LCD Screen

Unit arrived defective. LCD screen is very low end. Instructions are inadequate or non-existent. Electrical connections are terrible. While you can't expect much at this price, the unit should at least function and have a reasonable chance of continuing to function. Mine failed on both counts.

My new microscope arrived today. The AC adapter will not stay in on its own, so I am sending it back, and will be getting a refund and looking for a different microscope. I have, however, played with this one, and here is what you need to know about it before ordering. PRO -Built solid as a rock, and heavy. -Comes in a nice case. -You can look through it without the electronic stuff, using a traditional eyepiece, and it works nicely. -It comes with a lot of extras that I did not expect to get, like slides of shrimp eggs and stuff. -It runs on AC adaptor or battery power. The battery power is much dimmer. -The LCD screen is an actual camera that does video. -You can take snapshots to an SD card and there is a female mini-USB jack also. CON -Comes with no instructions about the extras. (Do you think there could be anything dangerous about the little plastic boxes that read "hatchery" and have pictures of various bacteria(?) on each compartment..?) -Comes with no warnings about potential hazards. (I accidentally looked in after turning it on but without the eyepiece, ouch. Now I can't see out of that eye very well.) -Has only one focus knob; it seems like it should have both a fine and coarse, because it is very hard to get it just right. It will focus only on part of the screen and the rest of the screen will be out of focus. -The plug will not stay in on its own and I have been holding it in. (Presumably this is because I received a defective product.) -Very big problem: the LCD screen doesn't stay on for more than about 1 minute. Bear in mind I'm holding the plug in with one hand and with the other trying to get the thing in focus. If I can hold the plug still for about 60 seconds, the screen finally will suddenly black out and say GOODBYE! and shut off. I am not making this up; this really does happen. Conclusion: This is not the microscope I want, and I'd hesitate to recommend it to anyone since there are many others in the same price range.

Microscope good

We bought this digital microscope for our two Grandsons (ages 14&12) for Christmas, and they are absolutely thrilled with it! They are amazed with the viewing screen (so are their parents, one of whom is an MD),and they said they never expected anything like this. Don't know how we can top this next year...

When I first attached the screen it didn't work at all. Now it works some of the time. The biggest complaint I have is the low amount of blue-ish light that the LEDs produce. The light underneath (for transparencies) is mediocre at best, and the light above (for non-transparent objects) is a complete joke. The screen is a tad on the small size, and In order to attain the higher levels of magnification, you must use the (included) conventional eyepiece instead of the screen. Unfortunately, the camera is built into the screen, so this means no camera for taking photos at the higher magnifications. Other than that, it does function as a microscope. Depending on your needs this may work for you, but expect to get what you pay for.