I purchased this product after doing my research on different types of scopes for coin collecting. Like most/all things I tend to go overboard (Geek-out) and over analyze my purchases. Look no further, seriously, if you are in need of an all in one device that does everything in my opinion right, this is it. The quality is excellent and it's very easy to set up and use. You can view through the small led screen or like in my case, run it direct to a desktop monitor connected via HDMI. I can literally examine hundred of coins in a fraction of the time it would take with a traditional loop. I'll also add that it's a lot easier on your eyes than squinting though a loop. The two built in lights are also a complete bonus. I can aim them from different directions to highlight dates/mint marks etc. and see things I would have missed with a traditional loop. I have actually re-examined most of my collection since my purchase and have caught things which I had previously missed. If you are hung up like I was on magnification, trust me, this scope is waaay more powerful than I expected and tack sharp. Highly recommended.

This is a cool, no hassle product. Use is straightforward and there are plenty of adjustments for brightness, ISO, white balance, etc. Instructions are on a laminated card and they are clear and concise. Menus are simple to navigate. Overall, the unit has a quality feel to it. Focus ring moves smoothly, button clicks are solid, etc.

The "gooseneck" lighting is quite flexible. Sometimes you're interested in lighting a subject more from the top, sometimes from the side to accentuate surface features. It's easy to set and stays in place. Agree with other reviews that moving where the lights are attached to the base out a bit would be a help. Practically speaking, haven't found it to be much of an issue.

I keep it near a 24" computer monitor with HDMI input ... the images are striking.

Got it for recreational purposes and entertaining/educating grandkids. Fun looking at things around the house ... leaves, shells, minerals, knife edges, kosher salt, etc. Got a bug jar at the same time as well as some bugs encased in plastic.

Looking at halftone color images up close was an eye opener. Was kind of aware of the process but this shows the details. You can bring the image into full focus and see the dots very clearly ... but change the focus slightly and the dots blur into the image.

Support is also excellent. Had a couple of questions and the vendor response was prompt and on point.

This thing is rad. I realize that a lot of people want to spend 30-50 bucks on a cheaper one just to have some fun but like the other reviewers said, this thing is on another level. You can view using the built-in screen or an hdmi tv/monitor. I like using the built-in screen when soldering or doing work on anything under the microscope. For anything else though, hooking it up to a TV is the way to go, seriously cool. You can record hd video and still shots to an SD card on the scope and when you connect it to your computer with the USB cable it shows up as a mass storage device and all of the files are easy to find/access.

When you plug it in to a computer's USB, you have the option of selecting mass storage (to retrieve files) or putting the scope in webcam mode. This means that you can also use software to encode the 1080p video stream from the scope directly to your computer. This way of recording is definitely more laggy/less responsive than recording straight to the device but has its advantages as well. Another cool way to use it is on Google Hangouts or Skype to look at things with friends. All in all, def worth the price if you work on anything small or honestly if you are just a curious person.

I got this for my electronics hobby. Specifically, I was trying to jump some SMT pads on 2130 drivers. I like this setup and think they put together a nice package that was thought out. It's well-built and has good fit and feel. Operation is smooth. The lights are sturdy and stay put. They do tend to get in the way when lowering the scope, so I find myself constantly adjusting them. It would be nice if they were dimmable, too. Admittedly I have only used the camera in the most basic terms. I haven't tried any of the advanced features. I wish the buttons were either soft buttons or better marked. I find that I need the cheat sheet to remember where they are. I like the optical quality and even with the digital interpolation the image is excellent and usable. It's great fun and insightful being able to explore a PCB, a sharpened chisel edge or whatever. I don't regret this purchase at all, after having various less priced electronic scopes on my wish list for YEARS and never being able to pull the trigger. Oh, one last point: I struggled with a traditional scope and soldering iron, not being able to connect the 3D space ... coming in with the iron on an entirely wrong plane. I'm sure I'd get better with practice, but this scope is much more intuitive because I'm looking down at the whole scene, and positioning the iron, tweezers, whatever, is more instinctual with that expanded context.

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I'm giving this review an update as a recommendation for purchasing from this company. You can see that I was pretty upset with the previous microscope (ready below), but Matt reached out to me from Opti-Tek and offered a different model that he thought would work out better... and it did! The newer model runs $200 but the quality of the images are insanely good, and it worked with my computer hardware! They also fixed the problem of the base being too shiny and where the cranks are for moving the scope up and down. I really appreciate how fast my issues were worked out, and I have been able to take awesome dissecting videos as a result.

I was really looking forward to this microscope because of all the really good reviews, but I have to say I'm thoroughly disappointed.

First of all, the dials to control the up and down motion of the lens are right next to where the lights connect to the base. This means there's a very small area to maneuver without hitting the lights with your fingers. I don't even have that big of hands... The base is also very shiny when the lights are on it, and this causes my eyes to strain while I'm working with my materials. I purchased this microscope to take videos and images of flower dissection, so I need to be able to move up and down freely without my eyes straining. Two strikes so far.

The software that the company offers is absolute garbage, and two other computer programs weren't adequate to record video with this microscope. The windows camera app recorded video, but the audio gave errors left and right and finally it recorded choppy audio that sounds like it is sped up x100. You can listen to that in the video I posted. Adobe Premiere couldn't even recognize the device as a recording device -- it has no issues with any other devices. Another strike.

The most obvious strike was the fact that there were black specs in the display that weren't on the lens and weren't accessible to clean off the inside parts. Nobody wants an overlay of black specs when they're dissecting flowers, or doing anything for that matter.

I'm really sad that this turned out the way it did because I only have three weeks of my summer botany course left, and this was going to help me out with the steep learning curve. I will never purchase from this company again. Fastest return I've ever completed on Amazon.