Re: [Phys-l] Magnification (via webcam?) for project

[Stefan Jeglinski <jeglin@4pi.com>]

> The technician is having neck and back problems, so although a nice 
> headset (glorified jewelers' loupe) would work, it would be vastly 
> preferable to have a webcam (or other) way of displaying close-up 
> work on a television (we'd also like to eventually record some of 
> the processes). He'd like perhaps 10x magnification if possible 
> (notwithstanding focal-length problems this might cause).
>
>    I have lots of access to very expensive, very capable equipment. 
> However, none of that can be transported to where it's needed. I'd 
> love to hear whether people have much experience with 
> semi-inexpensive (say, on the order of a couple of hundreds of 
> dollars) cameras which can pipe their output to a CRT or LCD screen, 
> perhaps to be recorded for later. Recommendations as to 
> manufacturer, or good features to look for are especially welcome.

USB microscopes are handy and cheap. Several softwares are free. Live 
pictures right on your computer screen, or take snapshots, or records 
movies. Most can also be unclamped from their stands and used as 
move-around handheld devices.


Stefan Jeglinski