Most of us remember the traditional visual microscope from our school science classes. I remember thought about preparing a specimen, usually of an insect part or slice from a leaf or plant stem, and sealing this into a glass slide. You then spent the next ten minutes peering into the eyepiece and fiddling with knobs and small mirrors trying to get all things in focus. Sound familiar? As often as not, you ended up breaking the glass as you tried to get all things in focus. Even if you didn't break the glass, you then had to alternately peer into the eyepiece and try and remember adequate to create a passable drawing of your specimen.
With the advent of computers and the digital era things have improved a lot.
Printer Inkjet
You can now buy a handheld digital microscope for less than 0 which plugs right into the Usb port of your computer and displays and records the image in real-time. Any amount of students can now see the image on the screen, or print it on any inkjet printer, from a particular specimen. A digital microscope still uses optics but has a built-in digital camera which works just like a webcam but with magnification. The software that comes with these cameras will let you take still or video pictures while magnifying the image by 200 times or more. You can then use regular image software to manipulate and use the picture in many ways.
Although these microscopes are obviously great in a science classroom environment where a trainer can gift and discuss a rapid sequence of images, don't neglect their home use. They offer a intriguing insight into the world colse to us from a rarely seen perspective. You will be amazed at the complexity and detail of all things you find in nature.
Digital Microscopes
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