Question: Need Help selecting affordable Video camera for microscope

[Sammie]

Hi Guys, I'm setting up my engraving microscope. My thought is that I want to be able to engrave while watching the monitor or laptop screen to save my back and neck the strain of looking through the mic.
So here is the set up I have so far, Bausch and Lomb Stereo Zoom 4, 0.4x – 3.0x power, plus a .5x Barlow lens and 10X eyepieces; and the microscope head is mounted on a boom arm with a circle light.
So what I THINK I need is a camera that will give live feed in real time (no lag) and something that will not magnify to much and also have good resolution (don’t have to go nuts, I’m very happy with the magnification I have now)

Any thoughts? What set ups do you all have, and at what cost? I have been looking at the CCD cameras in particular the Sony XC-HR70. It seems affordable in the "used" market.

What are your thoughts on this? And do you have any suggestions?

Sammy

 

[sam]

Most consumer grade Sony camcorders will work if you add a closeup lens. GRS sells a camera mount for the Acrobat stand. If you get a Sony camcorder, get one that is threaded for add-on filters which you can buy on eBay.

CCD cameras are ok but a newer camcorder is usually much less expensive and much higher resolution.

Looking at a screen to engrave is working in 2D, not 3D. I don't know anyone who does this. Not saying it can't be done.

 

[Sammie]

Dear Sam,
Thank you very much for your reply! Im so worried about buying too much or not enough to do the job right.

When you say consumer grade do you mean a hand held home camcorder? If so do you have an example model? Also, will this be mounted to the eye tube or eye piece with magnification?

Or are you suggesting mounting of to the side...If I do this will my image be at too much of an angle and not true?

By the way do you know how many frames per second and at what resolution would give me a smooth (no lag) real time video?

Thank you for your time, I feel fortunate to have this great site and folks to help out.
By the way Sam I love your self imposed Title of "Chief Administrator & Benevolent Dictator" Very funny!

 

[Southern Custom]

I had thought about this at one time or another as well. As Sam mentioned, I also don't know anyone either in the jewelry or engraving industry that works like this. I have back problems as well and it was a simple matter to set my microscope at a very comfortable angle for me to work with, in turn, my turntable and vise are set at a corrosponding angle. I know quite a few engravers that work this way. Many also work standing. There's more than one way to approach this and most are easier solutions than trying to work with the disconnected feeling of watching a monitor. Many trade show including our FEGA convention have at least one or two setups like this for demonstration. You might give it a go to see how it feels at one of these events.
Good luck
Layne

 

[Chujybear]

any camera that has an hdmi port will be good enough to give you an image that you can follow on your computer.
the problem is it wont be a stereoscopic image.. so depth perception could be a problem.. somebody has to have tried it.

 

[Sammie]

Well I'm going to give this a shot...I'll let you know how it goes. I just bought a
OMAX 5MP Digital Super Speed Microscope Camera. It has between 38.3fps at 1280x960, 101.2fps at 640x480. So it should be fast enough to be real time while I engrave. The items I'm working on are all flat so depth perception should not be a worry as long as I mount it level in the ball vise....Can anyone chime in on any other problems or hassles I might run into?
The camera will arrive in a week and I hope to play with it before I have to get involved with another project.
Ill try to get back to you all and tell you how it goes. Nothing like saving the neck and back ......