5 advantages of choosing a microscope with a camera

More and more companies are upgrading their traditional magnification systems to a modern version:

A microscope with a camera inside – also known as a digital camera microscope or simply a digital microscope.

In this blog post, we’ll explain:

• Why this type of microscope is gaining popularity right now
• How you can benefit from changing to a microscope with a camera

But first..

What is a microscope with a camera?

As the name suggests, a microscope with a camera uses a sensor inside the camera to view and magnify a sample to a degree that you can’t detect with the naked eye.

By comparison, stereo microscopes use an eyepiece while desk magnifiers use a simple magnifying glass.

This makes the microscope with a camera an optically simpler solution.

It also has broader magnification capabilities and a completely different range of benefits.

Let’s have a closer look at some of these.

The advantages of using a microscope with a camera

We now know that microscopes with a camera inside by design are very different from other types of magnification systems.

But what are the advantages of choosing this new and modern type of microscope?

It’s time to look at why more and more companies are choosing this digital alternative – and why you should consider it as well.

ADVANTAGE 1

Saving photos of your findings is a lot easier when using a microscope with a camera

A lot of businesses have started documenting their findings during visual inspections. This is regardless of whether those findings are good or bad.

They do this for one specific reason: To have photo evidence of the completed inspection if an issue occurs further down the value chain.

And with a microscope with a camera inside, all you need to do to save a photo is press a button on the control box.

The photos are then either saved on computers on the same network as the microscope or on the microscope itself. To transfer the photo to a computer, you simply use an encrypted USB stick.

It’s that easy.

ADVANTAGE 2

Using a microscope with a camera makes collaboration easier

Imagine this:

You’ve identified an issue in your lab or production while using the microscope and you need to discuss it with your colleagues. But they’re not on the same location as you. What do you do?

Perhaps you’ll schedule a physical meeting where you can discuss the issue in-person.

But it might take a while for everyone’s calendars to line up. And some participants must spend time and money on transportation.

While you wait for calendars to line up, you might even face expensive downtime or build up large quantities of products that need to be discarded or corrected afterwards.

When using a microscope with a camera though, there’s a more efficient way to collaborate.

In fact, there’s two things you can do instead:

• Option 1:

If you’ve already saved a photo of the issue, send it via e-mail, or your preferred communication platform, to all parties involved.

Once everyone’s had time to look at the photos, you can discuss them via a phone call or an online meeting. Immediately after, you can implement the solution you agreed on during your meeting.

• Option 2:

Sending photos of the issue via e-mail isn’t always ideal though. Someone might have follow-up questions and wants to see it at higher magnification or from a different angle.

Instead of taking new photos and sending these too, simply share the microscope feed directly in an online meeting.

During the meeting, you can manipulate the sample from all angles during the meeting. This allows everyone to see exactly what they need to see to make well-informed decisions on how to solve the issue at hand.

Using this method, you can minimize expensive downtime and reduce the number of errors caused by the issue.

All-in-all a much more efficient way to collaborate across locations and time zones.

ADVANTAGE 3

It’s more comfortable (and efficient) to use a microscope with a camera

Studies show that it’s not uncommon for microscope operators to experience pain as part of their job (source). This is because of the sustained postures of the head, neck and body required to operate a traditional microscope.

By using a microscope with a camera, however, there’s no eyepiece.

Instead, you’ll be looking at a monitor.

A monitor that you can place anywhere you want.

This provides more freedom of movement and reduces eye strain, neck and back pain.

Using a microscope with a camera is in other words a great way to introduce an ergonomic microscope workstation which in turn will increase productivity and reduce escape rates.

EXAMPLE 4

Use software to work more efficiently

When using a microscope with a camera, you’ll also have access to features and software options that simply aren’t available on traditional microscopes.

This includes:

• Presets

Save your most used settings like magnification level and light settings as a preset on the microscope.

When recalling the presets, the microscope will automatically adjust itself to the settings saved in the preset. This is much quicker than having to adjust the microscope manually and creates consistency across all inspections.

• Measurement software

You can also perform measurements of the magnified sample directly on the microscope.

Options include displaying a ruler as a heads-up display to quickly verify your samples or using the bestselling Measurement app that offers multiple measurement tools with a 3µm accuracy.

IMPORTANT

Which features and software options you’ll have access to will depend on your choice of microscope. Some microscope manufacturers also offer firmware updates to their microscopes. This ensures that your microscope is always updated with the newest technology and features. This is also the case with selected TAGARNO microscopes.

We encourage you to ask the microscope manufacturer about which features and software options they offer before you make the purchase.

EXAMPLE 5

You get more bank for your buck when using microscope with a camera

As previously mentioned, a microscope with a camera is an optically simpler solution with dramatically broader magnification capabilities.

This allows you to do low as well as high power magnification on the same microscope. No need to change between multiple microscopes.

This not only means that you don’t have to buy as many microscopes to have the required equipment to perform your inspection tasks.

It also means that a microscope with a camera often comes at a significantly lower price point than stereo microscopes.

In other words: You can get started for less and introduce more microscopes as your business grows or inspection needs evolve.

Finding the right microscope with a camera

There’s a wide range of microscopes with cameras available on the market.

These all come with different features and at different price points.

Which is right for you will to a large extend depend on whether you’re in the Electronics industry, Agriculture industry or a completely different industry.

But if you want to take advantage of the advantages mentioned in this blogpost, the TAGARNO TREND is a great option.

Let’s look at why.

TAGARNO TREND

What makes the TAGARNO TREND unique is not the fact that it you’ll be using a monitor to view your samples or that you can share the microscope feed in online meetings without using specialized drivers.

Or that it displays 60 frames per second and offers both auto focus and manual focus:

• 60 frames per seconds ensures that there’s no lag between what’s happening underneath the microscope and on the monitor

• Auto focus ensures that your sample always stays in focus, even if you’re moving it around, while manual focus provides extra flexibility if you need to focus on a specific area of your sample

Because all TAGARNO microscopes offer this.

What actually makes the TREND stand out is how easy it is to take photos of your findings with this microscope. All you need to do is press the camera button on the control box. No computer needed.

You can access these photos on any computer that’s connected to the same network as the microscope. Or you can transfer them from the microscope to your computer of choice using an encrypted USB stick.

With TREND, you also have access to a variety of built-in features such as presets and the Ruler app.

But you also have the option of activating additional software such as the Measurement app and update the microscope with new firmware as they’re being released.

Additionally, TREND has multiple height settings. This creates flexibility and allows you to achieve magnification all the way up to 330x.

And let’s not forget the length of the camera arm.

With a working depth of 385 mm (15.16’’), you have a lot of room to work with and can fit samples of all sizes.

You can even turn the camera arm away if you’re not using it to create more space on your working area.

Pros

Cons

In summary

Using a microscope with a camera inside comes with a variety of advantages:

• You can document your findings with a simple press of a button. These photos can be used as documentation if issues occur further down the value chain

• You can also share photos via e-mail or the microscope feed in an online meeting to quickly discuss and solve issues

• Using a monitor will not only reduce eyestrain, neck, back and shoulder pain. It will also increase your productivity and reduce errors caused by extremity fatigue

• You’ll be able to work more efficiently by using software as part of your inspection processes

In short, you’ll be able to work more comfortably and efficiently with a microscope with a camera.

You’ll also have a clear advantage over your competitors if they haven’t made this switch yet.

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