3 benefits of a multifunctional digital microscope

There’s many types of digital microscopes to choose from. Just do a quick Google on the keyword « digital microscope ». Each option has its own benefits and which one is right for you will depend on your specific needs.

In this blogpost, we’ll focus on the multifunctional digital microscope though. This is to highlight the importance of choosing a microscope that can be used for multiple processes within your company.

With that in mind, this blogpost will explain:

• What is a multifunctional digital microscope?
• What makes a digital microscope multifunctional?
• How does it differ from other types of microscopes?
• What are the benefits of a multifunctional digital microscope?
• How to use a multifunctional digital microscope
• The best multifunctional digital microscopes

What is a multifunctional digital microscope?

When we talk about a multifunctional microscope, we’re first and foremost referring to a microscope with features that are useful for many different tasks. Instead of being developed for a specific task, the multifunctional digital microscope is developed with versatility in mind, making it an attractive microscope option for industries and companies worldwide.

What makes a digital microscope multifunctional?

While magnification is a feature required by all companies using a microscope, being able to magnify is not enough to call it multifunctional. To be multifunctional, the digital microscope needs to provide additional features. This can be anything from additional camera settings to measurement tools that make the microscope versatile and useful to many different companies and industries.

How does it differ from other types of microscopes?

To better understand the multifunctional digital microscope, let’s compare it to other types of microscopes. First, we’ll compare it to a multifunctional, but non-digital, stereo microscope before comparing it to other types of digital microscopes.

Multifunctional stereo microscope

A stereo microscope, regardless of it being multifunctional or not, is easily recognizable by its eyepiece. This is what you’ll look through to inspect a sample. It is in fact also this eyepiece that sets the stereo microscope apart from its digital counterpart.

Unlike the stereo microscope, a digital microscope uses a screen to display the sample. This screen can either be built-in or connected separately. Using a screen rather than an eyepiece has proven to have significant health benefits and can improve the efficiency of those using the microscope.

Other types of digital microscopes

If we instead compare the multifunctional digital microscope to other digital microscopes, we need to look at:

• The versatility of features that the microscopes provide
• How the features are run
• How the microscopes are connected to a screen

The versatility of features that the microscopes provide

As mentioned at the beginning of this blogpost, a multifunctional digital microscope is characterized by being useful for multiple tasks within and across companies and industries. Simply looking at the number of features that a digital microscope provides thus isn’t enough. We need to look at the versatility of these features.

Examples of versatile features are:

• Measurement tools
• Advanced camera settings
• Presets
• Heads-up displays that guide you through your inspections
• Side-by-side comparisons to golden sample photos

How the features are run

Another aspect to consider when comparing multifunctional digital microscopes to other digital microscopes is how the provided features are run. Do they run on the microscope itself or do they require a separate computer? Not everyone has room for a separate computer so this can also affect the versatility of the microscope.

How the microscopes are connected to a screen

Lastly, we need to look at just how the screen is connected to the microscope. This can significantly impact the image quality and thus the versatility of the microscopes.

A digital microscope will often be connected to a computer or monitor using USB or HDMI ports. If it’s connected to a screen using a USB port, it’s important to note whether it’s a USB 2.0 or 3.0 port. The latter is a non-compressed display format that will not reduce the amount of detail recorded by the microscope before displaying it on a computer. A USB microscope with USB 3.0 ports will thus produce significantly better images than USB microscopes that use USB 2.0 ports. Choosing a digital microscope with high image quality can display levels of details a lower quality microscope can’t. With this in mind, a multifunctional digital microscope should as a minimum use USB 3.0 ports.

Digital microscopes with USB 2.0 ports, however, often take up less space than the often more professional digital microscopes that use USB 3.0 ports. If you have limited workspace, an HDMI microscope is a great alternative to microscopes using USB 2.0 ports. By connecting the HDMI microscope directly to a monitor, you eliminate the need for a computer to power it on or control it. This makes the HDMI microscopes highly useful for small workstations with limited space but large-scale needs.

What are the benefits of a multifunctional digital microscope?

There’s many benefits of a multifunctional digital microscope, but in this blogpost, we’ll highlight 3 in particular:

Designed to be versatile

The benefit of a multifunctional digital microscope is first and foremost that it is incredibly versatile. That is, although you’ve initially purchased a microscope for one process, it can most likely be used at a completely different location for a completely different task. With a multifunctional microscope, you can thus move the microscope around as needed when new needs arise instead of purchasing specialized microscopes for each specific task in your company.

Lower price point than specialized microscopes

Another benefit is the price point of the multifunctional digital microscope. The fact that it is multifunctional rather than developed for specific tasks also means that it often comes at a significantly lower price point. With a multifunctional microscope, it’s thus possible for you to get started for less and introduce more microscopes if needed at, perhaps, the same price of just one otherwise specialized microscope – depending on which microscope you choose of course.

User-friendly and easy to use by multiple users

Lastly, a multifunctional digital microscope is designed to be used by a diverse group of employees and is thus intuitive and can be operated by employees with different skills and education levels. By comparison, a highly specialized microscope often requires an equally specialized employee to operate it and can be difficult to operate even for experienced employees.

How to use a multifunctional digital microscope

As mentioned above, a multifunctional digital microscope is characterized by its wide range of features that make it useful across industries. A truly multifunctional digital microscope, however, is also easy to use so don’t be frightened if what you see when first setting it up is an extensive menu or wide range of features.

To get started with your new multifunctional digital microscope, we recommend exploring the menu on your own to get a feel of what options you have. Chances are though that you’ve already been introduced to the product by a sales representative during your buying process.

After you’ve gotten familiar with your new microscope, we recommend that you take one task at a time – especially if you’re considering using it for multiple processes. Find the tools and settings required to perform one specific task first. Save your settings as a template or preset. This will allow you to recall the exact same settings next time with no manual adjustment of the microscope needed.

Once you have completed your setup for that specific task, move on to the next one and so on. The key here is to not get overwhelmed and to find more and more use cases for the microscope as you’re getting to know it.

The best multifunctional digital microscopes

There’s many manufacturers of multifunctional digital microscopes to choose from.  Among the leading brands in the digital microscope market is TAGARNO, a Danish company known for its innovative and high-performance microscopes. Let’s have a look at their best multifunctional digital microscopes.

Please note: Both of the models mentioned below either use USB 3.0 ports or HDMI and thus produce non-compressed live images.

TAGARNO PRESTIGE

TAGARNO PRESTIGE is an advanced yet user-friendly microscope that has a magnification range of 1.7x-660x. With PRESTIGE, you also have access to a wide range of features as well as the options of customizing it with additional software to tailor it to fit your needs perfectly. This makes PRESTIGE extremely versatile, not just across companies, but also internally. You don’t have to have the exact same microscope on all workstations!

Pros

Cons

TAGARNO FRONT

TAGARNO FRONT has the same magnification capabilities as PRESTIGE. It also has the same included features and the ability to be customized as PRESTIGE. Where FRONT differs, however, is by offering adjustable working depth. That is, choose how much room you need underneath the microscope depending on the size of your samples – and don’t forget that you can always change it. You’re not locked to one setup!

Pros

Cons