Bodelin Technologies ProScope HR2 w/50x Lens

Comments about Bodelin Technologies ProScope HR2 w/50x Lens:

Takes great picture. I have the 50X lens and will be purchasing all lens available. Can't wait to see the 400% Magnifications. Would recommend to anyone needing a portable Microscope.

Comments about Bodelin Technologies ProScope HR2 w/50x Lens:

This is the best of the inexpensive USB microscopes for many serious applications, because the base unit accomodates a range of fixed-magnification lenses. Other brands have built-in zoom lenses that make taking measurements from images more complicated and less precise, and typically have limited ranges of magnification, so that you have to buy two or more units in order to get all the magnifications that you might need. Buying one ProScope base unit and a set of lenses is cheaper, and swapping lenses on the unit while working is easier than dismounting one microscope from a stand and replacing it with another when you need a different magnification. Also, a 400x lens is available, which is higher power than is available in most other devices. 400x is necessary for some fiber identification, which is what I am currently using the ProScope for. The base unit mounts easily on a photo tripod that you probably already own (the threads are metal, so they will last), so you can hold and move the sample while the microscope stays steady.
Caveat: the highest resolution (1600x1200) that is the main feature of the HR2 model over the cheaper HR model does not work on computers (mostly Core i5 and i7 laptops) with the Intel QM57 chipset with USB rate-matching hub. There is apparently no workaround except to fall back to the lower 1280x1024 resolution, which is no better than what the cheaper ProScope HR unit provides. This is not as serious a problem as it appears, because the 1280x1024 image has exactly the same resolution as the 1600x1200 image - the larger image simply has a wider field of view (the lower-pixel image is simply the cropped central portion of the higher-pixel one). So using the 1280x1024 setting with the HR2 does not sacrifice any detail; you just get less of the object in the image. The ProScope does not require a particularly powerful computer, so another workaround is to dedicate an older laptop to running the microscope at the full 1600x1200 resolution.
The image capture button is nearly useless, since it involves a tactile click that makes it difficult to keep the device steady while recording an image. Better to use a mouse to click the on-screen "capture" button -- or to do so using the voice recognition features of Windows 7, leaving both your hands free to hold the sample. Unfortunately, the software does not integrate well with Windows 7 voice recognition, so you have to operate it with slightly clunky "mouse grid" feature, rather than just saying "capture".
I would like to see more metal and less plastic in the body and fittings, but the build quality seems good otherwise.
There is a freeware/donationware, arguably better, alternative to the "Screen calipers" measurement software that comes as trialware with the ProScope. The alternative is Meazure 2.0, easily found with an online search. It lacks the cute (or embarrassing, depending on your taste) graphical calipers, but it takes fewer mouse clicks per measurement, and has many useful extra features.

Comments about Bodelin Technologies ProScope HR2 w/50x Lens:

Seems to work great for my circuit boards and the tiny writing on some of the components. The HR2 allows the LED intensity to be controlled by software, thankfully, as the glare off of solder, etc. can be an issue.
Bodelin tells me they have a 30X lens with polarized light, which may be better for my application (but is not 50X).