Carson MM-450 Pocket Micro LED Lighted 20x-60x Microscope with Aspheric Lens System - Blue

This pocket microscope has a field of view that allows you to see across a 5 mm diameter at the lowest zoom setting, and 3 mm diameter at the highest zoom setting. The image is inverted as expected with these types of pocket microscopes.The angled cool white LED light is very well executed, with a tactile button at the top to electronically switch it on or off. The unit operates from an AA cell, and consumes about 42 mA when powered on, and about 7 uA when shutdown, so a single Alkaline cell should last for about 50 hours of powered up use, which is really good. You could us the pocket microscope unpowered in very bright ambient light, e.g. outdoor sunshine, depending on how you position things.To get more of the really good stuff out of the way, I have to say, the image quality is excellent - not just for the price of the pocket microscope, but excellent in general too. Carson magnifiers and microscopes usually use aspheric plastic lenses, which provide a noticeably flat image across the field of view, compared to old-school non-aspheric, often glass, lenses. I love that there is no significant distortion when looking through the microscope, across the entire field of view. I have a couple of Carson handheld aspheric magnifiers as well, and they are excellent in this respect too. You could pay 4-5 times the price for other manufacturer products and end up with a worse image. I also like that you can quickly use the instrument even if your eye is not completely aligned with the microscope. With some microscopes you have to be almost bang-on before you can see through the optical system. With this pocket microscope, you can pan your head by quite a few millimetres before you lose the image completely.The build quality is also frankly excellent. The plastic feels strong and has a great finish, it's not shiny. The battery compartment slide door closes very nicely, and opens with just the right amount of force, not crazy stiff, but definitely secure too. The focus and zoom thumbwheels have a smooth greased motion. There are holes for a wrist-strap, but unfortunately one is not supplied. No cloth case is supplied either, but you're unlikely to scratch any lenses because they are all recessed. You could store it in a small plastic bag to keep it all dust-free, and it does come with that!The transparent plastic stand on the end of the microscope is removable even though the instructions do not mention it. If the microscope is being held vertically, then the transparent plastic piece is removed by sliding it out horizontally. This might be handy if the feature you wish to inspect isn't completely flat. Note that it won't slide out unless you turn the focus ring completely in one direction first, to move the lower (objective) lens out of the way. Otherwise, you're just attempting to pull on the optics system which probably won't cause any harm unless you're applying a lot of force. You could print a tiny sticker with a personal reminder to rotate the focus ring before sliding off the transparent attachment, and stick it to the microscope.The unit is compact, about the size of a modern day Mars Bar, perhaps slightly shorter. It will easily fit in most pockets. It is approximately 10 x 4.5 x 2.8 cm in size.There is one main negative point about the pocket microscope, and that is that it is not possible to focus on objects that are more than about 2.5 or 3 mm away from the end of the microscope body. This is quite irritating, because occasionally I would like to hold the microscope away from irregular surfaces, and be able to focus about 8 to 10 mm away at least. Thats' not possible, because the focussing ring only allows focussing on objects close to the end of the microscope, or on objects that can protrude into the clear plastic portion. If you can live with that shortcoming (it really depends on your use-case), then this product gets a 9/10 from me.

Ok for the price doesthd job

My 9 and 12 year old kids have enjoyed zooming into the microscopic world, and had fun looking at a variety of household things through this handheld microscope.

The instructions are hard to read and there should be a leaflet included in the box as to how to use the magnifier.

Yes, the small viewing area is a minus but the image is clear and sharp and its handy pocket size is great for a country walk. More for the amateur/hobbyist but easy too use home or outdoors. A word of caution - the light button is quite sensitive and may turn on with the slightest pressure, e.g. in your pocket, unseen. Advisable to remove the battery when not in use

Works well with some limitations. Some chromatic aberration and a lot of movement on the focus control. Generally very good and partners well with the 60-120x version. Would recommend.

I like Carson products and own several.Anyway...I have a Galaxy...The camera at it's best fitting to the phone has a Corona when taking a picture (see pic.1)You can lose it in editing your photo on your phone. (pic 2.)The results are better!Using this, I think you'd be very hard pressed to get any decent photo of any bug/insect as getting it focused takes some adjustment and a deal of luck.The zoom is fixed as well with which means you move the phone until you hit the focused sweet spot, which is sorta fiddly to do.To be fair I need/will try this outside in better weather, to see if I can find ways to make this work well for me - i'm thinking flowers/bark etc.(I'll update if I can find a better potential for this or if I feel more enthused with some good photos)It's a nice idea - which could work great with some refinements imo ' but certainly first impressions are underwhelming.I don't think this is completely useless as it it, neither would I reccomend it - it's just not fun to use and the results are a bit mehh.Thanks!

Works great for viewing plant details.Handling is much easier then typical the box sized pocket microscopes with 2 adjustment wheels.I think it is the same concept in a different package, but the small diameter allows access to plant details between leaves, and adjusting while holding the pen works ok. Also, after use it stores away like a pencil, in any drawer or pocket.I find the build quality to be very good for this price, much better then the box shaped ones. Doesn't feel flimsy at all.The design of the clear plastic tip is also very clever if you want to look at things on a table.The LED does not seem to disturb colors too much.Of course, this is not a professional microscope, images can be a little deformed.But if you just want to see plant details in order to determine ideal harvest time for example, need something small, handy, portable, cheap, durable, ... this might be a good choice.side note : After ordering nothing happened for weeks, suddenly I got an email that I hadn't been charged because the pen was not in stock or something, after that delivery time was normal.