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I'm reading a biology textbook and it's suggesting things like taking onion skin etc. and looking at it under a microscope to see its cells. I'm tempted to do this for fun, and maybe share photos of what I find on Facebook. (I remember using a microscope in school, but all I ended up seeing was air bubbles.) I'm wondering if there is some way of doing this as a hobbyist (on a budget of, say, $100).

I saw this on Amazon:

TOMLOV DM101 Digital USB Microscope Camera 500X

but I'm not sure if it can see individual cells. It doesn't look like it can do that.

Question: Are there hobbyist microscopes which can take digital pictures of cells?

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  • $\begingroup$ Yes, but I'm not sure about the price. Look for something with 400x magnification or more, and to see cells get a slide microscope with lower illumination. Some come with pre-prepared slides that are stained to give contrast. Many without built-in cameras are compatible with separately-sold cameras. $\endgroup$
    – Eonema
    Commented Sep 11, 2022 at 2:29
  • $\begingroup$ “Hobbyist” seems poorly defined here. Is that just the cost of under 100$, or are there other requirements? $\endgroup$
    – Topcode
    Commented Sep 11, 2022 at 2:37
  • $\begingroup$ It implies I'm not particularly knowledgeable about what features I should search for. I'm probably only going to use it a handful of times (for fun), so it shouldn't be expensive. I don't have additional equipment. And I'll probably ask random people on the Internet for suggestions of cool things to take photos of. $\endgroup$
    – Rebecca J. Stones
    Commented Sep 11, 2022 at 3:13
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    $\begingroup$ Search for "usb digital microscope". These are quite cheap (generally under 100$) with up to 1000x magnification, they are eay to use, and they connect to your computer for taking images. Obviously, the image quality is way worse than using a professional tabletop microscope, but I consider them useful enough for a hobbyist. $\endgroup$
    – Domen
    Commented Sep 11, 2022 at 10:50
  • $\begingroup$ @Domen this is a cool suggestion that could readily be an answer, IMO. $\endgroup$
    – Maximilian Press
    Commented Jan 19, 2023 at 20:22

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