Pinworm Photos

[xanthoman]

44340

even though there has been a huge desparity in price for the 44340, walmart online has had it for some time (over a year) $179 shipped. i recently saw one barely used (fully guaranteed) in new condition go for $85 on ebay from a seller with a %100 rating that takes returns, wish i had bought that one. it should be noted that if you google this scope there is a significant percentage of buyers who have had problems with their screen (dim spots, missing pixels, etc.) but they do not effect the pictures taken. minor screen problems or not, they are still a good deal

 

[chamlover]

Dave,
We are getting ready to purchase a microscope but the more reading i do the more my head spins. Which one would you recommend for 350ish? And why?

 

[xanthoman]

t490A-P

check this out , the amscope t-490A-P trinocular, purpose designed for vet/ biological applications, manufactured and quality certified under iso standards. comes with digtal 2.0 mp camera that is purpose designed for photomicroscopy. 23mm photo port / universal c-mount for mounting of standard digital microscope cam or digital slr. photo ability is important for online sharing of photos with vets or other cham owners. one of the typical problems of photo microscopy with scopes of this price range is that there is often two different levels of focus required for viewing and photography. strict design parameters have overcome this with the t-490-A-P. manufactured in the same facilities as many zeiss, nikon, leica, olympus products. good seller reputation. square trade seller enables buyer to get a significantly extended warranty for dirt cheap. it should be noted that there are several similar looking (but lessor quality)scopes(on ebay and elsewhere)for about the same or even more money as the the t490A-P. sure a person could spend an infinite amount of money on microscopes, but i doubt they will find a better scope for the price. http://cgi.ebay.com/40X-1600X-MEDIC...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2eab36dfc6 if you prefer to use a slr, the same scope can be had for about $100 less without the camera (t490A). http://cgi.ebay.com/40X-1600X-LAB-C...emQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2eab441e5c jmo ps the unhappy smiley in the title was a typo and not meant to be there,but i was unable to delete it

 

[Dave Weldon]

Howdy Debby,

I've been waiting for someone to buy the one that John mentions in his post; the T490A-P . I say this because I have the cousin to it; the T400A. As best I can tell, the differences are in the way the light is split between the eye pieces and the camera porthole. With the one that I have, you move a lever and then all of the image light is directed straight to the camera and none to the eyepieces. It's one or the other, not both the eyepieces and the camera at the same time. The benefit is that you get more light to either the camera or the eyepieces. The disadvantage is that you can't use both at the same time. The downside of splitting the light is that you get less light going to the camera and that might mean that under certain conditions you may be a bit short on exposure. I'm willing to bet your money that this lowered level of light reaching the ports isn't much of an issue and that being able to look into the eyepieces while also using the camera port at the same time will prove to be a nice advantage.

As to whether or not you should buy either of these two Amscope models or buy the Celestron one instead mostly boils down to money. If I had the money to burn, I'd buy the Amscope for the better optics (more resolution not magnification), higher performing X-Y stage mechanics, more choices of video/DLSR mechanical connections, the possibility to upgrade optics, etc. If you are just going to "knock-out" a few parasite samples once in a while and maybe follow along the progress of parasite medication, I think the Celestron is a pretty good bargain with its built-in LCD display, USB video and still photo transfer, and its memory stick capability!

Feeling like treating yourself to something fancy - get the Amscope T490A-P .

On a tight budget - get the all-in-one Celestron .

Here's one of my old posts on the the T400A and misc. accessories...

https://www.chameleonforums.com/microscope-preferences-26015/#post241982

 

[xanthoman]

i agree with dw. i didnt get into discussion of the celestron 44340 because it had already been discussed in this thread. as you can see, judging by the photos presented by the op, the 44340 does an excellent job considering its price range, and i would be willing to bet it is more user friendly, and the screen seems like it would be a lot more relaxing of a viewing format. personally, unless one had other uses for it, or was planning on using an slr, then i would say go for the celestron and put the extra $150 into cham husbandry issues. then again, i dont know if she still has it, but cf member aja has (had?) a nice scope for sale, which i believe is a binocular version of the t400 (just a guess cause i believe she bought it around the time the t400 was being discussed). if your microscopy adventures ever do reveal parasite issues, then you may wish you had saved the extra $150+ just my 2c worth

 

[chamlover]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the info. Considering all the other reptiles that we get in as well as w/c for new bloodlines, i really want to be able to keep up with it. And a tortoise fecal is twice the amount of a cham fecal. As far as i'm concerned i could buy the more expenisive one and still save a ton of money by doing my own and my vet is really good about stuff like this...If i could send him a pic of the parasite and tell him what i am treating and the weight, he will give me the meds. AND if it's for one of i even grescues et a 33% discount. Cool huh?

Although i do have to admit i really like the idea of the memory stick and the lcd screen. Decisions decision...

Any good books you guys could recommend on diagnosing parasites? I have a couple of small paperbooks but i'm looking for something with a little more detail.

 

[Dave Weldon]

Any good books you guys could recommend on diagnosing parasites? I have a couple of small paperbooks but i'm looking for something with a little more detail.

Howdy Debby,

If you have Klingenberg's 2nd edition then you are covered.

"Understanding Reptile Parasites" By Roger J. Klingenberg D.V.M. 2nd Ed.

Be sure that it is the 2nd Edition. It has 200 pages. ISBN: 978-1-882770-90-8.

It's right here on the forum bookstore site! https://www.chameleonforums.com/bookstore/reptile-parasites/


Haven't used-up that Amazon gift card yet?:
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1882770900?...89&camp=211189

Anyone who has reptiles should own a copy even if they are not doing their own fecals. For less than $20, it is full of great info focussed on concerned keepers like us .

 

[xanthoman]

i have to admit the celestrons lcd screen is a huge feature, but as far as the memory stick, it is slighly more convenient, but it really doesnt do anything that you couldnt do with a conventional microscope with digital cam attached. once digital pictures are on your laptop, you can transfer them to a pocket flash drive or if you have a card reader, your own memory card of choice with two simple clicks of the mouse. if you could get either scope from a square trade seller, it would be a huge bonus, even if you had to pay a little extra, because with a square trade seller, you could get the warranty extended for maybe as long as three years extra, for as little as an extra $15,that is huge regardless of which product you get. the ebay amscope seller is a square trade dealer, but the celestron seller may not be, depending on where you buy it. for most, i would say the celestron is probably the more practicle choice for its convenience coolness and price , but if you really dont mind spending an extra $150+, then i would say get the amscope, for its upgradability and better quality of build. i would like to point out that the photo posted by the op (the first post in this thread) is an excellent quality photo for our purposes

 

[chamlover]

Well i do mind spending the extra 150 but i've learned in my ripe old age that sometimes saving money on an important item upfront isn't always the best way to go. Then you say, gee i wish i had gotten the other one cause this one doesn't........ What do you mean it's upgradeable???


Thanks Dave.
As soon as i read your other post i noticed that book. I have one and i think it is by him but the cover is not the same so i suppose it is his first edition. Don't know yet. We moved a few months ago and i still haven't found half my stuff, that being one of them. You know how much stuff you can accumulate in 25 years at the same place???

And thanks again guys. This information will certainly help me make my decision. I've been thinking about doing this for quite awhile but just got overwhelmed with the info. I didn't know anything about microscopes before my research. Now i know alot of stuff, just not sure what it all means. lol.

 

[Dave Weldon]

...What do you mean it's upgradeable???


Thanks Dave.
As soon as i read your other post i noticed that book. I have one and i think it is by him but the cover is not the same so i suppose it is his first edition...

Howdy Debby,

By "upgradeable" I was thinking of things like being able to buy higher performing (better resolution, not magnification) objective lenses (those are the ones closest to the specimen) and maybe upgrading to a fancier photo/video camera.

I meant to mention before that being someone who appreciates precision equipment, I like the two-step coarse/fine focus controls on the Amscope models vs. the single step medium pitch focus control on the Celestron. The Amscope also has axial x-y stage controls and that means it's really easy to move your fingers from one knob to the other when using the x-y slide position knobs. All of these features, or the lack there of, won't stop you from identifying the types of parasites that we most often run across .

Oh, also, the Celestron comes with a nice carrying case and that costs extra for the Amscope.

 

[xanthoman]

like dave says there are other options for the amscope (see the earlier provided ebay amscope link) that arent available for the celestron, with the amscope there is a with fairly large variety of optics and lighting options that it could be upgraded to if somebody really wanted to get into serious microscopy or photo microscopy, they would mostly be of benefit to somebody who had the had the expertise to take advantage of them (not me) but its more than adequate the way it comes out of the box. also with the amscope you have the option to use film or digital slr of your choice, plus the microscope cam that comes with it attaches to the scope rather than being a part of it, it could be upgraded from a 2m to a 5,8, or 10m. a person could actually spends thousands on just a scope cam upgrade if they really wanted. but it is really not necessary for the application of amature reptile parasite viewing (jmo). the celestron on the other hand is what it is,there are no available upgrade optics to my knowledge (at least not from celestron)but a person might be able to find a better grade of optics from a different manufacturer ( microscope optics are often interchangeable), but the screen and the camera are part of the scope and cannot be easily upgraded. jmo

 

[chamlover]

Thanks again guys. I really, really appreciate all your input. I've made up my mind. I will go with the more exp one. But i know you mentioned in the beginning that if i didn't want the camera it would be about 100 bucks less. My husband has an extremely good digital camera with all the different lenses so i really wouldn't need that. Which means it really won't be much more than the other one. Although i still like the LCD screen. But when i order the other one i'll have to make sure that i ask what i'll need in order to display it on the computer. I need the pics as large as possible at my age. lol.

1 more question. When doing your own fecals, does the book, Understanding Parasites, tell you exactly HOW to do it? Or is it pretty simple and self-explanatory?

 

[Dave Weldon]

...My husband has an extremely good digital camera with all the different lenses so i really wouldn't need that. Which means it really won't be much more than the other one. ...

1 more question. When doing your own fecals, does the book, Understanding Parasites, tell you exactly HOW to do it? Or is it pretty simple and self-explanatory?

Howdy Debby,

You may not want to count on using your husband's DSLR . The microscope adaptors for DSLRs can be expensive and most DSLRs don't do video. I think you'll have more fun/success with the video camera that comes with the Amscope package. I started with a very good, expensive (~$300) DSLR adaptor and then bought a $124 photo/video microscope camera a few years later. I use that one most often these days. It's very effective at videoing swimmers. I think there are lower cost acceptable DSLR adaptors available, I just haven't used one.

The books does talk about how to do fecals. We can also answer questions too!

 

[chameleon76]

Hello
Very cool thread Tyler!
I have always wanted to get into this. One of those "will get to " things.

 

[Dez]

I know this thred is a few months old.. But I just ordered one of these microscopes and am very excited to get it.

Now priced at $167 free shipping at Amazon

 

[xanthoman]

44340

thats a good price, walmart also sometimes has it for that price. its a great scope for the money and imo the only choice for cham fecal microscopy in that price range, but it is not without some issues, be sure to familiarize yourself with its operation before hooking it up to your computer. in order to view images on your computer, you must first take take the picture and then upload the picture to your computer, you cannot view live images on your computer, in fact, (according to the manual you can actually damage your computer and or, the camera module, by having your computer hooked up while taking photos), something i didnt realize until i was moments away from doing just that (cord in hand) so a quick read through is recomended. jmo