HOBBY FOCUSED – Useful and fun for students, collectors, testers, and anyone interested in exploring the microscopic world. Cannot be used as a document camera.
HIGH DEFINITION – 2.0 Megapixels, up to 250x magnification (Note: Final magnification corresponds to monitor size)
BROAD COMPATIBILITY – Electronic microscope uses a webcam chipset and sensor to support nearly any operating system using standard webcam software. Users with an Oculus Rift may require additional setup
INTEGRATED LIGHTING – LED halo light with brightness adjustment control. Flexible arm stand with observation pad includes graduated marks for easy measurement or use as a handheld microscope
2 YEAR WARRANTY – We love our Plugable products, and hope you will too. All of our products are backed with a 2-year limited parts and labor warranty as well as Seattle-based email support
Specification: Plugable USB 2.0 Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm Observation Stand Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux (2MP, 250x Magnification)
Brand
Plugable
Voltage
5 Volts
Item model number
USB2-MICRO-250X
Remote control included
No
Includes Rechargable Battery
No
Material Type
Metal
Batteries required
No
Batteries included
No
Optical Zoom
250 x
Manufacturer
Plugable
Magnification Maximum
250 x
Color Screen
No
Light Source Type
LED
Part Number
USB2-MICRO-250X
Model year
2016
Model
USB2-MICRO-250X
Place of Business
Redmond, WA 98052,US
Product Dimensions
8.89 x 3.18 x 3.18 cm, 82.21 Grams
10 reviews for Plugable USB 2.0 Digital Microscope with Flexible Arm Observation Stand Compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux (2MP, 250x Magnification)
4.7out of 5
★★★★★
★★★★★
7
★★★★★
3
★★★★★
0
★★★★★
0
★★★★★
0
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★★★★★
Yorky –
Bought this to use for taking microscope pictures & also for a jewellery hobby. I tried a jewellers loop and couldn’t view the mark on my bracelet, it took seconds to focus the camera and take a snap of the mark, amazing clarity. You can hold it in your hand or if you want close up shots and have shaking hands this is perfect as it will attach to the included white gridded mat for hands free. The stem bends so you can move the microscope around to view from different angles. Works on my Windows 10 desktop pc. I plugged in the usb & downloaded the software, the website is printed on the instructions leaflet (It also works with Photo Booth which I did try but I prefer the digital viewer as I find it easy to use) On the website you can watch a video of how to install & use everything, I had no issues. The microscope light comes on when you open the installed viewer software, focus the microscope, one click of the mouse and you have a picture. You can also do time lapse & record but I haven’t tried those yet. It comes boxed with the microscope, stand, mat, usb lead, instruction leaflet. The microscope is compact about the size of a small torch but packs a punch in quality imagery, the mat is roughly A5 size. Very impressed so it get a double thumbs up!
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★★★★★
George Young –
This is a FIVE STAR way to WASTE your money!!!
The image is simply dreadful. I was looking a various things from skin to printed paper, to microfossils. The image on both my computer and television screen were little better than abstract art.
As another reviewer noted, this is no microscope. It’s a webcam with really bad resolution.
If you’re going to market something like this why not make it twice the size and make sure the field is properly presented. There has to be a way to make something like this inexpensively and of sufficient quality to give images that rival a cell phone camera.
I wish Amazon would survey reviews of over-priced, poor quality things like this and remove them before other people get stuck with junk.
You know, I bought this to show a child some fossils. I knew I was not buying quality. But this isn’t even CHILD level quality. As I say, the images are more like abstract art than acceptable photos.
Come on, China, set higher standards. Set even acceptable standards!!
This web camera on a stick is just a sham.
Sincerely,
George Young Montreal
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Edvinas M. –
Amazing little microscope. Came well packaged with some manuals and software. You don’t really need software but I would highly recommend it as it allows higher resolution and capture options including time-lapse.
Using it is simple and straightforward. You just plug it into your USB port on PC or laptop (mine got recognized automatically on Windows 10) install the software supplied or download latest and off you go.
Magnification is something else. I had to include some pictures for you to believe (ballpoint pen tip, 1 euro cent coin, t-shirt fabric, high resolution mobile LCD screen). I doubt there is much more to add… One tip – try zooming in and out all the way until you hit physical stop. I was amazed of magnification out of the box just to find out that pass that blurry focus loss is another new step of even greater magnification. So don’t forget to max out on both ends. You are welcome 🙂
As with everything there’s obviously some things to consider. For one is the ease of working with the flexible arm. It is there more as a just in case solution that full time option in my opinion. With magnification at that level you need some sort of fine thread like adjustment. You can obviously use it without the arm provided but you might as well think of some solution to do fine adjustments up and down. But that’s for extreme zoom and continuous steady image. For casual use supplied options are fine.
Overall I would highly recommend this little microscope. It is handy in many cases and nearly must have in your household. 5 out of 5.
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★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
I bought this purely to look at a stylus on my turntable. I cannot for the life of me get a focussed picture though. Amplification is good enough. Maybe I need a little more practice It did the job though with a few misgivings that I lived with.. Interestingly, if you just place the unit on your knee and study the fabric on your pants the definition is amazing. It would appear that if the unit is paced on an item totally enclosing it the results are quite amazing considering the magnification. Taking a picture just by pointing, focussing and adjusting the brightness control seems to produce a variety of results not comparable to the enclosing procedure. It is cheap and does a reasonable job but capable of brilliant results if the situation is ideal. I have only owned this for a few days so time will tell. It has inspired me to spend more cash and get a good one because it is interesting. The software provided is basic and does not save settings (for me). I have no idea why they do not have a standard 1920X1080 setting but no matter. On the whole I think it is a good purchase but if you are looking for a really detailed magnification spend more money. That’s what I intend to do. A good start point. By the way….as someone pointed out. “It falls off the clip easily. It doesn’t. It slots into two holes and is really firm AND stays suckered to the stand. It doesn’t work as a webcam at all. Not for me anyway! Hope this helps.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Amazon Customer –
For me, the ability to make pictures of coin or postage stamp size objects as a whole is more important than an extreme magnification factor. The Amazon website mentioning a smaller minimum magnification of 10x for this device was thus one of the reasons I chose it, but the specifications on the box are somewhat different “Magnification Range: 60x – 250x”. Oops… The camera does not actually have a zoom function. Zooming is done by changing the distance to the object and then focussing. Using the standard gooseneck the reach allows for a maximum object size of about 2,5cm x 2 cm, which is not sufficient for me. Luckily, the camera has sufficient focus range to place it higher up, and using a somewhat modified setup (see picture) it works for me. The other pictures show the largest possible object size with standard setup (the coin photographed has 26mm diameter) zooming in to the maximum magnification on this coin.
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★★★★★
Mr. James D. Young –
I studied the material about USB microscopes for two days. And finally settled on this one. It is to be used for photographing marijuana trichomes. To sell these devices all that is required is a few pictures of trichomes. It is surprising this has not been picked up by the sellers. If it doesn’t do the proposed job without a reasonable amount of hassle back it goes. Stay tuned for my next evaluation. The unit arrived today and I experimented. It functioned flawlessly. Here are my first pictures. 27 February 2018 Trichomes Plugable USB Microscope Posted on February 27, 2018 by Durgan http://durgan.org/2018/February%202018/27%20February%202018%20Trichomes%20Plugable%20USB%20Microscope/HTML/ 27 February 2018 Trichomes Plugable USB Microscope Purchased a USB digital microscope to view trichomes. It appears to work well. The material was removed from the plant and the small device was hand held to take the pictures. It is well made and ideal for my application.
Love this little microscope. Its clear, easy to use and gets right up close. Its amazing what you can see under a microscope! Here is a video I captured of an African violet’s leaf. Those translucent hairs are the fuzz on the leaf. Pretty neat!
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★★★★★
Ian_dc –
This is a decent enough digital microscope, but a bit overpriced. I guess you are paying for a bit of support from the Plugable website and the ability to work well over several platforms. I have used it on Windows 10 and Vista PCs. Like all instruments of this type, it is nothing more than a close-focusing webcam, so don’t expect high quality images. Jpegs are the only format provided and they have plenty of noise and artifacts. It should be regarded just as a digital magnifier rather than a serious camera.
The software is very basic and has not been developed since 2015. Quite a few options are greyed-out and I found the sliders fiddly to operate. The time lapse function is a good addition, but needs a time stamp on files as well as the date and I would also like to see an option for lossless output formats such as png and tiff. The microscope must be plugged in before opening the program and if you unplug with it still running, it will crash.
I didn’t like the stand and flexible mount. The image jitters all over the place when trying to focus. I have mounted it on a copy stand, which is much better, but still not really rigid enough at higher magnifications. The tripod screw is a welcome idea, but should be female for all the tripods I have ever come across, so a gender changer is required.
A little more attention to detail and quality would make this a better product.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Susan Metcalfe –
UPDATE! Below is my first review of this plugable 2.0 camera scope. I liked it immediately but became disappointed when it fell apart so quickly. I must have received a factory friday reject by accident. I applied for a return authorization one day late so was unable to get a refund from Amazon. Plugable saw my review and contacted me to see if I would like to have a replacement sent as my experience was not typical for this product. I gladly accepted the offer and I am LOVING! this little camera. I went through a Sourcing Bay handheld with 3″ screen and a Supereyes 5MP auto fine focus coming in at over $150 and over $250 respectively in my search for a decent camera for my purposes. All that experience did was frustrate me to no end and I mourned the loss of that first week with my plugable. This little plugable blows the more expensive competition away. The clarity of the images even on the highest magnification was staggering as compared to the other 2 cams mentioned here. Supereyes claims 500X but my plugable at 250X outperformed in magnification and image quality. I can’t believe the performance of this camera at $45! If you are disappointed then something is not right with the unit. Contact plugable and let them know your concerns. I am so impressed with the integrity of this little company. I highly recommend this product and the company that makes it.
This little camera started out great. I was happy with it for the first 2 weeks. It quickly became very difficult to keep in focus after that. Twist, twist, twist…wind, wind, wind. I found it challenging to keep it at the mag and focus level I wanted to work with at any given time. The mechanism at the top of the cam designed to take the shot never did work from the outset. That was annoying as reaching for the track pad often screwed up the shot. I use it handheld not mounted. The ring covering the led lights detached and flopped around loose after week 2 of use. I set the cam on my chair to answer the phone one day. It rolled off and hit the vinyl floor in the kitchen. A sizeable chunk broke off the housing around the lights and cracked right up to the focus wheel. Images were blurry after that. I was “ONE” day late when I tried to return it so was unable to do so. That’s what happens to us procrastinators. I just received its replacement today. I bought the mobile microscope with built in display. I will let you know how that pans out once I have had the chance to play with it. All that said, the Plugable 2.0 is capable of being a great little camera if you are very gentle with it and do not use it every day. For $45 it is a great device to have on hand should you need it for the odd thing. Based on my own experience I would not expect it to last long for a child or an everyday user. I also found the base to be useless. It is top heavy so falls over all the time. The suction cup does not hold its grip. When functioning optimally this camera has superb image quality for the price point.
Helpful(0)Unhelpful(0)You have already voted this
★★★★★
Shawn –
I am a forensic engineer and was looking for a device just like this to look at wires, switch contacts etc. I have need for this infrequently but when I need it, it comes in handy. Have to say for $50 to my door, this is an incredible device. No learning time, software is simple and works just fine. Just did a file with a guy sporting a little older $1000 camera and I cannot tell any difference……
Yorky –
Bought this to use for taking microscope pictures & also for a jewellery hobby. I tried a jewellers loop and couldn’t view the mark on my bracelet, it took seconds to focus the camera and take a snap of the mark, amazing clarity. You can hold it in your hand or if you want close up shots and have shaking hands this is perfect as it will attach to the included white gridded mat for hands free. The stem bends so you can move the microscope around to view from different angles. Works on my Windows 10 desktop pc. I plugged in the usb & downloaded the software, the website is printed on the instructions leaflet (It also works with Photo Booth which I did try but I prefer the digital viewer as I find it easy to use) On the website you can watch a video of how to install & use everything, I had no issues. The microscope light comes on when you open the installed viewer software, focus the microscope, one click of the mouse and you have a picture. You can also do time lapse & record but I haven’t tried those yet. It comes boxed with the microscope, stand, mat, usb lead, instruction leaflet. The microscope is compact about the size of a small torch but packs a punch in quality imagery, the mat is roughly A5 size. Very impressed so it get a double thumbs up!
George Young –
This is a FIVE STAR way to WASTE your money!!!
The image is simply dreadful. I was looking a various things from skin to printed paper, to microfossils. The image on both my computer and television screen were little better than abstract art.
As another reviewer noted, this is no microscope. It’s a webcam with really bad resolution.
If you’re going to market something like this why not make it twice the size and make sure the field is properly presented. There has to be a way to make something like this inexpensively and of sufficient quality to give images that rival a cell phone camera.
I wish Amazon would survey reviews of over-priced, poor quality things like this and remove them before other people get stuck with junk.
You know, I bought this to show a child some fossils. I knew I was not buying quality. But this isn’t even CHILD level quality. As I say, the images are more like abstract art than acceptable photos.
Come on, China, set higher standards. Set even acceptable standards!!
This web camera on a stick is just a sham.
Sincerely,
George Young
Montreal
Edvinas M. –
Amazing little microscope. Came well packaged with some manuals and software. You don’t really need software but I would highly recommend it as it allows higher resolution and capture options including time-lapse.
Using it is simple and straightforward. You just plug it into your USB port on PC or laptop (mine got recognized automatically on Windows 10) install the software supplied or download latest and off you go.
Magnification is something else. I had to include some pictures for you to believe (ballpoint pen tip, 1 euro cent coin, t-shirt fabric, high resolution mobile LCD screen). I doubt there is much more to add… One tip – try zooming in and out all the way until you hit physical stop. I was amazed of magnification out of the box just to find out that pass that blurry focus loss is another new step of even greater magnification. So don’t forget to max out on both ends. You are welcome 🙂
As with everything there’s obviously some things to consider. For one is the ease of working with the flexible arm. It is there more as a just in case solution that full time option in my opinion. With magnification at that level you need some sort of fine thread like adjustment. You can obviously use it without the arm provided but you might as well think of some solution to do fine adjustments up and down. But that’s for extreme zoom and continuous steady image. For casual use supplied options are fine.
Overall I would highly recommend this little microscope. It is handy in many cases and nearly must have in your household. 5 out of 5.
Amazon Customer –
I bought this purely to look at a stylus on my turntable. I cannot for the life of me get a focussed picture though. Amplification is good enough. Maybe I need a little more practice It did the job though with a few misgivings that I lived with.. Interestingly, if you just place the unit on your knee and study the fabric on your pants the definition is amazing. It would appear that if the unit is paced on an item totally enclosing it the results are quite amazing considering the magnification. Taking a picture just by pointing, focussing and adjusting the brightness control seems to produce a variety of results not comparable to the enclosing procedure. It is cheap and does a reasonable job but capable of brilliant results if the situation is ideal. I have only owned this for a few days so time will tell. It has inspired me to spend more cash and get a good one because it is interesting. The software provided is basic and does not save settings (for me). I have no idea why they do not have a standard 1920X1080 setting but no matter. On the whole I think it is a good purchase but if you are looking for a really detailed magnification spend more money. That’s what I intend to do. A good start point. By the way….as someone pointed out. “It falls off the clip easily. It doesn’t. It slots into two holes and is really firm AND stays suckered to the stand. It doesn’t work as a webcam at all. Not for me anyway! Hope this helps.
Amazon Customer –
For me, the ability to make pictures of coin or postage stamp size objects as a whole is more important than an extreme magnification factor. The Amazon website mentioning a smaller minimum magnification of 10x for this device was thus one of the reasons I chose it, but the specifications on the box are somewhat different “Magnification Range: 60x – 250x”. Oops…
The camera does not actually have a zoom function. Zooming is done by changing the distance to the object and then focussing. Using the standard gooseneck the reach allows for a maximum object size of about 2,5cm x 2 cm, which is not sufficient for me. Luckily, the camera has sufficient focus range to place it higher up, and using a somewhat modified setup (see picture) it works for me. The other pictures show the largest possible object size with standard setup (the coin photographed has 26mm diameter) zooming in to the maximum magnification on this coin.
Mr. James D. Young –
I studied the material about USB microscopes for two days. And finally settled on this one. It is to be used for photographing marijuana trichomes. To sell these devices all that is required is a few pictures of trichomes. It is surprising this has not been picked up by the sellers. If it doesn’t do the proposed job without a reasonable amount of hassle back it goes. Stay tuned for my next evaluation.
The unit arrived today and I experimented. It functioned flawlessly. Here are my first pictures.
27 February 2018 Trichomes Plugable USB Microscope
Posted on February 27, 2018 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2018/February%202018/27%20February%202018%20Trichomes%20Plugable%20USB%20Microscope/HTML/ 27 February 2018 Trichomes Plugable USB Microscope
Purchased a USB digital microscope to view trichomes. It appears to work well. The material was removed from the plant and the small device was hand held to take the pictures. It is well made and ideal for my application.
This is the unit.
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00XNYXQHE/ref=cm_cr_ryp_prd_ttl_sol_0
SmellySpice –
Your browser does not support HTML5 video.
Love this little microscope. Its clear, easy to use and gets right up close. Its amazing what you can see under a microscope! Here is a video I captured of an African violet’s leaf. Those translucent hairs are the fuzz on the leaf. Pretty neat!
Ian_dc –
This is a decent enough digital microscope, but a bit overpriced. I guess you are paying for a bit of support from the Plugable website and the ability to work well over several platforms. I have used it on Windows 10 and Vista PCs.
Like all instruments of this type, it is nothing more than a close-focusing webcam, so don’t expect high quality images. Jpegs are the only format provided and they have plenty of noise and artifacts. It should be regarded just as a digital magnifier rather than a serious camera.
The software is very basic and has not been developed since 2015. Quite a few options are greyed-out and I found the sliders fiddly to operate. The time lapse function is a good addition, but needs a time stamp on files as well as the date and I would also like to see an option for lossless output formats such as png and tiff. The microscope must be plugged in before opening the program and if you unplug with it still running, it will crash.
I didn’t like the stand and flexible mount. The image jitters all over the place when trying to focus. I have mounted it on a copy stand, which is much better, but still not really rigid enough at higher magnifications. The tripod screw is a welcome idea, but should be female for all the tripods I have ever come across, so a gender changer is required.
A little more attention to detail and quality would make this a better product.
Susan Metcalfe –
UPDATE!
Below is my first review of this plugable 2.0 camera scope. I liked it immediately but became disappointed when it fell apart so quickly. I must have received a factory friday reject by accident. I applied for a return authorization one day late so was unable to get a refund from Amazon. Plugable saw my review and contacted me to see if I would like to have a replacement sent as my experience was not typical for this product. I gladly accepted the offer and I am LOVING! this little camera. I went through a Sourcing Bay handheld with 3″ screen and a Supereyes 5MP auto fine focus coming in at over $150 and over $250 respectively in my search for a decent camera for my purposes. All that experience did was frustrate me to no end and I mourned the loss of that first week with my plugable.
This little plugable blows the more expensive competition away. The clarity of the images even on the highest magnification was staggering as compared to the other 2 cams mentioned here. Supereyes claims 500X but my plugable at 250X outperformed in magnification and image quality. I can’t believe the performance of this camera at $45! If you are disappointed then something is not right with the unit. Contact plugable and let them know your concerns. I am so impressed with the integrity of this little company. I highly recommend this product and the company that makes it.
This little camera started out great. I was happy with it for the first 2 weeks. It quickly became very difficult to keep in focus after that. Twist, twist, twist…wind, wind, wind. I found it challenging to keep it at the mag and focus level I wanted to work with at any given time. The mechanism at the top of the cam designed to take the shot never did work from the outset. That was annoying as reaching for the track pad often screwed up the shot. I use it handheld not mounted. The ring covering the led lights detached and flopped around loose after week 2 of use. I set the cam on my chair to answer the phone one day. It rolled off and hit the vinyl floor in the kitchen. A sizeable chunk broke off the housing around the lights and cracked right up to the focus wheel. Images were blurry after that. I was “ONE” day late when I tried to return it so was unable to do so. That’s what happens to us procrastinators. I just received its replacement today. I bought the mobile microscope with built in display. I will let you know how that pans out once I have had the chance to play with it.
All that said, the Plugable 2.0 is capable of being a great little camera if you are very gentle with it and do not use it every day. For $45 it is a great device to have on hand should you need it for the odd thing. Based on my own experience I would not expect it to last long for a child or an everyday user. I also found the base to be useless. It is top heavy so falls over all the time. The suction cup does not hold its grip. When functioning optimally this camera has superb image quality for the price point.
Shawn –
I am a forensic engineer and was looking for a device just like this to look at wires, switch contacts etc. I have need for this infrequently but when I need it, it comes in handy. Have to say for $50 to my door, this is an incredible device. No learning time, software is simple and works just fine. Just did a file with a guy sporting a little older $1000 camera and I cannot tell any difference……