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Anonymous09/23/25, 10:49No.2946493
I'm looking for a cheap (around 100-200$, not those small $30 webcam things) microscope for soldering work.
But I already have DSLR, with a much better image sensor than you'd ever find on those.
Am I better off trying to find an affordable macro lens than picking up a cheap HDMI microscope?
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Anon09/23/25, 10:59No.2946494
You can get stands with big magnifying lenses for cheaper than that. How tiny is the solder work that you need something in microscope territory? If you're trying to take pictures or record then I get it, and I think the macro lens would probably be your best bet if you can find one cheap enough. I'd worry that any cheap camera setup would have dogshit image quality with a software backend to clean it up like phones have.
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Anon09/23/25, 11:35No.2946496
that style of microscope with the tiny stand is pure garbage. i can't5 believe that's what became popular.
i got one of these off amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BQWRVMXQ
the arm itself is kinda garbage, but if you mount it in a good location, it shouldn't matter.
super long focal length, so it can be up and out of the way and you can work under it. it says 48mp/4k, but i just pipe it to a cheap 1080p monitor i got with it.
image quality is fantastic. takes pictures, records video. within your price range.
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Anon09/23/25, 12:45No.2946503
Any phone will easily give you 10–100x (digital) zoom; that's all you'll need. Picrel: 10x @ 10cm (about same distance of your pic), on my shitty old s9+
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Anon09/23/25, 16:36No.2946548
I have a $40 chink 4k USB webcam with adjustable lens and that could easily provide good enough macro for soldering.
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Anon09/23/25, 21:09No.2946593
If you have an old DSLR you dont care about with HDMI out, get extension tubes.
If its a decent camera, or your main camera, I would not subject it to solder spatter and smoke.I bought a $40 10mp 1080p microscope off amazon and while is IS shitty, it did perfectly fine for soldering. I was installing a picofly which requires you to solder jumper boards on SMDs
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Anon09/23/25, 22:18No.2946602
If it’s just for yourself to see more while soldering, magnifying glasses are like $20 and good titanium ones are $120 tops
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Anon09/24/25, 10:51No.2946709
personally i wouldn't want my expensive dslr around a hot iron, solder fumes, potential spatter and to top it all off hanging precariously off an arm from temuthe usb c microscropes are actually quite good
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Anon10/08/25, 03:14No.2949522
Stereo dissecting microscope. Expensive new, but check eBay or surplus equipment stores. I bot something like pic at our university surplus shop with illuminstor for $40.
You can swing the arm around and look at anything on the workbench.
