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Hi all, slighly random but I buy wigs and need a microscope to test whether the hair is human or synthetic or mixed.

Im wondering what spec microscope would be able to clearly show me the difference between a synthtic strand and a human strand of hair.

I have been looking at the 200x and 400x usb microscopes on ebay

here's a link to the type i was looking at B. NEW VEHO 400x MAGNIFICATION USB DIGITAL MICROSCOPE on eBay (end time 21-Aug-10 10:19:40 BST)

Does anyone think this would do the job?

My guess would be that a compound microscope will offer more resolution when it comes to semi transparent specimens like hair. What sort of features would distiguish human from synthetic hair? I expect that human hair will show more structure/ texture, correct? I have a usb microscope on order (the Celestron model) , and once it arrives, I'll be sure to check out a strand of hair and post a pic for comparisson.

OK, so here is the comparisson of a hair under a the usb microscope (pic 1), and a small compound microscope (pic3). As expected, I think the compound microscope does indeed show more detail in this hairy application! The usb microscope comes into its own when examining the surfaces of opaque objects, such as the sea shell in the 2nd picture.

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Did you try playing with the focusing wheel on the usb microscope? I get a far better imagery than pic 1, maybe even as good as the compound if I play with lightning enough.

Bear in mind that, even though its eyepiece is effectively replaced by an LCD screen, your Bresser is still very much a compound microscope! As such, I would expect its image to be comparable to the third picture. The issue is not where or how the image is formed, but rather one of illumination and magnification.

The USB microscope that I'm refering to is a handheld device, featuring LED illumination from the top. Have a look at the link in the OP (opening post) to give you an idea of what the handheld USB microscope entails.

Ahh..dooly noted.

That image of the shell is interesting. What type of shell is it?

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John Karlsson
Hope Valley, RI

Don't count your chickens until they have burned their bridges behind them.

So far as I can gather it is a Cymatium cutaceum africanum, the basket shell. It is a very common resident and washes up on the beach in good numbers. It is thought to feed on red bait (sea squirts), and lives amongst their pods.

Your photo does a good job of showing what I presume are daily growth lines, much as we see in our local bay scallop, Argopecten irradians, here in Rhode Island.

I think I might have to get one of those USB microscopes -- just the thing to find out what's going on with that thorn that has been lurking in the bottom of my foot for the last couple of years.

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John Karlsson
Hope Valley, RI

Don't count your chickens until they have burned their bridges behind them.

I don't think you'll be dissapointed. To me, its a nice low cost alternative to a stereo microscope, and with picture and video capability at no extra cost!