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Hi,

Just got a scope from a friend for an undetermined amount (we cant figure out how much its worth! lol). It is a Nikon CL Classic (school or entry level lab microscope).

Would love suggestions on what to start looking at with my almost 4 yr old daughter. So far "hair" and "ants" have been her suggestions which I think are great. Any other ideas for a young kid would be great.

Any suggestions on a nice USB camera to make it easier for her to see?

Any idea what a fair market value would be for the scope?

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/z...i/CIMG0694.jpg

Thanks,
Dawg

Good morning,

That is a nice microscope if all the parts are in working condition. One problem with this design is the fine focus gear which sometimes break. It does not make the microscope unusable but does make precise fine focusing a problem. If you look on the ebay site you may get some ideas of what this scope is worth although there are so many variable factors it's difficult to put a price on something you only see a photo of and don't really know any details. It's great that you have a young scientist who is excited to use the microscope. Hair and ants are good specimens to start with. The letter e (lower case) is a classic specimen in beginning microscopy because it is easy to see and fills the field of view. You can cut out a single letter and tape it to the slide for a quick and easy specimen. I think that younger scientists relate better to magnified images of things they are familiar with. Experiment with things around the house and see what works. Let us know how things work.

g2b2

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A pixel is worth a thousand words but it takes a thousand words to explain a pixel. g2b2

funny you should mention it, the fine focus IS broken, lol. hopefully this is not a problem with 400x as I will be using it for work from time to time.

other than the problem above, it seems to be in good working condition. ebay I cannot find any similar to get an idea of street price. would like to give a fair amount to the friend I got it from. any ideas?

would like to get a usb camera for one of the eye pieces to make viewing more enjoyable for my little girl. any suggestions in that area?

thanks,
dawg

Good morning,

If the fine focus is broken it may be a problem with the focusing and will make it impossible to get a precise focus of the specimen. Since this is the case the scope is not too valuable. The cost of the repair is more than the value of the scope. There are 'hobby' quality USB cameras on the web that are not too expensive but be aware the image may not be very good and the camera may not work reliably and support may be lacking. Your situation is interesting in that you have a microscope that may not work that you may need to use for work and to that your are thinking about adding a camera for your daughter (which you probably won't want to spend a lot on). This combination sounds like it could be a source of disappointment when things just don't work. Maybe you should reconsider your most important goal in having a microscope/camera combination before you complete this transaction.

g2b2

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A pixel is worth a thousand words but it takes a thousand words to explain a pixel. g2b2

thanks, any suggestions on a good model that will do 400x-1000x?

You can contact me at: haste50953@mypacks.net for further discussion about suggestions. g2b2

__________________
A pixel is worth a thousand words but it takes a thousand words to explain a pixel. g2b2