Carson zOrb Digital Microscope

I would use a video review simply using the CarsonZorb software as I can choose my device, either the Carson Zorb or my computer camera. In fact when I first installed the software, up cam my ugly 80 year old face which is why I'm writing this review. The supplier (Amazon) had the microscope to me in a few days. It was well packed. All I had to do was slip the disk into my laptop and install the software. Actually it did that all by itself. Two little adapters, plastic cones, were supplied and I was told to select one of them according to the size of the image. I chose the smaller and it will probably be the one I'll be using as this old man could snap it into the microscope but could not unsnap it back out. Anyway, the small one is probably the only one I'll want to use anyway. If I need to get the other out, I'll have my son come over. I liked the 35X magnification. It is just right for looking at moles, nose hairs and fingernails. I can read small print with the thing like you get on a sales slip when you buy something or try to read the dosage on a bottle of pills. And you can look at the details on coins and bills. Now, I'm going to get some bugs and other interesting things and play with that. The magnification on my computer screen is amplified and if I need to I'll go to my other computer with its big monitor. I can hardly wait to catch an ant. Well, better still, one of those Idaho Black Widow spiders. I captured still images in two ways. I read that someone said they had movement when they clicked the camera button. I had no such problem but I also captured using the MS Snippet Tool. I brought them up into a graphic program and re-sized them with no problem. I could add captions if I wanted to. Now I'm a retired R & D engineer and I've operated hundreds of microscopes over the years including an SEM. I would not compare them with this little device but I would say you can have a lot of fun with any good microscope no matter how much it costs. I didn't take any video but all you need to do is click. You can control the length of your video and other parameters. When I get that bug, I'll take a video. I found the image quality to be about like the hand lens I've carried around for years. However, at my age, I much prefer this small device to my hand lens. It is so much easier to view the image on the computer. That is the main reason I bought the device. I think this would be a great gift for a child, one who likes bugs. I also think it would also be a nice gift for grandpa who can't read the dosage on a bottle of pain pills. Did I say its a cute little bugger? I can hardly wait to show it to my 34 grandchildren and my older great grandchildren. They will be so excited! WOW! UPDATE I tried to use the supplied software (free on the Internet) to record a video. I had no trouble recording a still shot but I'm too old and too dumb to figure out how to find a video recording after I save it. When I do, I get an icon instead of a video. I'm sure there is a way to do this but I'm 80-years-old and don't have time for such nonsense. The software did say there were restrictions. I simply went to the the Internet and downloaded the FREE Debut Video Capture software. I had no reason to buy the pay version. It works perfectly with my computer camera and the microscope camera. It is very easy to use and that is exactly what I needed. I now use Windows Movie maker to edit the videos. Then I can save them and stick them into the free Ezvid software and uploaded them to YouTube. If I don't want to send the video to YouTube, I just create the whole video and save it from Windows Movie Maker. I know I could upload a video to YouTube after I save it but with Ezvid I don't have to think. I think that the supplier should supply Debut or some other easy to use software. I still love this camera and I'm having a ball. I caught a spider and filmed hims attacking a Potato Bug. Quite a fight. It is great for looking into your nose and ears too. Wait! My wife's caregiver just caught a jumping or wolf Spider in the sink. Now, if I can just get him to behave while I get the microscope over him. Have some fun. John John T. Jones, Ph.D. InternetBusinessToolCenter.com Buhl, Idaho