Nice camera and setup. I'll wait until the "Dave effect" passes and get one once the temporary price increase fades away.
What are you talking about, if you have read the thread, you will see the price dropped around 10% from these 2 Aliexpress suppliers I found here: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/blog/eevblog-1125-amazing-$500-solderinginspection-microscope!/msg1852202/#msg1852202
Using the link in Daves's video... Shipping was included, but it was well over $500 freedom bucks at the time I pulled the trigger shortly after the video. I roll private mode on FF 100% with noscript and ad blockers, not sure if that gives me the special price. If it does, would certainly like to know.
PLEASE READ EVERYTHING YOU ARE GETTING AND AT WHAT PRICE, INCLUDING SHIPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are engineers here and this comparing products and all the features plus hidden loopholes, like forced to pay shipping for 1 part and not the others shouldn't be a problem for us. If there is a different cost to you I don't know about, then, please let me know.
DAVES LINK, 455$, shipping included, 180x LENS, NO camera lamp, NO holder vertical table stand... Dave has a separate link for the table and for that table stand you need to pay shipping because of the stand's package size.
MY LINK #1, 400$ US, shipping included, 120x LENS instead of the closer 180x lens, NO camera lamp, NO holder vertical table stand...
MY LINK #2, 429$ US + 59$ shipping for 488$ total, choice of 180x lens or 300x lens, INCLUDES Table Stand, INCLUDES lens mounted microscope lamp.
If you want that table with the vertical arm to hold the camera, you will always need to pay for shipping. Dave's links do not contain a lamp for the microscope. My 2 links are a legitimate deals.
We are engineers here, read and analyze the links I provide you with and you will get everything your want and need at the best price. If you do not read, you will buy just the camera, then have to find a separate table holder, have the shipping for the table on 1 item, and once you buy everything a-la-carte separate, you still wont have the microscope lamp and everything will arrive at different times.
Well Mr. Engineer, long story short...
The original order took more than 7 days to even ship. I requested they cancel the order at that point. Two days later the seller responded and in all fairness refunded claiming Chinese holiday. After that refund went though, I hit your "With stand and circular LED lamp for 429$" link. I didn't catch this is the same seller. Felt a bit douchie re-ordering a better priced package after canceling. I paid for DHL and sure enough it shipped withing 48hrs and came in short order.
Package as received, is missing the lens totally and I have 50% of the base. I have the horizontal bar and hardware only. Nothing to adapt the missing lens to it let alone the base and vertical support. Looking at what I have, the base is prob worth the price but total crap to my amscope setup I have now. Amscope vertical and horizontal supports are solid metal, this horizontal support is hollow and full of rust. Aka, take off the end cap off to assemble and 1-2 grams of rust fall out.
At this point, I'll have to quote AvE. Time to piss with the cock you got.
Not wasting my time with the seller anymore. They refunded me in full (though by paypal so I incurred a fee from those parasites) once already. Its aliexpress and just another layer of hell deeper than ebay. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.
The camera alone is pretty awesome for the price. I mainly though it would be a perfect replacement to my current amscope camera. Using it as advertised would have been ok, but doesn't really fit my lab. I have a 4' hood for soldering and there isn't room for a stereo microscope and this as a standalone setup.
I have it on my amscope with a 0.5x adapter. Mag is still too high for what's ideal, but its usable and a 5x improvement from the cam I had. Find the right optics and adapters this thing is still gold for the price.
If anyone wants a Amscope MC300 camera, its yours if you cover shipping. PM me. This cam needs lots of light but takes pretty good images. I use it with amscope's brightest led ring and its fine until I'm working a the max mag level. Biggest complaint...its never in focus with the eye piece so I have to piss around before taking pics. Not the end of the world but annoying.