I figured it might be a good idea to bring this back up again because it came up in some other topics I posted recently.
Basically, I am going to build one, and already have the main parts... but it's the stand/holder of all things that is hard to find.
So I was recommended by someone who does professional work to try basically building a microscope. I wasn't aware that you could just buy the parts individually like that, and assumed it would cost far more anyway if you did, but they were able to help me find a good deal.
The main thing they focused on that would be a concern is latency/lag, and stressed that most of the cameras that output over USB would have this, and to focus on HDMI output. They actually used a "Hayear 34MP 2K 1080P" themselves. This thing is about $120 on Amazon alone, but they were able to direct me to an eBay seller that had them for less... and that's when I found they also had an auction for one that practically nobody was bidding on.
Likewise for the lens, the seller had several lenses for around $12-20, including a very good one that normally goes for around $75-80 on amazon that again almost nobody was bidding on.
So in the end I managed to get the camera and four lenses (though the big 50mm one is likely massive overkill for this) for a pretty good price... now I just need to "assemble" them into a miscroscope.
These are the parts I have now:
Camera:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185515358839?nma=true&si=0g%252FH8L6YWVzO2MqVVu9ms2IEeyg%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l255750mm lens
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185515365784?nma=true&si=0g%252FH8L6YWVzO2MqVVu9ms2IEeyg%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l255735mm lenses:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/185383773283?nma=true&si=0g%252FH8L6YWVzO2MqVVu9ms2IEeyg%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557https://www.ebay.com/itm/185383784813?nma=true&si=0g%252FH8L6YWVzO2MqVVu9ms2IEeyg%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557I tested them and they work fine, my main issue is now putting them on a stand or so. And possibly finding a screen I can also attach to said stand so I don't have to plug them into a TV or monitor... although I might just forego that and use a TV or monitor anyway since it allows for a significantly bigger screen.
It also doesn't help that while the other two lenses I got are of the 35-40mm adapter standard, the first one I got is 50mm. Most of the ones I saw don't support 50mm lenses.
The first stand I tried was this:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094J5SPDZI figured it was pretty cheap, especially for one that comes with lights, and while the ring sadly appeared to be one piece so I could not replace it with a 50mm one for my larger lens, it had a large base and a 40mm ring so I could at least use the other lenses. However when I got it, the ring was much smaller than advertised, as was the base, so I had to return it.
I have been unable to find any other decent ones that don't cost an arm and a leg, especially not one that either has a removable ring or comes with a 50mm one (I can always get a 50mm to 40mm adapter to use the smaller lenses). Closest I have run across is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Microscope-Camera-Aluminium-Bracket-Support/dp/B08NHZCLL1/But while it's not going to break the bank, it's also not cheap... and has zero reviews while also having a small base and short length to adjust the height, so I am not sure how much I can trust that one.
I also found some random cheaper ones from the same brand as the camera, but they seem incredibly low quality (they seem to have ports that were intended for SD cards or other peripherals from whatever mold for a clearly different product they used that were filled in.. also they were pretty tiny)
Also now I am hearing that direct light like that is not a good idea and it's better to use a ring light. When I looked up that camera/50mm lens on amazon it was normally paired with a ring light... but it had no stand recommendations to attach it all to.
So I wanted to ask here if anyone else here ever did anything like this. If they have any idea what kind of stand/where I can get one to set this all up. And if possible a decent screen (There are plenty of screens intended for a Pi or so that are $15-50 that would accept HDMI input, but I have no idea how I would mount them to the stand) to go with it.