Anyone had experience with Touptek microscope cameras?

[TerraHertz]

Optical equipment choices can be so confusing!
I've been looking at options for a digital c-mount camera to use with my microscopes, and think I've finally managed to choose one. But before I go ahead and order it, has anyone had a chance to use the various models listed in my info file? Particularly the brand and model I'll probably buy. This is going to cost a lot of money (for me.) If there's anything I'm missing, now would be a good time to learn. Rather than later.

This is what I'm considering buying:
http://www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=70
L3CMOS05100KPA LP105100A  5.1 MP USB 3.0
  2560 x 1922    14.2 fps
  1280 x 960     38.3 fps     OK for 720p video
  640 x 480      101.2 fps
Plus at least two of the adjustable focus 23mm to c-mount adapters - the AMA050 & AMA075.
 http://www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=114

Since they gave me quotes privately, I can't list them here. But USB 3 camera prices elsewhere are typically a lot more than the same resolution in USB 2, and these are not. This set comes in around my target price.

Attached is my text file compilation of info on what I need and what's available. Maybe it's useful for someone else considering a microscope camera purchase.

I'm not going for the highest possible resolution, or sensitivity. Since it's a pain saving lots of very large image files, for live view a resolution greater than the screen is pointless, and if I need 10 MP I can mount my Canon EOS camera.
What I want is adequate resolution, at high frame rate with ability to record 720P or better video, and stills.
Hence the 5.1 MP choice.

[arekm]

Have this: http://www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=243

Piece of (very slow and laggy) garbage. iphone mounted over 0.5x lens is giving me much better quality.

Some youtubers use HDMI microscope cameras (over 500$ range) and hdmi capture cards for the task (of recording) or just directly to monitor (for view):

(amscope camera)



(around 30m; some opticam camera)

[arekm]

I wonder if anyone used these cameras like:



(
few sellers on ebay like:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/14MP-TV-HDMI-USB-Industry-Digital-C-mount-Microscope-Camera-TF-Video-Recoder-DVR-/271455379375?hash=item3f34005faf:g:l4oAAOxySoJTS7TX
)

Fit 200$ range.

Edit: there are some reviews on youtube...

[alsetalokin4017]

Have this: http://www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=243

Piece of (very slow and laggy) garbage. iphone mounted over 0.5x lens is giving me much better quality.

I've got one of those too. It stays in its box in a drawer. Practically unusable for my purposes. It isn't parfocal, gives a much narrower FOV than the eyepiece it is supposed to replace, the ToupLite software works on Linux but doesn't see this particular camera (although it is seen as a webcam by Linux native guvcview software). When I dig out my Windows laptop, the software works and the camera gives a good image, but as I said it's not parfocal and has a very narrow FOV (at greater magnification) so it doesn't work as I had hoped. I wanted to put it in one side of my stereo microscope and see the same thing, at the same focus and mag/FOV as I saw in the eyepiece. But no. So it stays in its box in the drawer. Someday I'll sell it at a garage sale probably, be lucky to get 5 dollars for it.

[TerraHertz]

Have this: http://www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=243

Piece of (very slow and laggy) garbage. iphone mounted over 0.5x lens is giving me much better quality.

I've got one of those too. It stays in its box in a drawer. Practically unusable for my purposes. It isn't parfocal, gives a much narrower FOV than the eyepiece it is supposed to replace, the ToupLite software works on Linux but doesn't see this particular camera (although it is seen as a webcam by Linux native guvcview software). When I dig out my Windows laptop, the software works and the camera gives a good image, but as I said it's not parfocal and has a very narrow FOV (at greater magnification) so it doesn't work as I had hoped. I wanted to put it in one side of my stereo microscope and see the same thing, at the same focus and mag/FOV as I saw in the eyepiece. But no. So it stays in its box in the drawer. Someday I'll sell it at a garage sale probably, be lucky to get 5 dollars for it.

Yeah, the little cylindrical 23mm tube cameras are pretty obviously only good for use with a monocular microscope, just to get an image on screen. But they are all USB 2, so can't do adequate frame rates except at lowest resolution. And there's no focus adjustment, and they don't have lenses to match the optics of eyepiece tubes, so they only see a small part of the available image.

That said, I wouldn't mind having a very cheap 2 to 5 MP one, for use with a small monocular microscope. Maybe later.
C-mount cameras are much more flexible, in terms of what they can be adapted and matched to.

It looks like I'll be spending nearly half as much on adjustable focus 23mm to C-mount adapters, as on the camera. Getting more than one, because I'll have three different camera systems: The EOS, the touptek digital, and old PAL video cams.
Also the c-mount cameras can use a wide range of existing camera lenses (such as macro and telephoto) via adapters.

[chickenHeadKnob]

Yeah, the little cylindrical 23mm tube cameras are pretty obviously only good for use with a monocular microscope, just to get an image on screen. But they are all USB 2, so can't do adequate frame rates except at lowest resolution. And there's no focus adjustment, and they don't have lenses to match the optics of eyepiece tubes, so they only see a small part of the available image.

That said, I wouldn't mind having a very cheap 2 to 5 MP one, for use with a small monocular microscope. Maybe later.
C-mount cameras are much more flexible, in terms of what they can be adapted and matched to.

On a purely speculative quest I bought a Waveshare Raspberry Pi camera, namely camera B:  http://www.waveshare.com/product/mini-pc/raspberry-pi/expansions/rpi-camera-b.htm

They have a few Rpi cameras, all based on the R-pi foundation original OV5647 sensor but the B model has an adjustable lens which can be hand adjusted and then secured with a grub screw, it is also a few dollars cheaper than the sanctioned camera. You can get from Waveshare directly or their ebay store and I think it is also sold on Amazon and dx.com. I only played with this for maybe 10 minutes and compared it to the the original Pi camera, before putting it away. My first impression is that it has promise, I want to build a stiff adjustable mount for it, but right now my lab is a mess and I'm backlogged for work.

Pro's: reasonable low latency HDMI output direct from Pi GPU to HDMI monitor.
          lens much easier to focus than original R-pi
          relatively inexpensive even when including an R-pi
          module is small and light which means if you have a low profile mount you can get your hands or tools past it easily
Con's: Working distance is somewhat limited; going from memory about 10cm with approximately  10x mag(or more) and about 14 cm with 3-5x
          I was holding the module in my hand and guestimating the distance whilst looking at the monitor, not very scientific
          not ready made finished solution so yet another project (sigh)
          R-pi boot time inhibition whenever you get an urge to look at something, something like 30 seconds

This post has prompted me to work on a jury rig mount so I can measure specs better.
R-pi video resolutions:

    2592×1944 1-15fps, video or stills mode, Full sensor full FOV, default stills capture
    1920×1080 1-30fps, video mode, 1080p30 cropped
    1296×972 1-42fps, video mode, 4:3 aspect binned full FOV. Used for stills preview in raspistill.
    1296×730 1-49fps, video mode, 16:9 aspect , binned, full FOV (width), used for 720p
    640×480 42.1-60fps, video mode, up to VGAp60 binned
    640×480 60.1-90fps, video mode, up to VGAp90 binned

[TerraHertz]

Well, it's ordered. I'll post pics after it arrives.

[dadler]

Well, it's ordered. I'll post pics after it arrives.

Are you still waiting for the camera to arrive?