Photos: Dino-Lite handheld microscope

Photos captured with the Dino-Lite AM413M.

CNET Reviews staff

Feb. 12, 2008 2:39 p.m. PT

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Lori Grunin

The AM413M delivers relatively good depth of field; shown here, it's approximately 1/8 inch. Captured at 60x magnification.

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Lori Grunin

This shows ballpoint pen on standard 20-pound photocopier paper. I wish the AM413M had some sort of manual white-balance and exposure settings--these colors are decidedly off, and the paper slightly underexposed. The inset is magnified at 60x, the large image approximately 205x.

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Lori Grunin

Looking at the hologram on a credit card, I was surprised to find tiny text there as well. (Inset at 210X, larger image at 60x.)

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Lori Grunin

This is the hook part of a hook-and-loop fastener (popularly known as Velcro). For artists and textile designers, the 413M can provide some interesting fodder. It handled exposing the dark material very well, with no real noise. (60x magnification)

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Lori Grunin

Because you can hold it in your hand, you can capture almost anything. Here's my winter-dry hair, complete with gray interloper. (Approximately 78x magnification)

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Lori Grunin

This small screw (the size used for mounting a hard drive in a desktop computer) shows the amount of detail the AM413M can capture, plus its ability to expose well in bright highlight areas. (170x magnification)

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CNET Networks

If you want to analyze paper textures with the AM413M, you'll have to do a little more work. The built-in LEDs shine straight down, which blows out details on white paper. I captured this inkjet canvas without the LEDs by shining a flashlight in the side. (60x magnification)

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Lori Grunin

The AM413M seems like a great tool for analyzing print samples. However, you can see how the exposure varies depending upon magnification. (Inset crop from 60x capture, outset 205x magnification)