Bresser Analyth LCD 0.7-4.5x Digital Microscope

The Analyth LCD is a zoom inspection microscope with a built-in camera and a 22.5 cm screen, for a workshop, studio or classroom bench where several people need to see a surface at once without a computer. It's for solid objects lit from above: circuit boards, machined parts, coins, stamps, insects and minerals. A slide can go on it too, since there's a transmitted light in the base.

The zoom lens runs from 0.7x to 4.5x, which on the built-in screen comes out at roughly 8.2x to 52.7x. The field of view is 17.5 by 10 mm at the low end and 4.7 by 2.5 mm at the high end, so a small component fits at 0.7x and a solder joint fills the screen at 4.5x. The camera uses a Sony IMX335 sensor, 1/2.8 inch with 5 megapixels and 2 micron pixels, and the screen shows 1024 by 600 pixels. Coarse and fine focus knobs handle the thin depth of field at full zoom.

A ring of 21 LEDs around the lens lights the object from above without shadows, and the transmitted light below handles translucent objects; each has five brightness levels and switches separately. Working distance is 97 mm, room for tweezers or a probe, and objects up to 37 mm tall fit under the lens. Photos and video save to a microSD card (16 GB included, 32 GB maximum), and the menus are driven by the USB mouse in the box. Measurements are possible with Bresser's optional calibration slide.

The box holds a contrast disc and a transmitted light disc for the stage, the mouse, the memory card, a mains adapter, a dust cover and the manual. The mains adapter comes with a European two-pin plug. Pick the Science DST-0745 below it if you already own a C-mount camera and want to choose the sensor yourself, or the Advance ICD above it if you want eyepieces, a 3D view and up to 160x. Our guide to digital microscopes with a screen compares it with smaller models, the Levenhuk DTX 700 LCD has a 5-inch screen and more magnification for less, and our other digital microscopes are grouped together.