On Fri, Nov 11, 2011 at 8:07 AM, Dwayne Reid wrote= : > You know, I don't know. > > I don't have depth perception (long story about me being cross-eyed > when very young and having multiple surgerys over a period of many > years to fix it). =A0I tell distance using parallax - this actually > makes me a very safe (conservative) driver. > > I know for a fact that the B&W microscope can't offer any depth > perception cues - its a single channel of vision. > > But I ** THINK ** that the Vision Engineering scopes do offer depth > perception. =A0Someone else who has used any of the Vision Engineering > microscopes might jump in here and either confirm or deny > that. =A0Actually, > > says that the Dynascopes have a "smooth expanded-pupil stereo image > with a generous depth of focus and a wide field of view". I've used both the Mantis heads-up type of scope and the normal stereo lab microscope. They each have their strong points. First, my neck. The traditional microscope is easier on the neck. "heads-up" means "ow, my neck" after a couple hours of use. Adjusting the chair and work height helps, but when my neck is comfortable I feel like I'm holding the soldering iron up about shoulder level. (I'm sure it's only a couple inches higher, but feels awkward after a while.) For soldering components, when I am concentrating on one section of the board at a time, the smaller field of vision of the traditional scope isn't a problem. For general inspection tasks like looking for cracks or solder blobs, the Mantis scope is far, far better. You get more clearance above the work with the Mantis scope. But it's not a big difference. I wear glasses, but I prefer to take them off when using the traditional lab scope. One eye piece is adjustable, which accomodates the difference between my eyes. The heads-up scope doesn't have this. It requires/allows me to wear glasses with it. Illumination is a big part of getting a good image. For electronics work, I like to have some shadows to see cracks and unevenness. Super-flat illumination, like ring lights, is not really desirable for this kind of work. The video out is a kind of gimmick. I've never seen one that had the same magnification and focus depth as the built-in eyepieces. So don't expect others to look over your shoulder and see what you're working on. On the other hand, the USB webcam interface is quite convenient for documenting solder problems for reports etc. (Convenient, but image quality is lacking. You actually get a clearer image with a good still camera and lightbox, and cropping afterwards.) --=20 Regards, Mark markrages@gmail --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .