Does a compact camera exist that.....

[BenScoobert]

I have quite a specific request for advice, I am trying to assist my Grandad in taking pictures through his microscope.

We bought an adapter which allows you to screw on an SLR camera lens, I took up my Olympus E500 and it worked fine with the macro and regular lenses which connect via the 52mm thread on the lenses. By using this we got decent shots but it is fiddley to then remove it and connect USB to upload the pics to the PC.

So what he'd like is a compact camera the does 3 things.
1. Works like a webcam providing a live video feed.
2. Has a screw thread on the lens like my SLR.(Thread size is not important as we can adapt that)
3. Charges through USB would be a bonus.

Image quality isn't hugely important, anything from 2MP would be ample as if he needs magnification it will be done via the microscope lenses and viewed on a 1280 x 1024 screen which equates to 1.3MP.

So if anyone can offer any advice on this it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Ben

[graham_c]

Hi Ben.
Take a look at this link it may help. It is for digiscoping but the idea is the same
http://www.digiscoped.com/digiscopinginfo.html Hope this helps.. graham
http://www.paxcam.com/microscope_couplers.asp

[BenScoobert]

Thanks for that Graham, at least now I know some more terminology. Half the battle, as if you don't know what you are looking for then you can't even search for it.

Any idea whether the coolpix p5000 will act like a webcam? Most the cameras I've used shut down into a usb mode when you put the cable in.

[graham_c]

Hi Ben
Sorry i don't know if you can use it as a web cam... graham

[BenScoobert]

I've got the EOS 300d for him.

Seems you can view and control the camera from a PC with the canon software which really suits the job

[Dilinja]

I've got the EOS 300d for him.

Seems you can view and control the camera from a PC with the canon software which really suits the job

Can you?! Thats brilliant! I know what I'm doing tonight when I get home from work then

[BenScoobert]

Can you?! Thats brilliant! I know what I'm doing tonight when I get home from work then

Apparently all the EOS range can do that, if you wait a week or so I'll let you know the results

[Dilinja]

Apparently all the EOS range can do that, if you wait a week or so I'll let you know the results

Please do. I only got my 60D last weekend and cant put it down. I'll be playing with this functionality tonight

[BenScoobert]

Please do. I only got my 60D last weekend and cant put it down. I'll be playing with this functionality tonight

There is no live view or PC screen view, control is from the pc, then you get the pic on screen straight away.

How is your 60D?