A magnified view of your buds can be very helpful for smokers, particularly for smokers that must purchase their buds illegally.

Magnification allows a smoker to check their buds for mold and bugs. It can also tell you whether or not your buds have been ‘bounced for kief’, meaning that many, if not most, trichomes have been knocked off the bud and collected for separate sale. For any grower, magnification is a must for quality control. A handheld lens, like the ones used by geologists or jewelers, can be sufficient to inspect all your buds. A digital microscope allows you to inspect your buds, as well as photograph them for later comparison with others.

There are many magnifiers available, from handheld eyepieces mentioned above, to the large expensive microscopes you may see in a University science lab. The Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope is the balanced center. Priced under $70, it can take pictures (up to 1280 x 1024 pixels) and capture video (up to 640 x 480 pixels) with adjustable 10x to 150x magnification. Amazon sometimes has the Celestron available for as little as $40.

The microscope is USB-powered, lit with 6 built-in LEDs and comes with an adjustable stand. The microscope can be used without the stand, (hence the handheld title) but it can be very difficult to keep objects in focus, especially with maximum magnification. This makes it nearly impossible to get a decent quality, high-magnification video unless the microscope is in its stand. This Celestron microscope also works fine as a handheld or mounted camera when zoomed out, and can even be used as a webcam.

I highly recommend the Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope for all growers, and any connoisseurs interested in keeping a catalog of micro-photos of their favorite buds.

Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope Images

This is a 10x photo of a Death Star nugget from one of my favorite Denver dispensaries: L’Eagle.

This is a Blue Dream nug, also from L’Eagle. Since the Celestron has no indicator of the level of magnification being used, (only that 10x is the minimum and 150x is the maximum) I have to estimate that this is about 20x to 30x.

This is a photo of the same Blue Dream at 150x magnification. The white star pattern you see in the trichomes is the reflection of the Celestron’s 6 LEDs.

Celestron Handheld Digital Microscope Features

10x – 150x magnification

Video and still image software included

USB 2.0 powered

LED lit

Adjustable stand

Under $70

2-year warranty

Great for