This is a cool attachment for the iPhone. An optical system that produces 20X-80x image magnification, and has a contained adjustable illumination source.
This is an interesting product, as it will by no means replace a stereo scope for the obvious reasons, but will allow for access to magnification by people who could otherwise not afford it or justify the cost. Nikon had a similar product a while back called the ShuttlePix, which never really caught on due to it’s price vs. market demand. This is a classic case of disruptive product innovation. The iphone provides a complete acquisition, optic, storage and transmission system with a user interface for what could be considered $0.00, as the operator can justify owning one without using it for this purpose. We all need a phone right? So what you have here is a comparison of $150 for a digital video and still capture, storage, illumination and editing system, with completely field-ready transmission capability, vs, a higher mag capable system in the shuttlepix, for “under $30,000”. For this price premium you get extended depth of field capability (theoretically this can be done using ANY focusing system), 3-d measurement (again software-based), 400x mag, and a much nicer stand/illumination system. For that $30k you still can’t snap a picture in the field of a new never before seen insect, and email it to colleagues for further analysis, whereas with the $150 solution you can.
Nikon isn’t the only manufacturer out with a portable inspection camera, each of the microscope companies have similar products, and there are specific markets where these products can be justified at $30k. But – the big thing the major scope manufacturers are failing to realize here is that the power and capability of “consumer grade” camera+transmission systems is already meeting or exceeding what was sold a few years back as a “color microscope documentation camera”. The sooner they realize this and change course to provide solutions the market needs, the better it will be for them and for customers.
-Austin