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Borescope Endoscope InspectionScope cheap


CT4ME

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There have been a few threads that mention how this type of tool might be useful.  Looking into those nooks and crannies come to mind.  I've often thought about buying one, but never felt the cost was justified.  I guess things have changed, because now you can get a good scope for as low as $5!  Really.  That's the low end, but at $10-$25 you can get a very nice scope, with HD quality and waterproof.  These scopes are USB based, and can connect directly to any computer or laptop, and most Android phones or tablets.  I just paid $23 on amazon for this: 

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Just to make everyone aware:

There's a lot of scopes that are blatantly lying about their quality. You will NOT find a cheap scope that actually delivers more than a few hundred thousand pixel resolution (640x480 is very common CMOS sensor resolution and are produced by the truck load). Those that you do find are actually bullshitting you and trying to pass off your computer or phone resolution, instead of the camera resolution. Read the whole description.

For most of us though, 640x480 is more than enough.

Also, be sure to pay attention to the diameter of the camera end. Rotax bores are quite small (12mm). If you intend to use attachments, you need to be even smaller. I have a 9mm tip that is sometimes a pain to use.

In addition, pay attention to the device support. For example, that $5 scope that was linked doesn't support apple.

And trust me when I say: you want a rigid/semi-rigid cable. Stay FAR away from flexibles!

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Your info makes these even more attractive, when compared to what otherwise sells for $150-200+.  A quick review of what's been sold at Costco, Harbor Freight, Autozone etc confirms the specs on those units really suck.  Low rez (eek 640x480 at best), crappy little screens (2" or 3"), and large-ish heads.

I see Amazon has some for less than $30 that have quite high rez, small heads, semi-rigid cable, PC/IOS/Android, accessories included, and are wireless (to display).

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I'm still skeptical about it's "1280*720" claim on this one. I've seen lies about this too; some of these devices up-sample the captured image. What that means is, you still have a low resolution image... they just stretched it to fit a larger resolution to pass casual observation.

The higher the resolution, the noisier the image will be unless you can flood the area you are looking at with light. This is why professional cameras use large sensors. It allows for a lot more light collection in lower light settings, which means the ISO value can be lower, resulting in less noise. If you've ever taken a picture with your phone in daylight vs night, you will know what I mean. You need a LOT of light to keep the noise low.

Finally, this is why high quality endoscopes tend to be fiber optic. You eliminate all of these issues, but they are expensive!

I reiterate: don't obsess over all that I've said, I'm just making sure buyers are well informed. Usually there isn't a big difference between scopes in the sub 500 range.

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