Use iPad for microscope PCB rework?

[serr]

Is it possible to mount an iPad on a stand and use it for 40x magnification? There would need to be a working distance of 6" between the camera lens and the surface being viewed.

I see these cheap webcams sold for this. It occurs to me these are pure scams of course. Usually made in China and they often claim to have never written OSX drivers. Or you find in the fine print a working distance of only 1 - 2".

Seems to me you should just be able to use an iPad and pull off 40x right? Yes? Maybe?

 

[serr]

Crickets...

I don't see any signs of people doing this. No iPad stands for sale on ebay, etc. But I do see the cheap webcams being sold and they even go so far as to aim them at people with an iPad to plug that webcam into the iPad (rather than use the iPad itself). What the heck? (It occurs to me that those are just scam products of course. Stuff like only having a 1.5" working space - not enough to be usable - buried in the fine print. Or Windows drivers mentioned but no mention of OSX which is usually a ringer.) Can an iPad not do up to 40x zoom? But a cheap webcam can? That doesn't sound right...

Shouldn't an iPad itself be superior to that to begin with? What bit am I not seeing?

I could pick up a newer iPad that includes a camera and just try it myself but I was kind of hoping for a positive comment that would help me justify upgrading my iPad to one of the newer models with a camera!

 

[Diving Capers]

The only lens I know of is this one https://www.olloclip.com/shop/lenses/ipad-4-in-1/

I haven't used one so I don't know if they are any good.

You could do a review search for it on google and YouTube to see what people that have them think.

 

[Hym tix]

This is a fun idea. ...fun enough to make me drop everything and get out my cheap macro clip-on lens and put it on my iPad. It works ok. Focal distance is less than an inch so it wouldn work for your situation but presumably you could find the right lens.

This photo is of my blue jeans, taken on 2015 12.9 iPad Pro. The big screen is surprisingly fun to use for inspecting things up close.

[doublepost=1502480997][/doublepost]Here's the cheap lens I have.
Apexel 4 in 1
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1INMPI/ref=cm_sw_r_tai_IOGJzbHG2MGAF

 

[jerwin]

Lenses for closeup work need to be designed specifically for that purpose. It really has nothing to to with how good a lens is-- many of the best lenses in the world have minimum focus distances that render them unsuitable for macrophotography (or microphotography)