mta_BIOL2201_2026 foldscope tips and tricks!
Apr 03, 2026 • 12:49 PM UTC
Canada
140x Magnification
Unknown
Ellie
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I was initially really struggling to get images through my foldscope but these are some of my tips and tricks that allowed me to get some focused images!
I took the photos using a white screen on my ipad at full brightness as the backlighting. I found holding it up to light to be difficult as it was uneven depending on where it was pointed. As well, when it was sitting on something stable taking the photo was a lot easier. When trying to take it in the air I found I needed 3-4 hands and it often unfocused with slight movements. I also found that using another phones flashlight was also a good method but was a little too bright for some things and slightly blinding if trying to look through directly.
Also, something that I attempted was taking the lens out of the foldscope and attaching it right to the back of my phone camera. This allowed me to just hold my phone up to objects and adjust the focus by bringing my camera closer/farther from the object. I found this to be super fast at finding a focused images. I was also able to bring it with me everywhere and was able to look at tons of cool things under magnification which was lots of fun. Once I was able to get focused images with the lens directly on my phone I put it back in the foldscope and was able to focus much easier as I had a better understanding of the lens.
When the lens was in the foldscope I found the lens had to be super close to the sample. I found that in addition to using the focus slider, pushing the lens into the sample also allowed for more focus which I didn't know when I was initially trying to use the foldscope but tried after I had it on my phone camera.
Some of the images I took are below:
I took the photos using a white screen on my ipad at full brightness as the backlighting. I found holding it up to light to be difficult as it was uneven depending on where it was pointed. As well, when it was sitting on something stable taking the photo was a lot easier. When trying to take it in the air I found I needed 3-4 hands and it often unfocused with slight movements. I also found that using another phones flashlight was also a good method but was a little too bright for some things and slightly blinding if trying to look through directly.
Also, something that I attempted was taking the lens out of the foldscope and attaching it right to the back of my phone camera. This allowed me to just hold my phone up to objects and adjust the focus by bringing my camera closer/farther from the object. I found this to be super fast at finding a focused images. I was also able to bring it with me everywhere and was able to look at tons of cool things under magnification which was lots of fun. Once I was able to get focused images with the lens directly on my phone I put it back in the foldscope and was able to focus much easier as I had a better understanding of the lens.
When the lens was in the foldscope I found the lens had to be super close to the sample. I found that in addition to using the focus slider, pushing the lens into the sample also allowed for more focus which I didn't know when I was initially trying to use the foldscope but tried after I had it on my phone camera.
Some of the images I took are below:
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The image above shows bakers yeast that was activated with water and left for 30 minutes to ferment. The cells likely expanded during fermentation and individual cells might be the small cocci clumps in between the larger clumps of multiple cells.
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This image shows my hair (top) compared to my friends hair (bottom). My hair is fine and straight and my friends hair is thicker, darker, and curly. It is super cool how you can see the morphological differences in our hair types and how much thicker and darker my friends hair is compared to mine. What is interesting is that the curl of my friends hair can not be seen, likely due to the area shown in the foldscope not being large enough to show the curl.
Overall, the foldscope was super fun to use and I will definitely continue looking at random things under it. While my photos are not the most in focus or close up, I found there was a big learning curve and now I am able to get photos in focus without much effort using my tips.
Overall, the foldscope was super fun to use and I will definitely continue looking at random things under it. While my photos are not the most in focus or close up, I found there was a big learning curve and now I am able to get photos in focus without much effort using my tips.
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