Webcam as magnifier

Question

My father has a very poor sight and he needs a magnifier if he wants to read anything. He needs really big zoom, up to 100 times. He wanted to buy a special reader, such as this. But, unfortunately, he can't afford it, since it costs more than 2000 euros. I was thinking to try to make something myself, probably with a webcam. Do you think it would be possible? Is there any webcam that can zoom that well? Maybe a normal (HD) camera? He has a huge TV, so I was thinking to make a holder for the cam and connect it to the TV. He can then sit on the couch and read.

Any thoughts? I'm looking for the best and cheaper as possible solution. Any help would be great.

Thanks.

Answer 1

You would need to retrofit the webcam with a closeup lens. Make sure you get a high resolution webcam, 720p or better.

I'm less sure about the software, but surely there is something out there that will let you use a webcam as a simple viewer.

Of note: I am posting this from my ipad. With Goodreader software, you can pretty much zoom as large as you want, and the iPad is much less expensive than the device you described.