2D Video Microscopy

Five years ago we saw digital consumer cameras being adapted to microscopes. Turns out that a threaded 10x eyepiece from E. Leitz (now Leica Microsystems) screwed directly into a Nikon Coolpix 900 series camera and provided a really nice digital imaging attachment to a microscope. Since that time there have been no fewer than eight firms that developed their own consumer digital camera couplers based on this very simple 10x ocular concept. Today these couplers are still offered but the couplers can end up costing more than the cameras! There are import benefits to using c-mount cameras with the proper optical coupler that is matched to sensor size and your specific field of view requirements. In most cases, a ½” sensor will call for a 0.5x optical c-mount cameras should not be confused with digital “consumer” cameras with non-removable, zoom front lenses. Further, they should not be confused with the new crop of D-SLR (large format sensor) cameras with removable lenses. We are pleased to introduce three very new c-mount cameras that are ideal for digital photomicroscopy. All three are best used with a 0.5x optical c-mount coupler to your particular microscope. Such a coupler will present roughly the center 50% of the 10x ocular field of view on your computer screen.

These new cameras offer excellent performance for a very attractive price….plug and play set up with software for image processing and linear dimension measurements. 3MP is $500.00 and the 5MP is $700.00. We can supply couplers for the most popular old and new NOZL scopes…use them on any one of our Infinity Photo Optical (Infinivar/Infiniprobe) instruments or macrozooms without additional optics.

Here is a cooled (30C below ambient) c-mount CCD camera (1/2”) that has broken the $2000.00 barrier….$1600.00! This is a perfect imaging solution for Windows users (up to VISTA) who are doing low light level microscopy such as epifluorescence, transmission darkfield, polarized light or incident light darkfield methods. The Sony CCD sensor is superior to CMOS sensors when it comes to reduced light levels. A higher resolution camera with Peltier cooling will be introduced later in 2008. Contact Bunton for details on all Peltier-cooled cameras. The next step up is the Jenoptik Progres C3/C5
(www.progres-camera.com) cameras at $3300 and $4300.00 respectively. More advanced cooled cameras with multiple exposure features and true color RGB performance will range in price from about $7000 to $10,000.00. The 1.4CCD cooled camera at $1,600.00 is a great way to get started for those under tight budget limits.

Multiple z-axis image captures has become quite the norm. Some cameras offered by Bunton include this software ( see the insect on our homepage) that allows any TWAIN camera or D-SLR camera (like the Olympus E and C Series) to capture images and combine them into a single image like the one below….an electronic device with everything in focus…the device on the left is several millimeters above the smaller solder pads on the right…try doing that with a one shot camera! Ask about DEEP FOCUS 3.0