LIFE SCIENCES
Image of a GFP-expressing Drosophila sample. Olympus’ DP80 pixel-precise centring allows the fluorescence image to be overlaid onto the brightfield image
Probing fluorescence
Jessica Rowbury reports on the latest trends in imaging for fluorescence microscopy, including the move toward scientific CMOS technology
T
he evolution of CMOS sensors has had an impact on most fields of imaging, not least in the life sciences. Scientific
CMOS (sCMOS) sensors can now provide higher resolutions and higher signal-to-noise ratios than previously possible, challenging the high-performing but more expensive CCD technology. Taking advantage of these improvements, camera manufacturers this year have released products which offer a good
balance between the two. Both CCD and CMOS technologies have
been developed to offer improved features for scientific applications such as fluorescence microscopy. Te CCD sensors firstly evolved into the electron magnifying CCDs (EMCCDs) sensors to provide higher sensitivities and a better noise performance mainly at low light levels, whereas the sCMOS sensors have quite recently progressed to offer lower cost, higher
20 Imaging and Machine Vision Europe • December 2014/January 2015
pixel counts and faster speeds. With both technologies offering distinct advantages over the other, vendors tend to keep a variety of both cameras in their product portfolios, noted Flavio Giacobone, product manager of cameras for the Micro Imaging Solution Division at Olympus Europa. Scientific CMOS technology has advanced
considerably in recent years, however, and is beginning to rival the sensitivity and low noise levels of the EMCCD. Combined with the lower cost, faster frame rates and higher resolutions, sCMOS sensors are therefore becoming a popular choice for scientific researchers. ‘Te emergence of sCMOS technology is a definite trend in high-end life science applications,’ said Giacobone. However, the sCMOS has not quite reached the performance of the EMCCD in some areas, as Giacobone reflected: ‘Te noise and overall sensitivity of sCMOS sensors are not comparable with the EMCCD – although they have improved a lot, they have not yet approached that of the EMCCD.’ Sensitivity is important for scientific
research, such as for a biologist observing cellular processes to understand their role in
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