Microscope Stand Information
Unless otherwise stated the microscope objective lenses require specimens to be mounted on a #1.5 glass coverslip (170 microns) or in a chamber/dish with a coverslip bottom of the same thickness.
Widefield Microscopes
Use a widefield microscope if your specimen is thin and relatively free of out-of focus blur or you don't need to optically section it for processing, analysis and visualisation in 3D.
Microscope Name | Upright or Inverted? | Fluorescence Colours | Key Features | Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Axioplan | Upright | Blue, Green, Red, Far-Red |
| Zeiss Axioplan 2 microscope with QImaging QClick camera for high sensitivity and high resolution fluorescence microscopy and differential interference contrast (DIC) of fixed specimens on slides |
Axio Imager | Upright | Blue, Green, Red, Far-Red. Cyan and Yellow available on request |
| Zeiss Axio Imager A1 microscope with QImaging Retiga EXi for high sensitivity and high resolution fluorescence microscopy and phase contrast of fixed specimens on slides |
Axioskop 3 | Upright | Blue, Green, Red |
| Zeiss Axioskop microscope with QImaging QICAM colour camera for moderate to high resolution fluorescence microscopy and imaging of histologically or histochemically stained specimens on slides. Motorised stage supports tiling and stitching of specimens. |
Inverted | Blue, Green, Red |
| Leica DMIRB microscope with Hamamatsu Orca NRB camera. Good for moderate resolution fluorescence microscopy and phase contrast of fixed/live specimens on slides, or in dishes and plates with glass or plastic bottoms | |
Leica 2 | Inverted | Blue, Cyan, Green, Red |
| Leica DMIRB microscope with Leica DFC7000T colour camera for high resolution fluorescence microscopy and colour imaging of histologically or histochemically stained specimens on slides, or in dishes and plates with glass or plastic bottoms |
Confocal Microscopes
Use a confocal microscope if your specimen in thick, has significant out-of-focus blur, or if you need to process, analyse or visualise it in 3D.
Microscope Name | Upright or Inverted? | Laser Lines | 37°C Incubation | Features | Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SPE | Upright | 405, 488, 532, 640 | Possible |
| 3D imaging of fixed specimens on slides. Orthogonal scans (in XZ) using the Z Galvo. Live imaging of perfused specimens if an upright configuration is needed. |
SPE2 | Upright | 405, 488, 532, 640 | Possible |
| 3D imaging of fixed specimens on slides. Orthogonal scans (in XZ) using the Z Galvo. Live imaging of specimens in dishes possible with water dipping lenses using Oko-lab stage adapter if an upright configuration is needed. |
SPE3 | Inverted | 405, 488, 561, 640 | No |
| 3D imaging of specimens on slides and in dishes with multi-position acquisition and tiling. In comparison to other SPE confocal microscopes the 561 nm laser is closer to the excitation peak of most popular red fluorophores. Fluorescence and DIC on gridded 35 mm dishes for correlative light and electron microscopy. Matrix Screener software is available for high content screening type applications. |
SP5 | Inverted | 405, 457, 476, 488, 495, 561, 594, 633 | Yes |
| 3D imaging of specimens on slides and live imaging of specimens in 35 mm dishes and Lab-Tek chambered coverslips using Pe-Con incubation equipment. Multi-position acquisition and tiling. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). Förster Resonance Energy Transfer by Acceptor Photobleaching or Sensitised Emission using FRET wizards. Fluorescence and DIC on gridded 35 mm dishes for correlative light and electron microscopy. Advanced experiment design using Live Data Mode (e.g. reconfiguring acquisition for SRRF). Matrix Screener for high content screening, export of data as OME TIFF. |
| Olympus FV1200 | Inverted | 405, 458, 488, 515, 559, 635 Sim Scanner: 405 (pulsed), 440 | Yes |
| 3D scanning of fixed specimens. Live imaging of specimens in 35 mm dishes and chambered coverslips. Highly sensitivite live imaging of green and red fluorophores using the GaAsP detectors. Imaging of thick living specimens using the silicon lenses to correct for the refractive index of cytoplasm. Tiling of large specimens using the motorised stage. Ablation of cytoskeletal cortex in adherent cells using the pulsed 405 nm laser. Fluorescence and DIC on gridded 35 mm dishes for correlative light and electron microscopy. |
Radiance | Upright | 458, 488, 514, 543, 635 | Possible |
| 3D imaging of fixed specimens on slides. Other microscopes are recommended for live imaging of mammalian specimens and for more sophisticated FRAP capability. |
Spinning Disc Confocal Microscopes
Use spinning disc microscopes for high-speed live confocal imaging of samples.
Microscope Name | Upright or Inverted? | Objective Lenses | Laser Lines | Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Vox | Inverted | 10x air to 100x oil (60x water immersion available) | 405, 488, 561, 640 | Imaging of live specimens in 35 mm dishes, Lab-Tek chambered coverslips and Ibidi uSlides using Solent Scientific cage type incubation chamber. DIC. Multi-point and stitching. FRAP. |
| 3i | Inverted | 10x air to 100x oil (40x water immersion available) | 405, 440, 488, 514, 561, 640 | Imaging of live specimens in 35 mm dishes, Lab-Tek chambered coverslips and Ibidi uSlides using Oko-Lab cage type incubation chamber. DIC. Multi-point and stitching. FRAP. |
Time-lapse inverted microscope systems
Microscope | Objective Lenses | Fluorescence Colours | Camera | Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GFP1 | 10x to 40x air and LWD (oil lenses available) | Green and Red | Greyscale high sensitivity CCD | Optimally configured for 'screening' of multiple positions in multi-well plates and other vessels at low to moderate resolution and high sensitivity using phase contrast and fluorescence. Stage adapters support Nunc and Mat-Tek multi-well plates and 35 mm Mat-Tek dishes. If you need to use another vessel or adapter you must contact Andrew Vaughan |
GFP2 | 10x to 40x air and LWD (oil lenses available) | Blue, Green and Red | Greyscale high sensitivity CCD | Optimally configured for 'screening' of multiple positions in multi-well plates and other vessels at low to moderate resolution and high sensitivity using phase contrast and fluorescence. Stage adapters support Nunc and Mat-Tek multi-well plates and 35 mm Mat-Tek dishes. If you need to use another vessel or adapter you must contact Andrew Vaughan |
N-STORM (coming soon) | 10x air to 100x oil TIRF lens | Blue, Green, Red and Far-Red | Greyscale ultra-high sensitivity EMCCD | Optimally configured for high resolution and high sensitivity fluorescence microscopy of living specimens in XYZT for deconvolution, TIRF and super-resolution using N-STORM and dSTORM. |