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? | Objective Lenses | Fluorescence Colours | Key Features | Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Axioplan | Upright | Suitable for coverslips | 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 | Suitable for coverslips | 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 | Suitable for coverslips | 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 | Suitable for TC plasticware | 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 | Suitable for TC plasticware | Blue, 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? | Objective Lenses | Laser Lines | 37°C Incubation | Techniques |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Radiance | Upright | Suitable for coverslips and water dipping | 458, 488, 514, 543, 635 | Possible | Bio-Rad Microscience Radiance 2100 with Nikon 800 stand and three high-sensitivity GaAsP detectors for 3D imaging of fixed specimens on slides. DIC. Live imaging of specimens in gasket sealed chambers or open dishes possible using a heated stage adapter and lens heater. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP). |
SPE | Upright | Suitable for coverslips and water dipping | 405, 488, 532, 640 | Possible | Leica TCS SPE with DM2500 stand for 3D imaging of fixed specimens on slides. Live imaging of specimens in dishes possible with water dipping lenses using Oko-lab stage adapter or Warner Instruments perfusion chamber. DIC (not dipping lenses). Spectral imaging. |
SPE2 | Upright | Suitable for coverslips | 405, 488, 532, 640 | Possible | Leica TCS SPE with DM2500 stand for 3D imaging of fixed specimens on slides. Live imaging of specimens in dishes possible with water dipping lenses using Oko-lab stage adapter or Warner Instruments perfusion chamber. DIC (not dipping lenses). Spectral imaging. |
SPE3 | Inverted | Suitable for coverslips | 405, 488, 561, 640 | No | Leica TCS SPE version 2 with DMI4000 stand for 3D imaging of specimens on slides and in dishes. DIC. Spectral Imaging. Motorised stage for multi-position acquisition and tiling. Matrix Screener software for high content screening. |
SP5 | Inverted | Suitable for coverslips | 405, 457, 476, 488, 495, 561, 594, 633 | Yes | Leica TCS SP5 with DMI6000B for 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. Spectral imaging. DIC. Motorised stage for multi-position acquisition and tiling. FRAP wizard. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer with FRET wizard. Experiment design using Live Data Mode. Matrix Screener for high content screening. |
| Olympus FV1200 | Inverted | Suitable for coverslips. Silicon lenses for live imaging | 405, 458, 488, 515, 559, 635 | Yes | Olympus FV1200 with IX83 microscope stand. Live imaging using Tokai-Hit stage adapter for dishes and chambered coverslips. Two spectral detectors, one PMT and two GaAsP detectors for high sensitivity imaging. DIC. Motorised stage. 32x and 60x silicon lenses for thick living specimens. Additional SIM scanner with 405 pulsed laser for ablation experiments and 440 nm laser for excitation of CFP. FRAP possible with or without SIM scanner. |
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. |