Re: [micro-manager-general] not (yet) supported cameras in micro-manager - general question

[Nico S. <nic...@uc...>]

Hi Karl,

On 12/12/2017 8:09 AM, Karl Bellve wrote:
> I am following this conversation closely. What would you recommend for 
> <$500 CCD camera? Monochrome or Color but not CMOS. I think non 
> scientific CMOS cameras are there just yet. Mainly for studying GFP in 
> worms for a lab that I don't think needs to spend thousands to do this.

What is the problem with non-scientific CMOS?  We have a couple of the 
POint grey (now FLIR) CMOS cameras, and they provide perform very well.  
Our standard epi scope now has a Chameleon3 (CM3-U3-31S4M-CS), which has 
2048x1536 pixels, QE of 71%,  and runs 55fps with 2.9 electrons 
read-noise.  It replaces an Orca 2 ER (which at the time had the lowest 
read-noise possible at 6 electrons) and nobody complains (actually, 
everyone loves the speed).  Only downside is that these do not have 
cooling and run quite hot, and hot pixels will be visible on long 
exposures (but when do you ever need second long exposures?).  If I 
remember correctly we paid something like $400 for this.

The CCD in this same series 
(https://www.ptgrey.com/chameleon3-28-mp-mono-usb3-vision-2) is more 
expensive, has 10.5 electrons read noise, and runs at no more than 13 fps.

There are now a couple of papers describing single molecule imaging with 
non-scientific CMOS cameras 
(https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/09/09/186544, 
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-14762-6).

Curious to hear what you do not like about them.

Best,

Nico