Firewire Entry-Level Digital Cameras make Compact Cameras and Video Cameras redundant

Boosting its range of AxioCam digital cameras, Carl Zeiss launches a pair of entry-level cameras specially developed for routine applications in brightfield microscopy and stereomicroscopy. The 1.4 megapixel AxioCam ICc1 and the 3.3 megapixel AxioCam ICc3 combine outstanding performance and an affordable price, making them ideally suited for routine laboratory and industrial applications.

Both new cameras are inexpensive enough to replace conventional compact cameras with zoom lenses or complex video camera with framegrabber technology. However, resolutions of up to 2080x1540 pixels deliver a considerable improvement in image quality. The radical price/performance ratio means the AxioCam IC is ideally suited to the Zeiss Axio Star and Primo Star microscopes, the Stemi 2000C and SteREO Discovery stereomicroscopes, and routine microscopes and stereomicroscopes from other manufacturers.

The AxioCam IC cameras, measuring just 44x44x44mm, are equipped with C-mount adapters and are tightly integrated into Zeiss??AxioVision image processing software. A FireWire interface allows high speed transfer of up to 30 images per second with AxioCam ICc1 and 39 images per second with AxioCam ICc3. Since the cameras take power via the FireWire connection, a power cable or external PSU is not required.

Unlike video and compact cameras, the AxioCam IC operates without any moving parts and does not require memory cards or zoom adapters and correction procedures. The absence of moving parts offers totally vibration-free microscopy with distortionless images sent directly to the PC and the AxioVision application software.

The application software enables uses to capture images from any section of the sensor over a wide range of exposure times. The software also supports Z-stack recording for topographic displays or the capture of large image areas using motorized stages. Automatic image scaling guarantees reproducible results in measurement tasks widely used in materials research, such as the analysis of grain sizes.