General FAQs
There is a variety of different digital eyepiece cameras available designed specifically for use with standard (monocular, binocular, or trinocular) microscopes. The BigCatch “EM” series are compatible with both the 23.2 and 30mm diameter ocular tubes found on most standard microscopes. The installation of the eyepiece camera is the same for both versions and requires the removal of the microscope eyepiece from one of the ocular tubes and simply inserting the eyepiece camera. Certain trinocular version microscopes may require a special “C” mount adaptor which comes with the EM300C model C-Mount eyepiece camera.
Furthermore, you need to consider certain performance features of the digital camera and determine if they meet your requirements. You also need to ensure that your computer and operating system are compatible with the eyepiece digital camera software. Other things to consider;
* Determine the desired camera field of view. The “EM” series has an 18mm FOV
* The camera must match the objective lens par-focalization.
* The camera must offer a sharp and clear image in true color.
* The camera should offer video imaging at speeds of 15-30 frames /sec.
All EM eyepieces can fit into 23mm, 30mm, 30.5mm eyepiece slots
The EM C-mounts fits into 1 inch adapters. The threads on the C-mounts eyepiece are female.
EM310, EM510 are improved versions of EM300, EM500 provide better color images .
EM900 provides the highest resolution, biggest pictures
EM320, EMC560 are CCD cameras that provide better video. But require a blue filter for better images
EM200F eyepiece due to the ability to view low light situations, color, and ease of use.
EVCM-200 does not require a computer and plugs directly to a computer monitor through 15pin D-SUB (VGA port). Max resolution is 1440x900.
Quality of sensor -
There are Four types of sensors that we currently carry. Super Color CCD, CCD, Enhanced Color CMOS, and CMOS
Each one has certain advantages and disadvantages depending on application.
The CMOS sensor (Model # : EM-XXX) has base performance images.
The Enhanced Color CMOS sensor (Model # : EM-X10) is an improved CMOS with great color quality & refresh rate.
The CCD sensor (Model # : EM-CXXX) has a fast transfer rate and also is great for florescent or darker applications.
The Super Color HP CCD (Model # : EM-XXXF) is an improved CCD that has excellent color quality with a refresh rate comparable to the CCD.
Finally, you should consider the software supplied with the camera. Some cameras come without imaging software. Some come with basic imaging software with simple photo and video capturing functions only. Some users require enhanced software features with measurement and other image processing capabilities such as the “ScopePhoto” software included with the “EM” series eyepiece cameras.
by Features sheet (pdf)Feature |
Resolution |
General Color |
Florescent or darker |
Frame per sec |
FOV |
USB 2.0 Port |
Measurement |
Budget |
EM130M |
* |
* |
* |
** |
** |
x |
x (Yes) |
*** |
EM300M |
** |
* |
* |
** |
** |
x |
x |
** |
EM500M |
*** |
* |
* |
* |
** |
x |
x |
** |
EM300C(C-mount) |
** |
* |
* |
** |
* |
x |
x |
** |
Enhanced Color EM-310M |
** |
*** |
** |
** |
** |
x |
x |
* |
Enhanced Color EM-510M |
*** |
** |
** |
* |
** |
x |
x |
** |
Enhanced Color EM-800M |
**** |
** |
* |
* |
** |
x |
x |
* |
CCD EM-C560 |
*** |
* |
*** |
*** |
** |
x |
x |
* |
CCD EM-C320 |
*** |
* |
*** |
*** |
** |
x |
x |
** |
CCD EM-C320C(C-mount) |
*** |
* |
*** |
*** |
* |
x |
x |
* |
CCD EM-C320C(C-mount) |
** |
* |
*** |
*** |
* |
x |
x |
** |
Super Color CCD EM200F |
** |
*** |
*** |
*** |
** |
x |
x |
** |
S.C. CCD EM-200FC(C-mount) |
** |
*** |
*** |
*** |
* |
x |
x |
** |
All digital microscopes and eyepiece camera internal components are sealed within the housing and require only occasional cleaning to maintain their optical integrity.
- It is recommended that these instruments be used and stored in a clean, cool and dry environment and that care be taken to keep them free of dust and other contaminants.
- Avoid exposing to fumes and extreme temperatures and never immerse or rinse in water.
- If cleaning is required then first attempt to gently blow off any dust or other contaminants with compressed air. If no compressed air is available then try to lightly brush off any lose debris with a fine brush (a makeup brush will work well).
- If it becomes necessary to clean the lens then we recommend using a standard optical lens cleaning solution. To make your own optical lens cleaning solution, mix one part alcohol (C2H5OH) with three parts ether ((C2H5)2O). Simply saturate a cotton swab and gently wipe the lens surface clean.
- Avoid touching the surface of the lens with your finger tips. Also it is advised to use the plastic or other scope or eyepiece cover when not in use.
CAUTION!!! Never disassemble or open the scope or camera body. This will introduce dust and other contaminants and may cause permanent damage.
1. Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP, Vista.
2. Intel CPU Pentium 2.4GHZ, Celeron or above.
3. RAM of 512 MB or more recommended.
4. At least 500 MB of free disk space.
5. VGA Card: 16bit or above
6. CD-ROM drive
7. At least one USB 2.0 port.
With VGA and SVGA models, the JPEG file format is easiest to save and email. JPEG also uses least amount of storage space.
Use the BMP ( EM series) or TIFF (EM series only) file format for better quality image when printing or publishing.
Use TIFF, PSD or EPS formats (EM series only) if CMYK true color images are required when printing or transferring images.
- Reference of RESOULUTION VALUES –
VGA 640 x 480
SVGA 800 x 600
XGA 1024 x 768
WXGA 1366 x 768
SXGA 1280 x 1024
UXGA 1600 x 1200
QXGA 2048 x 1538
Pixel resolution - Under VGA Model 640 x 480 image, the resolution of a single pixel can be calculated to be
1757.3 microns/640 pixels = 2.745 microns (0.002745mm) per pixel
Pixel resolution - 1.3MP - 1280 x 1024 image, the resolution of a single pixel can be calculated to be
1757.3 microns/1280 pixels = 1.37 microns (0.00137mm) per pixel
For better images results, you can manually adjust the white balance and exposure to match a
white surface such as white paper or empty stage by going to:
Setup > Video source property
or
Click on auto white balance and default exposure while viewing an empty field.
Set the white balance by going to:
Setup > Video source property > auto white balance
Set exposure by going to:
Setup> Video source property > exposure tab > default.
Select Video setup and simply adjust the brightness using the Brightness feature. This allows you to adjust brightness of the monitor/display only.
First ?capture? the observed image. Then double click the captured image. Then select ?drawing? from tool bar options then chooses ?ellipse? or ?circle?. Now left click and drag on area of image you wish to circle until desired diameter then release
Open a Word file and just drag the captured image to the Word file and release
Double click any captured image and that image will open and be displayed. Simply open and display multiple images then drag them into desired positions (ie; side by side) for comparison purposes.
Ver3.0.3 12.9MB 2007-6-30 Support windows Vista/Windows 2008 x32 OS
Ver3.0.12.631 12.9MB 2008-4-21 Video power scale and date mark added
Ver3.0.12.732 21.6MB 2008-6-19 Auto focus,Image Fusion added,HELP file updated
Ver3.0.12.781 20.7MB 2008-7-20 Improved video scale & clarity factor added
Ver3.0.12.783 20.8MB 2008-8-13 video scale size bug fixed & HELP file updated
