Scientific Cameras: OEM and Manufacturing Capabilities

Thorlabs offers three families of scientific cameras: Zelux^®, Kiralux^®, and Quantalux^®. Zelux cameras are designed for general-purpose imaging and provide high imaging performance while maintaining a small footprint. Kiralux cameras have CMOS sensors in monochrome, color, NIR-enhanced, or polarization-sensitive versions and are available in low-profile, passively cooled housings; compact, passively cooled housings; or hermetically sealed, TE-cooled housings. The polarization-sensitive Kiralux camera incorporates an integrated micropolarizer array that, when used with our ThorCam™ software package, captures images that illustrate degree of linear polarization, azimuth, and intensity at the pixel level. Our Quantalux monochrome sCMOS cameras feature high dynamic range combined with extremely low read noise for low-light applications. They are available in either a compact, passively cooled housing or a hermetically sealed, TE-cooled housing. Table 134A provide a summary of our camera offerings.

Table 134A  Compact Scientific Cameras
Camera Type	Zelux® CMOS	Kiralux® CMOS					Quantalux® sCMOS
	1.6 MP	1.3 MP	2.3 MP	5 MP	8.9 MP	12.3 MP	2.1 MP
Item #	Monochrome: CS165MUa Color: CS165CUa	Mono.: CS135MU Color: CS135CU NIR-Enhanced Mono.: CS135MUN	Mono.: CS235MU Color: CS235CU	Mono., Passive Cooling: CS505MU1 CS505MU Mono., Active Cooling: CC505MU Color:  CS505CU1 CS505CU Polarization: CS505MUP1	Mono., Passive Cooling: CS895MU Mono., Active Cooling: CC895MU Color: CS895CU	Mono., Passive Cooling: CS126MU LP126MU(/M) Mono., Active Cooling: CC126MU Color, Passive Cooling: CS126CU LP126CU(/M)	Monochrome, Passive Cooling: CS2100M-USB Active Cooling: CC215MU
Product Photos (Click to Enlarge)
Electronic Shutter	Global Shutter	Global Shutter					Rolling Shutterb
Sensor Type	CMOS	CMOS					sCMOS
Number of Pixels	1440 x 1080 (H x V)	1280 x 1024 (H x V)	1920 x 1200 (H x V)	2448 x 2048 (H x V)	4096 x 2160 (H x V)	4096 x 3000 (H x V)	1920 x 1080 (H x V)
Pixel Size	3.45 µm x 3.45 µm	4.8 µm x 4.8 µm	5.86 µm x 5.86 µm	3.45 µm x 3.45 µm			5.04 µm x 5.04 µm
Optical Format	1/2.9" (6.2 mm Diag.)	1/2" (7.76 mm Diag.)	1/1.2" (13.4 mm Diag.)	2/3" (11 mm Diag.)	1" (16 mm Diag.)	1.1" (17.5 mm Diag.)	2/3" (11 mm Diag.)
Peak Quantum Efficiency (Click for Plot)	Monochrome: 69% at 575 nm Color: Click for Plot	Monochrome: 59% at 550 nm Color: Click for Plot NIR: 60% at 600 nm	Monochrome: 78% at 500 nm Color: Click for Plot	Monochrome & Polarization: 72% (525 to 580 nm) Color: Click for Plot	Monochrome: 72% (525 to 580 nm) Color: Click for Plot	Monochrome: 72% (525 to 580 nm) Color: Click for Plot	Monochrome: 61% (at 600 nm)
Max Frame Rate (Full Sensor)	34.8 fps	165.5 fps	39.7 fps	35 fps (CS505xx1, CC505MU, CS505MUP1), 53.2 fps (CS505xx)	20.8 fps (CC895MU), 30.15 fps (CS895xx)	15.1 fps (CC126MU), 21.7 fps (CS126xx and LP126xx(/M))	50 fps
Read Noise	<4.0 e- RMS	<7.0 e- RMS	<7.0 e- RMS	<2.5 e- RMS			<1 e- Median RMS; <1.5 e- RMS
Digital Output	10 Bit (Max)	10 Bit (Max)	12 Bit (Max)				16 Bit (Max)
PC Interface	USB 3.0
Available Fanless Cooling	N/A	N/A	N/A	15 °C to 20 °C Below Ambient Temperature (CCxxxMU Cameras Only)
Housing Size (Click for Details)	0.59" x 1.72" x 1.86" (15.0 x 43.7 x 47.2 mm3)	Passively Cooled CMOS Camera TE-Cooled CMOS Camera Passively Cooled Low-Profile CMOS Camera					Passively Cooled sCMOS Camera TE-Cooled sCMOS Camera
Typical Applications	Mono. & Color: Brightfield Microscopy, General Purpose Imaging, Machine Vision, Material Sciences, Materials Inspection, Monitoring, Transmitted Light Spectroscopy, UAV, Drone, & Handheld Imaging Mono. Only: Multispectral Imaging, Semiconductor Inspection Color Only: Histopathology	Mono., Color, & NIR: Brightfield Microscopy, Ca++ Ion Imaging, Electrophysiology/Brain Slice Imaging, Flow Cytometry, Fluorescence Microscopy, General Purpose Imaging, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Laser Speckle Imaging, Machine Vision, Material Sciences, Materials Inspection, Vascular Imaging, Monitoring, Particle Tracking, Transmitted Light Spectroscopy, Vascular Imaging, VIS/NIR Imaging Mono. Only: Multispectral Imaging Semiconductor Inspection Color Only: Histopathology NIR Only: Ophthalmology/Retinal Imaging	Mono. & Color: Autofluorescence, Brightfield Microscopy, Electrophysiology/Brain Slice Imaging, Fluorescence Microscopy, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Machine Vision, Material Sciences, Materials Inspection, Monitoring, Quantitative Phase-Contrast Microscopy, Transmitted Light Microscopy Mono. Only: Multispectral Imaging Semiconductor Inspection Color Only: Histopathology	Mono. & Color: Autofluorescence, Brightfield Microscopy, Electrophysiology/Brain Slice Imaging, Fluorescence Microscopy, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Machine Vision, Material Sciences, Materials Inspection, Monitoring, Quantitative Phase-Contrast Microscopy, Transmitted Light Microscopy Mono. Only: Multispectral Imaging, Semiconductor Inspection Color Only: Histopathology Polarization Only: Inspection, Surface Reflection Reduction, Transparent Material Detection	Mono. & Color: Autofluorescence, Brightfield Microscopy, Electrophysiology/Brain Slice Imaging, Fluorescence Microscopy, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Machine Vision, Material Science, Materials Inspection, Monitoring, Quantitative Phase-Contrast Microscopy, Transmitted Light Microscopy Mono. Only: Multispectral Imaging, Ophthalmology/Retinal Imaging, Semiconductor Inspection Color Only: Histopathology LP126xx(/M), CS126xx, and CC126MU Only: Whole-Slide Microscopy		Passive & Active Cooling: Autofluorescence, Brightfield Microscopy, Fluorescence Microscopy, Immunohistochemistry (IHC), Material Sciences, Materials Inspection, Monitoring, Quantitative Phase-Contrast Microscopy, Quantum Dots, Semiconductor Inspection, Transmitted Light Microscopy, Whole-Slide Microscopy Active Cooling Only: Electrophysiology/Brain Slice Imaging, Multispectral Imaging

• These item numbers are representative of the Zelux family. These cameras are available with or without external hardware triggers.
• Rolling Shutter with Equal Exposure Pulse (EEP) Mode for Synchronizing the Camera and Light Sources for Even Illumination

Applications

• Applications Overview
• Multispectral Imaging
• Thrombosis Studies
• Live Dual-Channel Imaging

Applications Overview

Thorlabs' Scientific-Grade Cameras are ideal for a variety of applications. The photo gallery below contains images acquired with our 1.4 MP CCD (previous generation), 4 MP CCD (previous generation), 8 MP CCD (previous generation), and fast frame rate CCD (previous generation) cameras.

To download some of these images as high-resolution, 16-bit TIFF files, please click here. It may be necessary to use an alternative image viewer to view the 16-bit files. We recommend ImageJ, which is a free download.

Standard, Customized, or OEM Cameras and Software for a Range of Applications (Click Each Image for Details)
Intracellular Dynamics	Brightfield Microscopy	Ophthalmology (NIR)	Fluorescence Microscopy	Multispectral Imaging	Neuroscience
Thorlabs' Scientific Cameras Recommended for Each Application Above
Quantalux® 2.1 MP sCMOS	Kiralux® 1.3 MP CMOS Zelux™ 1.6 MP CMOS Kiralux 2.3 MP CMOS Kiralux 5 MP CMOS Kiralux 8.9 MP CMOS Kiralux 12.3 MP CMOS	Kiralux 1.3 MP CMOS Kiralux 2.3 MP CMOS Kiralux 5 MP CMOS Kiralux 8.9 MP CMOS Kiralux 12.3 MP CMOS	Quantalux 2.1 MP sCMOS Kiralux 2.3 MP CMOS Kiralux 5 MP CMOS Kiralux 8.9 MP CMOS Kiralux 12.3 MP CMOS	Quantalux 2.1 MP sCMOS Kiralux 2.3 MP CMOS Kiralux 5 MP CMOS	Quantalux 2.1 MP sCMOS Kiralux 2.3 MP CMOS Kiralux 5 MP CMOS Kiralux 8.9 MP CMOS Kiralux 12.3 MP CMOS

Multispectral Imaging

The video to the right is an example of a multispectral image acquisition using a liquid crystal tunable filter (LCTF) in front of a monochrome camera. With a sample slide exposed to broadband light, the LCTF passes narrow bands of light that are transmitted from the sample. The monochromatic images are captured using a monochrome scientific camera, resulting in a datacube – a stack of spectrally separated two-dimensional images which can be used for quantitative analysis, such as finding ratios or thresholds and spectral unmixing.

In the example shown, a mature capsella bursa-pastoris embryo, also known as Shepherd's-Purse, is rapidly scanned across the 420 nm - 730 nm wavelength range using Thorlabs' previous-generation KURIOS-WB1 Liquid Crystal Tunable Filter. The images are captured using our legacy 1501M-GE Scientific Camera, which is connected, with the liquid crystal filter, to a Cerna^® Series Microscope. The overall system magnification is 10X. The final stacked/recovered image is shown below.

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Final Stacked/Recovered Image

Thrombosis Studies

Thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot within a blood vessel that will impede the flow of blood in the circulatory system. The videos below are from experimental studies on the large-vessel thrombosis in Mice performed by Dr. Brian Cooley at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Three lasers (532 nm, 594 nm, and 650 nm) were expanded and then focused on a microsurgical field of an exposed surgical site in an anesthetized mouse. A custom, previous-generation 1.4 Megapixel Camera with integrated filter wheel was attached to a Leica Microscope to capture the low-light fluorescence emitted from the surgical site. See the videos below with their associated descriptions for further information.

Reference: Cooley BC. In vivo fluorescence imaging of large-vessel thrombosis in mice. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 31, 1351-1356, 2011. All animal studies were done under protocols approved by the Medical College of Wisconsin Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

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Example Setup for Simultaneous NIR/DIC and Fluorescence Imaging

Live Dual-Channel Imaging

Many life science imaging experiments require a cell sample to be tested and imaged under varying experimental conditions over a significant period of time. One common technique to monitor complex cell dynamics in these experiments uses fluorophores to identify relevant cells within a sample, while simultaneously using NIR or differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy to probe individual cells. Registering the two microscopy images to monitor changing conditions can be a difficult and frustrating task.

Live overlay imaging allows both images comprising the composite to be updated in real-time versus other methods that use a static image with a real-time overlay. Overlays with static images require frequent updates of the static image due to drift in the system or sample, or due to repositioning of the sample. Live overlay imaging removes that dependency by providing live streaming in both channels.

Using the ThorCam overlay plug-in with the two-way camera microscope mount, users can generate real-time two-channel composite images with live streaming updates from both camera channels, eliminating the need for frequent updates of a static overlay image. This live imaging method is ideal for applications such as calcium ratio imaging and electrophysiology.

Example Images

Simultaneous Fluorescence and DIC Imaging

The image sequence below shows mouse kidney cells imaged using a dichroic filter to separate the fluorescence and DIC signals into different cameras. These images are then combined into a two-channel composite live image with false color fluorescence by the ThorCam overlay plug-in.

Fluorescence Image

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DIC Image

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2-Channel Composite Live Image

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In the image above, the pipette is visible in the DIC image as two lines near the center of the frame.

Microaspiration Using a Micropipette

The image to the right shows a live, simultaneous overlay of fluorescence and DIC images. The experiment consists of a microaspiration technique using a micropipette to isolate a single neuron that expresses GFP. This neuron can then be used for PCR. This image was taken with our previous-generation 1.4 Megapixel Cameras and a two-camera mount and shows the live overlay of fluorescence and DIC from the ThorCam plug-in. Image courtesy of Ain Chung, in collaboration with Dr. Andre Fenton at NYU and Dr. Juan Marcos Alarcon at The Robert F. Furchgott Center for Neural and Behavioral Science, Department of Pathology, SUNY Downstate Medical Center.

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Simultaneous NIR Dodt Contrast and Epi Fluorescence imaging

The image to the right shows a live, simultaneous overlay of fluorescence and near-infrared Dodt contrast images of a 50 µm brain section from a CX3CR1-GFP mouse, which has been immunostained for PECAM-1 with Alexa-687 to highlight vasculature. The Dodt contrast uses a quarter annulus and a diffuser to create a gradient of light across the sample that can reveal the structure of thick samples. The image was taken with our Scientific Cameras and a two-camera mount. Sample courtesy of Dr. Andrew Chojnacki, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Live Cell Imaging Facility, Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases, University of Calgary.