Martin gained a PhD in Nanotoxicology from Edinburgh Napier University, has around 20 years experience in biomedical research, extensive experience in light microscopy, and has established and managed a microscopy facility.

Aspect ratio calculator

Ever since the invention of the first compound microscope by Zacharias Jansen in 1590, our understanding of the microscopic world has grown exponentially. Microscopes have evolved from mere assemblies of magnifying lenses to extremely powerful tools for visualization on the atomic scale. You can find a wealth of information on the workings of a microscope…

Dichroic Mirror/Filter This is a semi-reflective filter which can also be referred to as ‘dichromatic beam splitter’. Unlike the Longpass filters which absorb light which is not transmitted (see Part 1 of the Glossary), these filters reflect light at lower wavelengths and transmit light at wavelengths above the ‘cut-on’ wavelength. As beam splitters, they are…

Resolutionscale calculator

I recently introduced you to the concept of polarising microscopy. Naturally, if evaluating refractile material is an everyday part of your research, it is definitely worth investing in a professional polariser modification for your microscope. But if you only use a polariser occasionally, this might not be the best use of your lab’s money. In…

Interested in the detailed structure of your tissue? High-resolution imaging techniques, such as brain electron microscopy, provide an intricate view of your tissue. While it may be a rather complicated procedure with nasty chemicals, the advantages of epon embedding can make it the best choice for morphological studies. The hard blocks are excellent for structural…

Resolutioncalculator pixels

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ResolutionCalculator Android

There are a large number of microscope objective abbreviations relating to optical aberrations; here we'll shed some light on some of the most common ones to get you up to speed in no time!

The bit value of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) refers directly to its resolution. The resolution determines how finely it slices its full-scale measurement range, or in other words, the smallest change in the input signal that it can theoretically measure (ignoring noise). Use the calculator below to determine if the DI-2108 has enough ADC resolution to meet your application requirements. Review the blog post How Much ADC Resolution Do You Really Need? for more information.

The resolution of any microscope is related to the numerical aperture of the lens and the wavelength of light used to form the image, and can be calculated using Abbe’s law. This, however, is the ideal situation – the best case scenario. In real life, resolution must be defined in terms of contrast, and there…