Motic Images Plus 3.0 – a fresh approach for a powerful microscopy software

The marriage of light microscope and digital camera is a story of success. During the last decade, Motic’ digital products expanded into areas and markets where digital microscopy has been out of reach due to its price perception. One necessary component of this success is a powerful yet easy-to-handle software which covers concordant requirements in medical, educational and industrial applications. From the beginning, Motic Images Plus software supplied useful tools to optimize a fast live image for storage as a still image, image sequence or video. In a second step, a number of quantification tools enable multiple measurements ready to be exported for further use.

Color fidelity is a self-evident expectation on any digital camera. The new Motic Images Plus 3.0 software comes with an interactive White Balance and Background Balance in order to optimize the image background in terms of color temperature or shading. The characteristic of CMOS sensors is responded by a Color Correction tool.

A calibrated Scalebar in the live image helps for a first estimate of size and can be saved as an overlay; a variable Grid may replace the pattern of various counting chambers. But also Interactive Measurements are now possible within the Live image. The necessary calibration slide is integral part of Motic’s All-in-One camera concept and causes no additional costs.

Once the image data are saved, nearly all geometric figures can be used to outline structures to be quantified. Export of these data is possible in Excel or *txt format. An Image Comparison (recent image versus database image) is a helpful option in industrial Quality Control.

Motic Images Plus 3.0ML will start shipping as standard with the new upgraded Moticam Plus cameras (that will come out in the next coming months) as well as the new multi-function HDMI camera, the Moticam 1080.

As is normal practice with Motic, each end-user can upgrade their existing Motic Images Plus 2.0 to the new 3.0 anytime, anywhere, and free of charge. This sleek, new and thought-out software package is running with an identical interface on Windows, Apple or Linux operating systems and certainly empowers your microscope to be a more efficient scientific tool. Even more as Motic Images Plus 3.0 is a real Multilingual software; a change of language is done within a second.

Click here to download the new Motic Images Plus 3.0. 

This is not a pink cube

There is controversy on whether cobaltocalcite is a mineral on its own or if it is not. It can be described either as calcite mineral containing cobalt or as spherocobaltite containing calcium. It surely is a calcium and cobalt carbonate and, as it happens with spherocobaltite, it is pink, vitreous and it always grows incrusted on a matrix.

The retina, a bio-chip on the back of the eye

The structure of the eyes is in its basic form the same for all mammals. The function and operation of the eyes of mammals is thus also broadly similar.

The retina which is located on the back of the eye, is composed of very closely spaced light-sensitive cells that are in connection with the brains via the optic nerve. The light signals that reach the light-sensitive cells, are transferred to the brains via the optic nerve. The brains takes these signals and translates them into the picture what is happening before our eyes.

Quick setup guide for upright microscopes

SWITCH ON THE MICROSCOPE

Before switching on the microscope, plug-in the microscope to the power supply (1). Once this is done, switch it on (2) and gradually increase the intensity control (3).

INTERPUPILLARY DISTANCE ADJUSTMENT

Before adjusting the interpupillary distance, place the sample on the specimen holder, and select the 10X objective (4).

Some ideas about the FIELD of VIEW

To judge the performance of a microscope, the FIELD of VIEW (FOV) is a criterion of interest. What is this “FIELD of VIEW”? In a technical sense, we are talking about the diameter of the INTERMEDIATE IMAGE, created by the objective or, in infinity systems, by the cooperation of objective and tube lens. This intermediate image is enlarged by the eyepiece, acting as a magnifying glass. The labelling of the eyepiece shows the actual FOV in combination with its magnification, e.g. 10X/23 for a standard 10X eyepiece with FOV 23:

Finite and infinite optical system. In the Infinity Concept please note the parallel rays between objective and tube lens.

Especially in stereo microscopy, where large samples come as standard, a large FOV is appreciated for a better sample overview before going into details. But how much “more” do I see at a glance in a FOV 23, in comparison with a FOV 20? Is it worth to choose a more expensive model, or is the less expensive solution sufficient?