
12 Chapter 3 – Brief Introduction and First Steps
3.2 Simple Image Acquisition
Live View, Snapshot, Camera Control, Illumination Settings
The most important tools for simple image acquisition are the Live View and Snapshot buttons
and the control boxes that are opened by the Camera Control and Illumination Settings buttons;
all can be found in the Acquisition toolbar.
In the following a typical procedure for the acquisition of a fluorescence image will briefly be de-
scribed. For detailed explanations, see Chapter 4, Image Acquisition and Illumination Control.
Make sure to select the correct objective and fluorescence filter and place your sample on the
stage. The usage of the microscope will not be explained here.
1. Click Illumination Settings to open the Illumination system MT20 / MT10 control box.
2. Click Main switch / Burner ON to ignite the burner. (For a stable light output, wait about
10 min.)
3. Click on one of the Excitation filter buttons to select an illumination color.
4. Click Camera Control to open the corresponding window. Reasonable starting settings
are:
– Binning 2x2
– Exposure time 50 ms
– Brightness adjustment automatic
These settings have to be adjusted in the course of the working session.
5. Direct the light path of the microscope to the camera. (Of course, focusing can be done
via the ocular, but this will not be explained here.)
6. Click Shutter in the Illumination System MT20 / MT10 control box to illuminate the
specimen.
7. Click Acquire in the Acquisition toolbar or the Camera Control window. The following
happens: