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The Confocal Microscope: How to Choose it and Use it

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 July 2020

J.A. Drazba*
Affiliation:
Confocal Microscopy Facility, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH, 44195
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Extract

The decision to buy a confocal microscope presents the huge task of wading through designs and options from a number of excellent companies. While the principle of confocal imaging - rejection of out-of-focus light - is consistently achieved, each manufacturer does so with a unique design. There is strong competition among manufacturers to have the microscope with the best possible resolution and light transfer efficiency so that maximum specimen detail is detected with the least light damage. There are a number of excellent instruments currently available. In deciding among them consideration should be given to the following: type and number of users, types of imaging required, and your budget. If the microscope is going to be used by a single lab for a single purpose i.e. gfp expression in embryos, you should consider one of the less elaborate “personal confocals” with one laser, one or two detectors and a price tag under $150,000.

Type
Instrumentation: How to Choose it and Use it
Copyright
Copyright © Microscopy Society of America

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References

1.Pawley, J., Handbook of Biological Confocal Microscopy, Plenum Press, New York (1995)CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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3.Matsumoto, Brian, Cell Biological Applications of Confocal Microscopy, Methods in Cell Biology, Vol 38, Academic Press, Inc., New York (1993)Google Scholar