R 400

R 400

R 400

3D Transmitted Light Microscope

High definition three dimensional transmitted light microscope. Direct view 3D imaging with improved resolution, increased sharpness, enhanced depth of field, and greater contrast.

The R400 transmitted light microscope
featuring patented Multiple Oblique Illumination
The Edge R400 microscope ushers in a new era for transmitted light microscopy. The R400 features Edge's patented Multiple Oblique™ Illumination, consisting of four independently adjustable illuminating beams arranged as left/right pairs. The beams pass through specimens at an oblique angle, generating separate left- and right-eye views. The spectacular 3D images that result can be observed directly through the eyepieces. Observing in 3D provides valuable information - lacking in a flat, 2D view - on the location and orientation of structures in three-dimensional space, resulting in a better understanding of a sample.
Like other quality light microscopes, the Edge R400 accommodates a variety of applications in both the biological and materials sciences. Unlike others, however, the R400's Multiple Oblique Illumination improves resolution, sharpness, depth of field, and contrast - whether the specimen is viewed in three dimensions or in two. By adjusting the intensity and obliquity of the four independent illuminating beams, users can obtain - for any given specimen - a better image containing more information. The Edge R400 eliminates the traditional tradeoffs among resolution, contrast, and depth of field, achieving superior images in virtually any transmitted-light application.

Direct-view 3D imaging and recording
The R400's 3D images are achieved optically, without computers or scanning

Microscope specimens are 3-dimensional objects. Direct-view 3D Microscopy gives you an immediate appreciation of the 3-Dimensional orientation of structures and the relationship between structures within your samples. Z-Axis resolution is revealed continuously, providing you with depth information as you scan and focus through your specimens. The R400 offers high-resolution, high magnification, true-color 3D images for direct real-time observation through the eyepieces or for recording with an attached camera or video system.

Images can be recorded as 3D pairs, single-picture anaglyphs (color-coded), or acquired via video for computer processing and quantitative analysis. Recording 3D-Pair images is simple and convenient. The left and right images are captured sequentially by using the photo selector switch on the control box. Note, too , that each image in a 3D pair from the R400 is itself a high-resolution 2D image suitable for publication or presentation.

Resolution and sharpness

The R400's increased sharpness is important even when viewing easily resolved objects

Multiple Oblique Illumination improves resolution by capturing more image information (in the form of higher order diffraction wavelets) than is possible with an on-axis light source. Perhaps more important, however, is that this additional information translates into improved sharpness, which is valuable regardless of an object's size. Often confused with resolution, sharpness refers to the accuracy of an imaged object's shape and its edge definition (or edge contrast). By providing the objective with more image information, the R400 renders details more accurately, which becomes particularly apparent in magnified photomicrographs.

Depth of Field

The R400's enhanced depth of field can be adjusted for best results.

Oblique beams pass through a specimen at an angle, collecting more depth information than possible using on-axis illumination. The greater resolution, sharpness, and contrast afforded by Multiple Oblique Illumination extends to the z-axis as well. For 2D viewing, this means an enhanced depth of field containing more explicit z-axis information. Oblique beams also carry stray light away from the objective aperture, reducing image haze in thick samples. More striking, however, is that by providing a 3D view, the R400 enables discrimination among objects along the z-axis - something that cannot be obtained in real-time using any 2D microscope. Furthermore, depth perception extends well beyond that suggested by the 2D view, as the eye/brain complex accommodates image information above and below the central plane of focus.

Contrast

The R400's superb contrast reveals the structure of live and unstained specimens

Oblique beams generate shadows and highlights, often eliminating the need to use contrast-enhancing accessories for difficult-to-visualize specimens. By offering individual control of its four illuminating beams, as well as their angle of obliquity, the R400 provides the ability to optimize contrast according to a specimen's features.

Observing
The human visual and auditory senses are calibrated to a three-dimensional world. Indeed, our visual system is so keen that we can perceive depth by interpreting spatial cues contained within a flat image. In this respect, the human brain is one of the most powerful image processors in existence. Imagine, then, this same processing power at work when observing the 3D images generated by the R400 microscope. Several aspects of the R400's physical design are geared toward providing the best images possible. For example, the microscope's large base and sturdy construction suppress vibrations that compromise high-magnification as well as time-lapse recordings. Similarly, the innovative use of fiber optic cables to carry light from the outboard Control Box into the base, greatly reduces focus drift from thermal expansion or contraction. In addition, the heat content of the light that reaches specimens is extremely low, giving live specimens better protection against deterioration. Flexibility is a hallmark of the R400's imaging capabilities, and this extends to its compatibility with objective lenses and techniques. In fact, virtually any microscope objective - dry, oil-immersion, water-immersion, phase, polarizing, et al. - up to the highest magnification can be used with great success. The R400 is compatible with most manufacturer's objective lenses and trinocular heads, including infinity corrected optics as well as 160mm tube length optics.

Understanding
A 3D image can reveal information impossible to ascertain in a 2D image of the same specimen. Try this: Examine just one of the pictures in a 3D pair from this web site. Then merge that pair into a 3D image. You'll notice that the resulting 3D image appears brighter and richer in detail than the individual 2D pictures. Resolution, detail, contrast, and - of course - depth improve considerably. The physiological explanation is a subject of debate. Suffice to say that a 3D image lets your brain better understand a specimen as it really exists in three dimensions.

Analyzing
Images from the R400 can be acquired for computer processing and quantitative analysis. A number of software companies specialize in programs of varying sophistication for manipulating image quality and obtaining accurate volumetric measurements. The Edge R400 can produce 3D or 2D images for use with such programs.

Presenting
There are many ways to record and present 3D images. They can be recorded as slide pairs and printed side-by-side or viewed privately in 3D viewers. You can also project them using two slide projectors fitted with polarizing filters oriented 90 degrees apart. For this you must use a silvered screen (which reflects polarized light properly) and supply audience members with readily available polarized spectacles. In addition, several companies have developed 3D video systems that attach directly to a microscope for presenting images to smaller groups.
The R400 also provides filters for color-coding the left and right images. This produces a 3D anaglyph that can be photographed as a single exposure or displayed on a video screen. Observers wear complementary colored spectacles that extinguish the opposite-color image, allowing each eye to see only the image intended for it.
The most popular method of publishing 3D work is 3D pairs. For best results the two images must be cropped symmetrically, aligned vertically, and their identical features spaced 65mm apart (to match eye spacing). Also, to maintain the front/back polarity of the observed image, the left and right pictures must be oriented as taken, face-up. If desired, you can flip front/back polarity by swapping the pictures left-for-right or turning each upside down.
Many scientists are able to view printed 3D pairs without the aid of an image-merging lunette. There are two ways to do this; if you keep your eyes aligned with each picture (the parallel method), the resulting 3D image will be the same as when using a lunette. If instead you cross your eyes, the front/back polarity will be reversed. An advantage of the crossed-eyes viewing method is that the images can be printed larger than dictated by the parallel method's 65mm spacing limit. With a little practice, most people can successfully merge 3D pairs.
Keep in mind that each image in a 3D pair from the R400 is itself a high-resolution 2D image suitable for publication or presentation.