Our second objective lens is here
Our popular multi-immersion objective lens now has a much-anticipated sibling, another multi-immersion lens with increased NA of 0.7. It is available for immediate sale.
Here are some glamour shots:
Like the original NA 0.4 lens, this objective lens is targeted at light sheet imaging of cleared tissue but is useful for a myriad of other applications. With NA of 0.7, the new lens offers a 3x improvement in both photon-gathering ability and axial resolution, with a 1.75x improvement in lateral resolution. The trade-offs for increased NA are a modest reduction in working distance (10 vs. 12 mm), a modest reduction in field of view (1.0 vs. 1.2 mm), more bulk (same OD, parfocal 83 vs. 61 mm, 70% more mass), and higher price (by 60%).
Both objective lenses work in any medium, from water to oil and even in air, with no need for a correction collar. This is possible because of a curved first surface which minimizes refraction as light enters the lens. Both are dipping lenses; i.e. they assume uniform refractive index from objective surface to image plane. Both are robust to dipping in harsh media including BABB and DBE.
The nominal magnification of the new objective is ~24x with a 200 mm f.l. tube lens, which is a compromise choice. The field of view permits demagnifying with a 160mm tube lens. On the other hand, achieving NA-limited resolution with GFP-labeled samples requires a 250 mm tube lens. (These assume today’s typical sCMOS sensors with 6.5 µm dexel pitch in a 2k square array.) Note that the exact magnification and NA are proportional to the immersion medium’s refractive index; the stated values are for RI 1.45.
These objective lenses are the fruits of a collaboration between ASI and Special Optics. ASI identifies needs and chooses specifications, Special Optics does the detailed design work and manufacturing, and ASI is the sole distributor but sells them freely. Custom optics are cost-prohibitive in small quantities, but by designing an optic that is useful to many people (and companies) then economies of scale provide a reasonable price for everyone. We plan to create more objective lenses in the future; if you have ideas or unmet needs please talk with me.
You can find more about these objective lens on our website (overview or details). We have two lenses dedicated for short demo/evaluations; please email me if you want to get on the demo list or if you have any questions.
- Crowd-funding a high-NA multi-immersion objective lens - May 26, 2021
- Help us make King Snout a reality - October 12, 2020
- Preliminary plans for 3rd multi-immersion objective lens - October 21, 2019
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