SPOT 4.1 Basic and Advanced Software Manual for SPOT Insight ...

Ch. 15 – Using Other Windows Imaging Application in Basic ModeBecause SPOT Insight cameras are capable of extremely short exposure times, light sources with intensitiesthat vary with the waveform of the 60 Hz line supply (e.g., fluorescent lamps, 120 volt incandescent bulbs,and 6 volt 20 watt halogen lamps) can cause the Live Image window to flicker and result in incorrectbrightness and color balance readings in captured images. This option allows you to correct for theseproblems by limiting the camera to a minimum exposure time that is greater than the pulse interval of thelight source. Consider the illustration to the right. In this case, the pulse interval of the fluorescent lightsource is 8.3 ms. Entering a Minimum Exposure of 25 ms ensures that the camera’s exposure time isgreater than the pulse interval of the light source and that any error is minimized. The greater the valueabove 25 ms, the more the error is reduced. Alternatively, you can enter any multiple of 8.333 ms. To entera minimum exposure, check the Minimum box, and enter a value in milliseconds.Exposure Limits – Live Image MaximumBecause The Live Image Maximum option helps youto avoid unnecessarily long exposures when viewinga live image. Consider the following situation: Whenyou change from a lower resolution objective to aSetting a Minimum Exposure toAccommodate Varied Light Sourceshigher resolution objective, the camera detects a brief interval of blackness. When the Auto-Brightnessoption (see above) is enabled, it compensates by modifying the exposure time to maintain a constantbrightness level. This results in you having to wait for the camera to compute a lengthy and incorrectexposure for the black interval. Using the Live Image Maximum option, you can limit this exposure time.For most cases, Diagnostic Instruments recommends a value of 0.5 seconds.Similarly, the Live Image Maximum option can also be used in cases where the microscope’s light pathselector is incorrectly set.Filter Color (Insight 3-Shot)The Filter Color option specifies the color or colors that will be exposed in the live image preview/imagecapture.• Red – Preview/capture a monochrome preview of your specimen using the red state of the LCD filter.• Green – Preview/capture a monochrome preview of your specimen using the green state of the LCDfilter.• Blue - Preview/capture a monochrome preview of your specimen using the blue state of the LCD filter.• Clear – Preview/capture a monochrome preview of your specimen using the clear state of the LCDfilter.Display Images in Grayscale (Insight 3-Shot)To counter the difficulty of viewing, focusing, and adjusting monochrome images in live mode, theDisplay Images in Grayscale option enables you to view a monochrome image in grayscale, as opposed towith the red, green, or blue filter. This option applies only when the Filter Color (see above) is set to Red,Green, or Blue.Binning (Insight 3-Shot)Binning combines adjacent pixels on the CCD chip, thereby reducing the number of pixels used in theimage capture. Binning is useful when you have dim images and want to increase sensitivity and reducedownload time. This gives you higher frame rates and less noisy images. But, as binning level increases,image resolution decreases. All of these factors should be considered when you select a binning option.There are four binning options:• None 1 pixel = 1 pixel• 2 x 2 4 pixels = 1 pixel• 3 x 3 9 pixels = 1 pixel• 4 x 4 16 pixels = 1 pixel288 User Guide to the SPOT Insight Camera