Purchasing air compressors in UK

[Anton Kamnev]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Dear all,

Recently I started looking into purchasing new air pumps for our microscope
anti-vibration tables. Any chance you could share your experience with
purchasing air compressors for that purpose in UK? What suppliers would you
recommend? Which pumps works years and stay quiet?

What I'm looking for is a quiet compressor able to supply ~50psi pressured
air to a couple of tables.

Our tables are Newport Vision IsoStations. They have built-in air filter,
thus compressors don't have to be supplied with extra filters. I would,
nevertheless, very much appreciate your tips on system for purification of
compressed air.

Sincerely,
Anton Kamnev, PhD
Imaging Manager
Mechanochemical Cell Biology Building
Division of Biomedical Cell Biology
Warwick Medical School
The University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL UK

tel: [phone]
cell: [phone]
email: [hidden email]

[Smith, Benjamin E.]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I'm not sure what compressors work, but I can tell you what hasn't worked for us.

We originally had a Panther Silent Compressor that came with the microscope.  The compressor is very quiet, but despite performing all required routine maintenance, the compressor suddenly died after about a year and a half.  Since the pump is a self-contained unit, there was no way to repair the unit, so we had to buy a replacement.

Not wanting to fork over the cash for another Panther, we opted for a California Air Tools compressor.  While not nearly as quiet, we kept it in the back room where, through a single door, the sound was barely noticeable.  Yet again, despite performing all routine maintenance, including draining the tank everyday, after about 3 months  the compressor started running a lot more regularly.  We used a bit of leak detection fluid and found the leak was actually at a poor weld on the pressure vessel itself!!!

After that experience, I decided I never wanted to deal with a compressor again (I happen to be fond of all my fingers and toes).  As such, I got an inline drier from Drierite, and now run the air tables off of the house air supply.  Even though I am running three air tables off of this one line, the Drierite lasts a little over a month before it needs to be changed, and can be recharged indefinitely.

As a back up, I scavenged the check valve off of the panther compressor, and attached it to a nitrogen cylinder.  The supply line is set to 60PSI and the cylinder is set to 45 PSI.  With the check valve, as long as the house air supply is working, then the cylinder is not used (because of the check valve).  However, if the power ever goes out, or I am changing the Drierite, then the nitrogen cylinder will keep the system pressurized, even with the house air disconnected.   After two months, the cylinder has not lost any pressure.

I would highly recommend this route if at all possible, because draining tanks daily gets old, let alone changing compressor oil.  And there are plenty of Youtube videos that show what happens when a standard compressor tank fails.  That, combined with the personal experience of having our own pressure vessel begin to fail after just a few months, made me decide to never use a compressor again.

Hope this helps,
   Ben Smith

Benjamin E. Smith, Ph.D.
Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory
Research Scientist, Confocal Facility Manager
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK 73019
E-mail: [hidden email]
Voice   405-325-4391
FAX  [phone]
http://www.microscopy.ou.edu/

________________________________________
From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email]] on behalf of Anton Kamnev [[hidden email]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2015 10:32 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Purchasing air compressors in UK

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Dear all,

Recently I started looking into purchasing new air pumps for our microscope
anti-vibration tables. Any chance you could share your experience with
purchasing air compressors for that purpose in UK? What suppliers would you
recommend? Which pumps works years and stay quiet?

What I'm looking for is a quiet compressor able to supply ~50psi pressured
air to a couple of tables.

Our tables are Newport Vision IsoStations. They have built-in air filter,
thus compressors don't have to be supplied with extra filters. I would,
nevertheless, very much appreciate your tips on system for purification of
compressed air.

Sincerely,
Anton Kamnev, PhD
Imaging Manager
Mechanochemical Cell Biology Building
Division of Biomedical Cell Biology
Warwick Medical School
The University of Warwick
Coventry, CV4 7AL UK

tel: [phone]
cell: [phone]
email: [hidden email]

[Craig Brideau]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I've been using four Thorlabs PTA512 compressors and one Panther for a
couple years now with no issues. The Thorlabs compressors are almost as
quiet as the Panther, and in a typical lab with cooling fans going and such
you can't notice the difference. As per all oil-using compressors you just
need to change out the oil every 6 months to a year to keep it clean, but
it's much better than shlepping compressed nitrogen or air bottles around
every month.

Craig

On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 10:43 AM, Smith, Benjamin E. <[hidden email]>
wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> I'm not sure what compressors work, but I can tell you what hasn't worked
> for us.
>
> We originally had a Panther Silent Compressor that came with the
> microscope.  The compressor is very quiet, but despite performing all
> required routine maintenance, the compressor suddenly died after about a
> year and a half.  Since the pump is a self-contained unit, there was no way
> to repair the unit, so we had to buy a replacement.
>
> Not wanting to fork over the cash for another Panther, we opted for a
> California Air Tools compressor.  While not nearly as quiet, we kept it in
> the back room where, through a single door, the sound was barely
> noticeable.  Yet again, despite performing all routine maintenance,
> including draining the tank everyday, after about 3 months  the compressor
> started running a lot more regularly.  We used a bit of leak detection
> fluid and found the leak was actually at a poor weld on the pressure vessel
> itself!!!
>
> After that experience, I decided I never wanted to deal with a compressor
> again (I happen to be fond of all my fingers and toes).  As such, I got an
> inline drier from Drierite, and now run the air tables off of the house air
> supply.  Even though I am running three air tables off of this one line,
> the Drierite lasts a little over a month before it needs to be changed, and
> can be recharged indefinitely.
>
> As a back up, I scavenged the check valve off of the panther compressor,
> and attached it to a nitrogen cylinder.  The supply line is set to 60PSI
> and the cylinder is set to 45 PSI.  With the check valve, as long as the
> house air supply is working, then the cylinder is not used (because of the
> check valve).  However, if the power ever goes out, or I am changing the
> Drierite, then the nitrogen cylinder will keep the system pressurized, even
> with the house air disconnected.   After two months, the cylinder has not
> lost any pressure.
>
> I would highly recommend this route if at all possible, because draining
> tanks daily gets old, let alone changing compressor oil.  And there are
> plenty of Youtube videos that show what happens when a standard compressor
> tank fails.  That, combined with the personal experience of having our own
> pressure vessel begin to fail after just a few months, made me decide to
> never use a compressor again.
>
> Hope this helps,
>    Ben Smith
>
> Benjamin E. Smith, Ph.D.
> Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory
> Research Scientist, Confocal Facility Manager
> University of Oklahoma
> Norman, OK 73019
> E-mail: [hidden email]
> Voice   405-325-4391
> FAX  [phone]
> http://www.microscopy.ou.edu/
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email]] on
> behalf of Anton Kamnev [[hidden email]]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2015 10:32 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Purchasing air compressors in UK
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Dear all,
>
> Recently I started looking into purchasing new air pumps for our microscope
> anti-vibration tables. Any chance you could share your experience with
> purchasing air compressors for that purpose in UK? What suppliers would you
> recommend? Which pumps works years and stay quiet?
>
> What I'm looking for is a quiet compressor able to supply ~50psi pressured
> air to a couple of tables.
>
> Our tables are Newport Vision IsoStations. They have built-in air filter,
> thus compressors don't have to be supplied with extra filters. I would,
> nevertheless, very much appreciate your tips on system for purification of
> compressed air.
>
> Sincerely,
> Anton Kamnev, PhD
> Imaging Manager
> Mechanochemical Cell Biology Building
> Division of Biomedical Cell Biology
> Warwick Medical School
> The University of Warwick
> Coventry, CV4 7AL UK
>
> tel: [phone]
> cell: [phone]
> email: [hidden email]
>

[Julian Smith III]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I have two SilentAire  SuperSilent 20's (not sure if they're available
in the U.K.). One floats my TMC table-top air platform; the other
switches the TEM camera in/out of the column.
You may need a larger pump than this model (depending on the size of
your air-table), but they are very quiet and seem to be very reliable.
Julian

On 4/8/15 12:51 PM, Craig Brideau wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__lists.umn.edu_cgi-2Dbin_wa-3FA0-3Dconfocalmicroscopy&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=-x0Tkr-hIzeX2lCOgzYOtawaZCpV-cSFUZGYkO1BNzs&e=
> Post images on https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.imgur.com&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=8RzQ6Q6bicYLpGUzUpdtvY2J1m7re0AY9grH2N95giM&e=  and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> I've been using four Thorlabs PTA512 compressors and one Panther for a
> couple years now with no issues. The Thorlabs compressors are almost as
> quiet as the Panther, and in a typical lab with cooling fans going and such
> you can't notice the difference. As per all oil-using compressors you just
> need to change out the oil every 6 months to a year to keep it clean, but
> it's much better than shlepping compressed nitrogen or air bottles around
> every month.
>
> Craig
>
> On Wed, Apr 8, 2015 at 10:43 AM, Smith, Benjamin E. <[hidden email]>
> wrote:
>
>> *****
>> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__lists.umn.edu_cgi-2Dbin_wa-3FA0-3Dconfocalmicroscopy&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=-x0Tkr-hIzeX2lCOgzYOtawaZCpV-cSFUZGYkO1BNzs&e=
>> Post images on https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.imgur.com&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=8RzQ6Q6bicYLpGUzUpdtvY2J1m7re0AY9grH2N95giM&e=  and include the link in your posting.
>> *****
>>
>> I'm not sure what compressors work, but I can tell you what hasn't worked
>> for us.
>>
>> We originally had a Panther Silent Compressor that came with the
>> microscope.  The compressor is very quiet, but despite performing all
>> required routine maintenance, the compressor suddenly died after about a
>> year and a half.  Since the pump is a self-contained unit, there was no way
>> to repair the unit, so we had to buy a replacement.
>>
>> Not wanting to fork over the cash for another Panther, we opted for a
>> California Air Tools compressor.  While not nearly as quiet, we kept it in
>> the back room where, through a single door, the sound was barely
>> noticeable.  Yet again, despite performing all routine maintenance,
>> including draining the tank everyday, after about 3 months  the compressor
>> started running a lot more regularly.  We used a bit of leak detection
>> fluid and found the leak was actually at a poor weld on the pressure vessel
>> itself!!!
>>
>> After that experience, I decided I never wanted to deal with a compressor
>> again (I happen to be fond of all my fingers and toes).  As such, I got an
>> inline drier from Drierite, and now run the air tables off of the house air
>> supply.  Even though I am running three air tables off of this one line,
>> the Drierite lasts a little over a month before it needs to be changed, and
>> can be recharged indefinitely.
>>
>> As a back up, I scavenged the check valve off of the panther compressor,
>> and attached it to a nitrogen cylinder.  The supply line is set to 60PSI
>> and the cylinder is set to 45 PSI.  With the check valve, as long as the
>> house air supply is working, then the cylinder is not used (because of the
>> check valve).  However, if the power ever goes out, or I am changing the
>> Drierite, then the nitrogen cylinder will keep the system pressurized, even
>> with the house air disconnected.   After two months, the cylinder has not
>> lost any pressure.
>>
>> I would highly recommend this route if at all possible, because draining
>> tanks daily gets old, let alone changing compressor oil.  And there are
>> plenty of Youtube videos that show what happens when a standard compressor
>> tank fails.  That, combined with the personal experience of having our own
>> pressure vessel begin to fail after just a few months, made me decide to
>> never use a compressor again.
>>
>> Hope this helps,
>>     Ben Smith
>>
>> Benjamin E. Smith, Ph.D.
>> Samuel Roberts Noble Microscopy Laboratory
>> Research Scientist, Confocal Facility Manager
>> University of Oklahoma
>> Norman, OK 73019
>> E-mail: [hidden email]
>> Voice   405-325-4391
>> FAX  [phone]
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.microscopy.ou.edu_&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=C2xqWViJlivriq6NmLQc7hpJU38AVpwIXpBCSVFsXzo&e=
>>
>> ________________________________________
>> From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email]] on
>> behalf of Anton Kamnev [[hidden email]]
>> Sent: Wednesday, April 08, 2015 10:32 AM
>> To: [hidden email]
>> Subject: Purchasing air compressors in UK
>>
>> *****
>> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__lists.umn.edu_cgi-2Dbin_wa-3FA0-3Dconfocalmicroscopy&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=-x0Tkr-hIzeX2lCOgzYOtawaZCpV-cSFUZGYkO1BNzs&e=
>> Post images on https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.imgur.com&d=AwIBaQ&c=82NFg6qkAwmLf-ElsTDuMzmUibVPgLssK8WcsyJgSiA&r=D67eBmNxz222Vdk0xqrsRlq4A21dYeahvvFbxFeCvQc&m=w6V5Mz-gDpctcMcVrrSZI0Rzztz2NdcHuJtdpT-qisQ&s=8RzQ6Q6bicYLpGUzUpdtvY2J1m7re0AY9grH2N95giM&e=  and include the link in your posting.
>> *****
>>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> Recently I started looking into purchasing new air pumps for our microscope
>> anti-vibration tables. Any chance you could share your experience with
>> purchasing air compressors for that purpose in UK? What suppliers would you
>> recommend? Which pumps works years and stay quiet?
>>
>> What I'm looking for is a quiet compressor able to supply ~50psi pressured
>> air to a couple of tables.
>>
>> Our tables are Newport Vision IsoStations. They have built-in air filter,
>> thus compressors don't have to be supplied with extra filters. I would,
>> nevertheless, very much appreciate your tips on system for purification of
>> compressed air.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Anton Kamnev, PhD
>> Imaging Manager
>> Mechanochemical Cell Biology Building
>> Division of Biomedical Cell Biology
>> Warwick Medical School
>> The University of Warwick
>> Coventry, CV4 7AL UK
>>
>> tel: [phone]
>> cell: [phone]
>> email: [hidden email]
>>

--
Julian P.S. Smith III
Director, Winthrop Microscopy Facility
Dept. of Biology
Winthrop University
349 Columbia Ave
Rock Hill, SC  29733

803-323-2111 x6427 (vox)
803-323-3448 (fax)
803-524-2347 (cell)
Research Website www.birdnest.org/smithj
Personal Website www.rociada-east.net

[Vitaly Boyko]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

 

Dear Members,it is a kind of known that multi-photon microscopy is "smart" on the excitation and "dumb" on the emission side. To challenge my "over flattened bimodal exaggeration" has someone compared performance of the one photon microscopy in the near-IR portion of spectra (with near-IR dye emission max in the range of 750-950 nm) with multi-photon microscopy of, let say, EGFP/Alexa 488 in sensitivity (in pico-nano Molar range, hopefully), SNR, photo-toxicity, emission light scattering, etc.?Any reference would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Vitaly
   
   

[Stanislav Vitha-2]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

My guess (without much practical experience) is that the near IR confocal
will have issues in terms of detector sensitivity if you are using a point
scanner and PMTs; Most PMTs have pretty low QE in near-IR, with just few
exceptions. APD or camera-based detection may work better.

Whether the lower sensitivity on the detection side is offset by improved
excitation (1-p versus 2-P) is an interesting question.


Stan Vitha
Microscopy and Imaging Center
Texas A&M University

 

[John Oreopoulos]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Stan,

To your comment about PMTs not being sensitive in the IR, I would point out that NIR spinning disk confocal microscopy with a CCD/EMCCD detector (which does have better IR light sensitivity) is possible, and I created a short account of that with an example in a book chapter I was invited to write recently:

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124201385000094

It was a goal of ours at Spectral to do a comparison of this to 2-photon laser scanning confocal at some point, but getting access to the right equipment/samples/facilities proved difficult and the project was abandoned. I am not aware of any detailed comparisons like the ones Vitaly has asked for.

John Oreopoulos
Staff Scientist
Spectral Applied Research Inc.
A Division of Andor Technology
Richmond Hill, Ontario
Canada
www.spectral.ca



On 2015-04-09, at 10:35 AM, Stanislav Vitha wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> My guess (without much practical experience) is that the near IR confocal
> will have issues in terms of detector sensitivity if you are using a point
> scanner and PMTs; Most PMTs have pretty low QE in near-IR, with just few
> exceptions. APD or camera-based detection may work better.
>
> Whether the lower sensitivity on the detection side is offset by improved
> excitation (1-p versus 2-P) is an interesting question.
>
>
> Stan Vitha
> Microscopy and Imaging Center
> Texas A&M University
>
>
>
>

[Craig Brideau]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I agree with John. For point detectors, the red end of the spectrum
currently suffers from a lack of sensitivity. GAsP detectors don't play
well in that range so you're stuck with red-extended conventional PMTs
(multi-alkali typically). Hamamatsu -20 series work OK out to 850nm, but
only compared to a conventional PMT. For this application EMCCD or the like
would be more sensitive.

Craig

On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 8:52 AM, John Oreopoulos <[hidden email]
> wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Stan,
>
> To your comment about PMTs not being sensitive in the IR, I would point
> out that NIR spinning disk confocal microscopy with a CCD/EMCCD detector
> (which does have better IR light sensitivity) is possible, and I created a
> short account of that with an example in a book chapter I was invited to
> write recently:
>
> http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780124201385000094
>
> It was a goal of ours at Spectral to do a comparison of this to 2-photon
> laser scanning confocal at some point, but getting access to the right
> equipment/samples/facilities proved difficult and the project was
> abandoned. I am not aware of any detailed comparisons like the ones Vitaly
> has asked for.
>
> John Oreopoulos
> Staff Scientist
> Spectral Applied Research Inc.
> A Division of Andor Technology
> Richmond Hill, Ontario
> Canada
> www.spectral.ca
>
>
>
> On 2015-04-09, at 10:35 AM, Stanislav Vitha wrote:
>
> > *****
> > To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> > http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> > Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your
> posting.
> > *****
> >
> > My guess (without much practical experience) is that the near IR confocal
> > will have issues in terms of detector sensitivity if you are using a
> point
> > scanner and PMTs; Most PMTs have pretty low QE in near-IR, with just few
> > exceptions. APD or camera-based detection may work better.
> >
> > Whether the lower sensitivity on the detection side is offset by improved
> > excitation (1-p versus 2-P) is an interesting question.
> >
> >
> > Stan Vitha
> > Microscopy and Imaging Center
> > Texas A&M University
> >
> >
> >
> >
>

[Michael Giacomelli]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I think its hard to give one answer to this question.  The main
advantage of multiphoton is the ability to image thick samples with
less scattering and very little out of plane excitation.  For an
application like imaging 3D samples (tissue, 3d culture, etc),
multiphoton will likely work better because there is no out of plane
excitation.  For cell monolayer samples, that really does not matter,
and one photon excitation will have the advantage that you do not
damage the sample via higher order nonlinear processes.

Mike

[Craig Brideau]

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

I see far-red single-photon confocal as potentially more economical than
2-photon for 'somewhat thick' samples. If you are doing thick brain slices,
perhaps on the order of 200-400um, then a far-red confocal might get the
job done with a laser that costs a fraction of a Ti:Saph. If you are trying
to do imaging into whole organs or live animals though then you probably
want 2-photon.

Craig

On Thu, Apr 9, 2015 at 1:05 PM, Michael Giacomelli <[hidden email]> wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> I think its hard to give one answer to this question.  The main
> advantage of multiphoton is the ability to image thick samples with
> less scattering and very little out of plane excitation.  For an
> application like imaging 3D samples (tissue, 3d culture, etc),
> multiphoton will likely work better because there is no out of plane
> excitation.  For cell monolayer samples, that really does not matter,
> and one photon excitation will have the advantage that you do not
> damage the sample via higher order nonlinear processes.
>
> Mike
>