Hamamatsu's (Bridgewater, NJ) ORCA-R2 cooled CCD camera promises high sensitivity from visible to near-infrared (NIR) light, high dynamic range, fast readout speed, and low noise. This high-performance camera is designed for a wide range of applications including microscopy (fluorescence, TIRF, and real-time confocal), red to NIR fluorescence, time lapse fluorescence imaging, ratio imaging, and others.
The ORCA-R2 camera contains an ER-150 progressive scan interline CCD which is enclosed in a hermetic vacuum-sealed head. The ER-150 CCD has 1344 x 1024 pixels, and is capable of simultaneous exposure and readout. The camera has two readout speeds (normal and rapid) that deliver full-resolution images. The normal readout and rapid readout deliver frame rates of 8.5 frames/second and 16.2 frames/second, respectively. When using the rapid readout mode with 8 x 8 binning and 8 sub-arrays, the ORCA-R2 attains 115.1 frames/second, its fastest readout speed.
In addition, the ORCA-R2 features low noise due to optimized circuit design and its cooling systems. Dark current of the CCD is reduced by effective cooling through one of the two cooling options. Depending on the cooling method chosen, the camera operates at the low temperature of -35°C (air-cooling method) or -40°C (water-cooling method).
ORCA-R2 camera is equipped with both a 12-bit and 16-bit A/D converters. Data output is via Firewire IEEE 1394b. Included are an extended range of programmable trigger signal output options such as edge, level, start, and synchronous readout triggers.