Dage-MTI, a US-based manufacturer of cameras for bioscience, inspection and analysis, has introduced a near-infrared (NIR) camera for applications that require high sensitivity in the NIR wavelength range. The IR-1000 offers two important features: automatic contrast and real-time edge enhancement.
To provide optimum contrast, the real-time CCD camera includes electronics that will automatically and instantaneously readjust when a scene changes. This design is especially useful when changing magnification levels, specimens, and/or lighting levels. For added flexibility, the user has continuous access to the manual gain and may also engage the camera’s black-level control to achieve specific greyscale contrast.
The camera’s real-time edge enhancement feature sharpens the edges and delivers a clearer picture by resolving fine details in the image. With enhanced sensitivity across the visible and infrared spectral wavelength, the 1/2-inch sensor features a 5x increase in sensitivity at 900nm. With the enhanced sensitivity, the camera can detect cells in low light conditions; the extended IR response allows deeper penetration into tissue sections (e.g. brain slices) for further analysis. The high gain of the camera enables the user to detect images in real-time (30fps) even when energy levels are low.
With a convenient C-mount, the IR-1000 is widely used in ‘live’ mode, connected directly to a monitor. An optional computer interface board is also available. Dage-MTI’s real-time camera is ideal for applications such as electrophysiology, infrared differential interference contrast (IR-DIC), failure analysis, forensics and semiconductor inspection.
