Hamamatsu has launched the ORCA-R² 'rapid readout' digital CCD camera. Based on the ORCA AG model's ER-150 progressive scan interline 1344 x 1024 pixel CCD sensor, the ORCA-R² is suited to demanding, non-EM CCD applications in the visible to NIR.
The camera has two scan speeds: a normal scan speed of 14MHz and a rapid scan speed of 28MHz, which deliver full resolution 1.37 Megapixel images at 8.5fps and 16.2fps respectively. With binning, the ORCA-R² has a maximum frame rate of 64.3fps. Data output is via FireWire IEEE 1394b.
The ER-150 CCD sensor is enclosed in a hermetic vacuum-sealed head, the same as the previous ORCA-AG model, but air-cooling has been improved to -35°C. The ORCA-R² also comes with water-cooling connections as standard, for operation at -40°C for applications where low-level signals mean a tighter control of thermal noise is required.
Digitisation can be carried out in either 12- or 16-bit A-D converters, and image enhancement is possible using analogue gain and offset controls.
The ORCA-R² is suitable for a range of applications, such as fluorescence microscopy, where a balance of speed, sensitivity and resolution are essential.
