Bio-Rad ZOE™ Fluorescent Cell Imager - Manual (Page 18)

10 | ZOE Fluorescent Cell Imager Instruction Manual 10 |
Improving Image Contrast of Brightfield Channel
A ring of green LEDs is used as a light source in the brightfield channel. Using a green light
source reduces chromatic aberration and results in improved image contrast compared to
white light.
The Q1, Q2, Q3, and Q4 checkboxes at the top of the brightfield channel edit controls panel
(Figure 5) toggle quadrants of the ring of LEDs on and off. This control can be used to achieve
phase-like image contrast. Lighting only one quadrant shifts the direction of the light, resulting
in oblique illumination. The combination of on and off quadrants that provide the best imaging
performance depends on the sample.
1. Turn off three quadrants, leaving only one quadrant lit, by tapping and removing the check
mark (for ex. Q1, Q2, and Q4 are off, Q3 is on).
Note: If you leave two quadrants on, they should be adjacent quadrants, for ex. Q1 and Q2,
or Q2 and Q3, etc.
2. The imaging area will become significantly darker. Increase the Gain to compensate for loss
of illumination from the unlit quadrants.
3. If needed, increase the Contrast level.
4. Try whether using other quadrants results in better image quality for a specific sample.
5. To accept the changes, tap Apply; select Cancel to exit this dialogue window without
saving the changes.
Using the Fluorescent Channels
The ZOE Cell Imager has three fluorescent channels: blue, green, and red. Channels are named
according to the color they emit.
A control panel located on the left side of the screen (Figure 4) contains controls for switching
on and off light sources for the individual imaging channels. The viewing area shows the sample
illuminated with the selected light source; the displayed sample is pseudo-colored in the
appropriate emission color (Figure 8). Tap the illumination control (Figure 6) to turn the LED light
source on, tap it again to turn it off.
Fig. 6. Light source on/off controls. A, Blue channel light source on/off; B, green channel light
source on/off; C, red channel light source on/off.
A B C
Focus — position indicator on the left side of the display area shows the Z axis position
number and is updated during focusing (Figure 4). Noting the approximate Z number for the
tissue culture vessels you use can speed up focusing (Table 2).