Low-light camera is an indispensable component in various°uorescence microscopy techniques.However,choosing an appropriate low-light camera for a speci¯c technique(for example,single molecule imaging)is alwa...Low-light camera is an indispensable component in various°uorescence microscopy techniques.However,choosing an appropriate low-light camera for a speci¯c technique(for example,single molecule imaging)is always time-consuming and sometimes confusing,especially after the commercialization of a new type of camera called sCMOS camera,which is now receiving heavy demands and high praise from both academic and industrial users.In this tutorial,we try to provide a guide on how to fully access the performance of low-light cameras using a well-developed method called photon transfer curve(PTC).We¯rst present a brief explanation on the key parameters for characterizing low-light cameras,then explain the experimental procedures on how to measure PTC.We also show the application of the PTC method in experimentally quantifying the performance of two representative low-light cameras.Finally,we extend the PTC method to provide o®set map,read noise map,and gain map of individual pixels inside a camera.展开更多
基金This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos.91332103,81427801)National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No.2015CB352003)+1 种基金the Program for New Century Excellent Talents in University of China (Grant No.NCET-10-0407)the Science Fund for Creative Research Group of China (Grant No.61421064)。
文摘Low-light camera is an indispensable component in various°uorescence microscopy techniques.However,choosing an appropriate low-light camera for a speci¯c technique(for example,single molecule imaging)is always time-consuming and sometimes confusing,especially after the commercialization of a new type of camera called sCMOS camera,which is now receiving heavy demands and high praise from both academic and industrial users.In this tutorial,we try to provide a guide on how to fully access the performance of low-light cameras using a well-developed method called photon transfer curve(PTC).We¯rst present a brief explanation on the key parameters for characterizing low-light cameras,then explain the experimental procedures on how to measure PTC.We also show the application of the PTC method in experimentally quantifying the performance of two representative low-light cameras.Finally,we extend the PTC method to provide o®set map,read noise map,and gain map of individual pixels inside a camera.
