Dear all,

my institute is about to buy a new confocal microscope, with the main
interest centering on the Zeiss LSM-510 and the Leica TCS-SP. As I don't
have much experience with confocal microscopy, I would appreciate hearing
about your opinion of and experience with these systems.

The microscope will have to be a multi-user (and multi-application) system,
so versality will be needed. Ease of upgrade and/or interchange would be a
plus.

The applications will vary between those concerning material sciences (i.e.
reflection, transmission) and biological questions (Ca++-imaging, cell
adhesion (over time, which means live cells), tissue structure). Thus
minimal phototoxicity and maximal resolution are required. In this respect,
does anyone know about the advantages and drawbacks of the spectral system
from Leica versus the filter system from Zeiss? And which combination of
lasers makes sense?

We plan on buying the multi-photon system: anybody have experience with
theses? And, quite specifically, does anyone know how the fsec of Zeiss
compare to the psec of Leica?

And, last but not least, has anyone worked with a combination of an AFM and
one of these microscopes?

I'm afraid that's a pretty comprehensive list, but I'd be terribely grateful
for information and suggestions.

Many thanks in advance,

Susanne Bierbaum, PhD
Technical University of Dresden
Institute for Material Science
Department of Biomaterials
01062 Dresden, Germany
Tel.: +49(0)351-463-5966
Fax: +49(0)351-463-7763
email: [log in to unmask]