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Hi Melissa,
I have no experience with the EXFO, so you'll have to ask others for that. I
have a lot of experience with the Sutter LS300 and like it a lot. I'm about
to order one with the following part numbers and descriptions:
LB-LS/OF30/O759470 Sutter Lambda LS300 (ozone free bulb), supplied
with O759470 cold mirror
OF30 LS300 spare bulb (ozone free bulb)
O777552 liquid light guide, 1 meter long, series
380. LLG - supply IM series 380 guide
drop-in drop-in filter holder (25 mm)
??? LLG to microscope adapter
(microscope specific)
You should check with your dealer or with Sutter Inc as to whether the
Sutter microscope adapter is optimal for the microscope. At the time I
bought an LS300 for CHLA's Leica DMRXA, the Sutter LLG to scope adapter was
generic. They mentioned that Beat Ludin ( www.lis.ch <http://www.lis.ch> )
had made an optimal one for a Leica DMR customer. I bought a DMRXA adapter
from Beat and it was substantially brighter than Sutter's. Also, having had
the standard 2 meter LLG, I bought the 1 meter series 380 LLG and it was
brighter than the older 2 meter (2 differences: length and series). The cold
mirror I specified above is one of three options Sutter has in stock - talk
with the dealer or Sutter as to which fits your needs (i.e. do you need to
excite Cy5.5, Cy7, Alexa Fluor 750, QD800, etc).
I also recommend buying the Sutter bulbs pre-assembled in their plastic
housing. I've done it myself, but not worth the hassle. When the first bulb
dies, "recycle" it to Sutter to have them put in the replacement bulb.
The Sutter bulbs, which are handled in a housing, are much safer than
standard "naked" arc lamp bulbs. the Sutter lamp does not need aligning,
except for the initial optimization of the LLG in the lamp and microscope
adapters.
I've always been a big fan of the spectral response of Xenon (Sutter). A 20
nm exciter puts out similar amount of light regardless of wavelength, and if
you need twice as much excitation, specify 40 nm, etc, simplifying selection
of filter sets and dyes (see
<http://www.mcb.arizona.edu/ipc/fret/default.htm >
http://www.mcb.arizona.edu/ipc/fret/default.htm for interactive spectra
server [click on " <outbind://2/indexb.html> Go directly to the spectra
graphing page" page] and http://home.earthlink.net/~pubspectra/
<http://home.earthlink.net/~pubspectra/> for spectral data sets on most
dyes and Chroma and Omega filters). The spectral output of the EXFO
metal-halide is essentially the same as an Hg, so you have a few good atomic
lines and lots of dim between-lines.
Best wishes,
George
-----Original Message-----
From: Melissa Gonzalez [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2005 9:04 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fluorescent Illumination Systems, Suggestions Please?
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Hello all,
I am currently in the market to upgrade our existing HB0 100 lamp house,
which is very old, to several of new systems. Either the newest version of
the HB0 100 from Zeiss, a mercury halide system (X-Cite120 from EXFO) or a
xenon based burner Lambda LS (300watt ozone free) from Sutter Instruments.
They are all comparable in price, but my main concern is increasing the
brightness of my signal and evenly illuminating the field of view. I mostly
look at DAPI, eGFP, FITC, and Alexa 594, which from spectral outputs, each
one of these systems appears to have a different weakness in one of the
above. On a plus, the Xcite rates their bulbs at 1500 hours, and the Lambda
at 500-1000hrs.
But how long do these lamps really hold out and how is the brightness
affected?
Does anyone out there have any input/comments/experience with these systems?
(This would be hooked up to a Zeiss Axioplan) Please let me know if you have
any info, as I have been unsuccessful so far with demos and need to place an
order soon.
Thanks a lot -I really appreciate it,
Melissa
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