I am asking fellow facility managers for their input.  I was an ultrafast laser 
grad student before I went off to build/use multiphoton microscopes off of 
older Olympus FV300 confocals - which I loved, doing the research I like.

I currently manage an older (7+ year old) Zeiss LSM510 Meta and an Olympus 
FV300 confocal (of same vintage).

We may upgrade and I've noticed several things.  The Nikon guys seem very 
responsive but I haven't heard good things about the new A1 myself, but 
someone like Dr. Jennifer Waters could probably convince me otherwise.  I 
love Olympus systems, and am curious if the FV1000 is as robust as the FV300 
while being more modern.
If we do upgrade the facility here my main emphasis at this facility in addition 
to confocal is SHG, THG, 2PEF, and in particular, CARS microscopy.
For that I'm looing at a Zeiss LSM710, a Leica SP5, and still considering very 
closely an FV1000 from Olympus.

I would love a duo (fast and point scanner, but that will likely not happen).  I 
would like a confocal that can be a great visible laser scanner (with one UV 
laser), and handly near-IR short pulses on a dedicated port that won't damage 
any primary beamsplitter or cook internal electronics.

What are your opinions on the LSM710 versus SP5, and is the FV1000 worth it 
as a competitor.


I appreciate your comments.

Evangelos Gatzogiannis
Advanced Biological Imaging Scientist
Harvard University Center for Nanoscale Systems
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