Reflecting on Davids comment.  We use the Optera extensively... we have 6 of them.. However  all  are run under NIS elements not the Bruker/Prairie software.  We also have 2 Yokagawa scan heads which we rarely use because of the vast difference in performance and flexibility.  The Optera scan head has many advantages over the spinning disk approach.  Firstly the core technology is an array of pinholes or slits which means you can change between multiple different pinholes and slits (7 in total) to adapt confocality to objective NA and specimen brightness (in other words you can go fast imaging dim specimens if you are willing to make compromises in confocality).   Secondly it is not just a disk spinning in a box.   When it is appropriately integrated with piezo Z, TTL control and a decent laser launch it becomes an incredibly powerful imaging platform.  As I said I cannot comment on the current version of the Bruker/PrairieView software as we are firmly embedded in the Nikon platform which runs it beautifully and flexibly, but as a high speed confocal I do not think there is any other real competition.

Simon C. Watkins Ph.D, FRC Path
Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair Cell Biology 
Professor Immunology 
Director Center for Biologic Imaging 
BSTS 225 
University of Pittsburgh 
3500 Terrace St 
Pittsburgh PA 15261
412-352-2277
www.cbi.pitt.edu

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of David Burgess
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2014 10:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: High speed spinning disc confocal with EMCCD camera

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we had access for two months last summer to the Brucker Opterra.  It is exceedingly fast, we saw exceedingly low toxicity relative to our spinning disc for live cell work on three different species of embryos, and very controllable.  Just viewed their totally upgraded software package at the ASCB meeting making the system easy to use and ideal for cell biology and neuroscience. The price point is really competitive and better than most commercial systems.

David Burgess
National Research Mentoring Network, Lead PI Boston College Professor Biology Department
528 Higgins Hall
140 Commonwealth Ave
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467

617-552-1606


On Wed, Dec 17, 2014 at 8:44 AM, Andrea Latini <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> COMMERCIAL RESPONSE:
>
> Dear George, thank you for bringing to Sivaram attention the option to 
> use our X-Light Confocal System. this is actually the only system 
> capable of 20KRPM spinning disk rotation speed and proprietary spiral 
> pattern to avoid the needs to detector/disk sync down to 1ms exposure 
> time to avoid spiral striping.
>
> As you can easily understand any detector synchronization with disk 
> position will force you to slow down your maximum frame rate according 
> to the sync overlap between detector exposure+readout time and disk 
> rotation.
>
> for any further information please get in touch, directly.
>
> best.
>
> Andrea Latini
> CrestOptics srl
> phone: +39-0661660508
> [log in to unmask]
> www.crestopt.com
>