Mary Teruel wrote:
> We will be buying a confocal microscope system
>that will also be used occasionally as a two-photon microscope. We
>are deciding between buying a Zeiss confocal system (most likely the
>LSM 410 since t >  the Leica software.
>
> We are not sure which system to buy yet and are interested in
> hearing any comments people have about the two systems,
> particularly the Leica which seems still in the development stage.


Very tempting to display one's bias... many things may
determine your choice of confocal, especially the kind of
applications it will be expected to handle. But I would say, given the
superb optics on most high-end system these days, maybe your choice
should finally be governed by
1. software capabilities - bad software is like having no fuel for the car
2. service.

My choice [in the country of braaivleis, sunny skies and chevrolet]
was for a LSM410  - and I was never disappointed on either account
(1 or 2 above). The software was/ is superb, easy to work
with, user friendly, and very powerful. Macro programming is
possible, either from recording actions (easy) or the macro language
(more obscure, but possible). The Z stage was OK - not perfect - but I believe you
should ask what progress has been made in upgrading that to the more
precise galvo stage. I believe somone was finding out about this as
an approved upgrade. Can't comment of the LSM510, but Ihope they have
not "improved" the software too much.

I have now moved to Monash Uni, where there are 2 new Leica NT confocals.
Because of the move from the old OS9 platform with Windows interface to
NT, not all of the functionality has got ported here yet, and it is
still quite buggy. Frustrating for my users and for me. Some of these
problems may be just the networking of the 2 NT workstations - and these
will be sorted out - but there are also occasional inexplicable
freeze-ups. Upgrades are frequent and another one is expected soon -
but this is really just an admission that it is early days still.
[Quite tame comments from me, actually:  can you imagine catching a
flight while there are still a "a few bugs" in the navigational or control
system...or with a beta version of the brakes ?]
I hope all of the options do appear in the final version - I like to
be able to write my own LUTs, we need thresholding,
the 3D module MUST include analytical tools along with the
renderers, etc (hope Leica are reading this).

If you want further comment, feel free to email me directly.

Good luck

Ian.







Dr Ian S. Harper
Confocal Microscopy Facility
Dept Ecology & Evolutionary Biology
Monash University, Clayton, Vic 3168
Australia

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