Selecting Digital CCD Cameras for Microscopes in Daily Work
There are two types of chips used in cameras available on the current market: CCD chips and CMOS chips. These two chips are not comparable for microscopic imaging. If you pursue high image quality and authenticity, or need to publish papers using the captured images, you should select a CCD chip (images captured by CMOS chips may not be accepted). If you only need it for teaching or ordinary student use with budget requirements, a CMOS chip is an option. Details are as follows:
Differences between CCD Chips and CMOS Chips
① CCD is a relatively mature imaging device at present, while CMOS technology is not fully mature. Ordinary CMOS sensors generally have low resolution and poor imaging quality. For cameras, many entry-level digital cameras use low-cost, low-grade CMOS chips with poor imaging quality. Popular, high-grade and professional digital cameras adopt CCDs of different grades.
② CCD products are far more expensive to manufacture than CMOS sensors, which are relatively easy to produce. CMOS sensors are fabricated using standard CMOS semiconductor chip manufacturing technology and are suitable for mass production. Only a handful of manufacturers such as Sony and Panasonic master CCD manufacturing technology. The fabrication process of CCD is complicated, and the cost of CCD products is 200% higher than that of relatively easy-to-produce CMOS sensors.
③ CCD outperforms CMOS in light sensitivity, pixel size and noise control. The main manufacturing difference between CCD and CMOS is that CCD is integrated on semiconductor monocrystalline material, whereas CMOS is integrated on semiconductor material known as metal oxide. There is no essential difference in their working principles. Only a few manufacturers including Sony and Panasonic have mastered CCD technology. Due to the complex fabrication process, cameras equipped with CCD chips are relatively expensive. In terms of imaging: under the same pixel count, CCD delivers good light transmission, sharpness, accurate color reproduction and reliable exposure. By contrast, CMOS products usually have average light transmission, weak color reproduction of real objects and unsatisfactory exposure. Due to its inherent physical properties, there is still a noticeable gap in imaging quality between CMOS and CCD.
In addition, for microscopic imaging, digital microscope cameras equipped with CMOS chips cannot capture fluorescence images. Fluorescence photography can only be completed by CCD cameras with cooling function. In summary, when purchasing a digital microscope camera, you must make your choice according to your experimental or research objectives and budget. Do not simply pursue the lowest price.
