The CARV II™ confocal imager from BD™ Biosciences

Fully automated, full-spectrum spinning disk confocal image acquisition

Ideal for live cell imaging in biological applications

New Features:

• Shorter light path than CARV I
• Automated dichroic wheel and filter wheels
• Camera placed in direct emission light path
• FRAP iris
• Keypad as well as software control
• Easier to align
• Higher-throughput Semrock filters

Technical specifications are available.

A list of publications using the CARV II™ is available.

Multipoint Confocal Scanning

The BD CARV II™ Confocal Imager module utilizes a Nipkow spinning disk which contains multiple sets of spirally arranged pinholes placed in the image plane of the objective lens. The column of excitation light is split into 1000 beams to simultaneously scan the entire field at a rate of 1000 times per second, effectively creating a full image of the focal plane in real-time. Emitted light is collected and imaged using a high resolution and high quantum efficiency CCD camera.

The significant advantages to the spinning disk approach are the ability to monitor rapidly occurring events within living cells without compromising resolution, as well as substantial reduction of photobleaching and phototoxicity due to high frequency low intensity illumination.

Direct Viewing and Imaging of Confocal and Wide Field

The BD CARV II™ Confocal Imager permits direct viewing of confocal images through a binocular eyepiece, through the camera, or both. It is the only pinhole spinning disk fluorescence confocal systems which allows the user to quickly switch from confocal to wide-field viewing or recording.

Full Spectrum Confocal

The BD CARV II™ Confocal Imager uses a Mercury/Metal Halide Arc lamp as an illumination source. This allows full spectrum (360nm-700nm), real-time confocal imaging. In combination with the vast array of commercially available filter sets, any fluorescent marker can be confocally imaged at a fraction of the cost of laser based systems.

Automated filter selection

Automation of internal multi-position excitation (8), dichroic (5) and emission (8) filter wheels allows fast multi-dimensional confocal imaging. The automated filters reduce the reliance on multi-band pass filter sets allowing maximum light throughput and fast sequential imaging of up to five or more fluorescent probes in the same sample.

Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) capabilities

A FRAP Iris is at the same focal plane as the confocal disk and creates an adjustable rectangular aperture on the image. This enables controlled photo-bleaching of part of the sample with high intensity Hg/metal halide light followed by fluorescence recovery recording.

Microscope Compatibility

The BD CARV II™ Confocal Imager unit can be configured to most inverted fluorescent microscopes.

Application-specific Cameras

A wide selection of high-end cooled and non-cooled CCD cameras with a combination of 12-16 bit information, fast readout, high quantum efficiencies and small pixel sizes produces images at a high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio.

3D Software Option

A range of state of the art 3D software packages can be used for acquisition and analysis of confocal images.