ORCA-D2	ORCA-03	ORCA-05	ORCA-R2

The ORCA-D2 is a unique dual detector solution for dual wavelength imaging as well as multifocal plane imaging. It offers several advantages compared to conventional methods such as rotating filter wheels, tunable liquid crystals, 3CCD color cameras, split frame optical devices and dual camera adapters. With the ORCA-D2, you can capture dual wavelength images simultaneously, at wavelengths of your choice with a full field of view in each image. In addition, the camera automatically corrects focus and alignment between the two images to produce images with wide dynamic range and high precision.

The ORCA-D2 captures dual wavelength images simultaneously by using an interchangeable optical block to divert light towards two ER-150 CCD chips each housed in a vacuum chamber within a single camera body.  Several optical blocks (dichroic mirror and bandpass filter sets) for brightfield and fluorescence imaging are available, and a 50/50 beam splitter is available for dual focal plane imaging. Each optical block has a built-in memory to enable quick alignment of the CCDs with each optical block change.  The two proprietary Hamamatsu ER-150 interline CCD chips each produce images with 1280 x 960 pixels, and each CCD has 6.45 micron pixel pitch. The hermetic vacuum-sealed chambers used in this camera provide low dark current of 0.1 e/p/s at -10°C. The ORCA-D2 provides signal-noise-limited images at 11.27 frames per second at full 12-bit resolution and integration times up to 60 seconds.
 

Features	Benefits
Dual ER-150 interline CCD chips with peak QE over 70% and 6.45 micron pixels	High resolution and short exposure times
Single camera body with two CCDs	Saves bench space and easy setup
Interchangeable optical blocks with built-in memory	Rapid filter changes with automatic image alignment
Independent exposure control of each CCD	Very wide dynamic range image pairs with good signal to noise in each
Automatic synchronization of dual image readout	Dual image capture is as easy as single image capture
Adjustable, motorized Z-focus of one CCD	Reliable multifocal plane imaging
Dual images produced at 11.27 fps	Effective frame rate is over 22 fps with perfect timing at full resolution

 
Applications for the ORCA-D2

• Ratio imaging
• Fluorescence microscopy, FRET
• Red to NIR fluorescence applications
• Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
• Co-localization applications
• Time-lapse dual wavelength fluorescence imaging
• TIRF microscopy, real-time confocal microscopy
• Simultaneous observation of transmission and fluorescent images
• Simultaneous acquisition of different focal planes in the sample

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The ORCA-03 is the most compact member of the cooled ORCA family of Hamamatsu cameras. This modestly priced camera features the proprietary Hamamatsu ER-150 CCD chip, a 1.3-million-pixel interline CCD with a square pixel size of 6.45 µm and quantum efficiency over 70%. The CCD chip has on-chip amplifiers that are turned off during integration. The hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber used in this camera provides cooling of the CCD to -10°C, which is sufficient to reduce the dark current below the readout noise of the camera in exposures of up to 10 seconds.

With low readout and dark noise, the ORCA-03 is a great general purpose camera well suited to imaging in a broad range of applications such as biology, materials science, and optically coupled readout devices. In applications where the light levels are greater than several hundred photons per pixel per frame, the ORCA-03 will provide signal-noise-limited images at 8.9 frames per second at full 12-bit resolution and will integrate low light signals up to 10 seconds.

Features	Benefits
ER-150 chip: 1.37 million pixel interline CCD with peak QE over 70%	High resolution and short exposure times combined
Compact head size with single cable and no controller	Fits into any laboratory space or setup
Wide spectral range from 400 nm to NIR region	Good for both bright fluorescence and NIR-DIC
14.7 MHz readout at 12 bits	Fast frame rates and good precision
Includes peltier cooling	Allows extended exposures

 
Applications for the ORCA-03

• Routine fluorescence microscopy
• GFP applications
• DNA and ploidy analysis
• Red and NIR fluorescent applications
• Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies
• Time lapse fluorescence imaging
• Combined DIC/phase and fluorescence microscopy
• X-ray scintillator readout

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The ORCA-05 is the smallest and lightest member of the ORCA family of Hamamatsu cameras. Designed for economy and high performance, it is the least expensive camera that still offers the proprietary Hamamatsu ER-150 CCD chip with 1.3 million pixels, each measuring 6.45 µm per side. This low-noise, interline transfer CCD provides the best quantum efficiency in its class, and it has unique on-chip amplifiers that are turned off during acquisition to reduce hot areas in the images. Since there is no cooling applied, the dark current is not specified. However, in normal room temperatures, the dark current is less than the readout noise in exposures up to one second.

This versatile camera is well suited to imaging in a broad range of applications including biology, materials science, and optically coupled readout devices. For applications where the light levels are greater than several hundred photons per pixel per frame, the ORCA-05 will provide signal-noise-limited images at 8.9 frames per second at full 12-bit resolution and will integrate low light signals up to one second.

Features	Benefits
ER-150 chip: 1.37 million pixel interline CCD with peak QE over 70%	High resolution and short exposure times combined
Compact head size with single cable and no controller	Fits into any laboratory space or setup
Wide spectral range from 400 nm to NIR region	Good for both bright fluorescence and NIR-DIC
14.7 MHz readout at 12 bits	Fast frame rates and good precision

Applications for the ORCA-05

• IR-DIC and bright fluorescence imaging
• BF, DF, Phase and DIC microscopy
• DNA chip reader
• High-throughput screening (HTS) reader

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The ORCA-R2 is the most versatile member of the cooled ORCA family of Hamamatsu cameras. This modestly priced camera features the proprietary Hamamatsu ER-150 CCD chip, a 1.3-million-pixel interline CCD with a square pixel size of 6.45 µm and the highest quantum efficiency in its class. The ORCA-R2 has two cooling methods, two readout amplifiers, and two digitizers. The hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber that contains the CCD chip is pumped to 10^-8 Torr and provides cooling of the CCD to -30°C with air cooling and -40°C with circulated water cooling. This is sufficient to reduce the dark current to undetectable levels in exposures over 30 minutes. Two special readout amplifiers reduce the readout noise of the camera to 6 electrons at 14 MHz readout and to 10 electrons at 28 MHz, and either readout can be at 12-bit or 16-bit resolution. With very low readout noise and a maximum full well capacity of 36,000 electrons, the dynamic range is unsurpassed in scientific interline transfer CCDs.

The versatile ORCA-R2 is suited to imaging in a broad range of applications such as biology, materials science, and optically coupled readout devices.  In applications where the light levels are greater than several hundred photons per pixel per frame, the ORCA-R2 will provide signal-noise-limited images at 8 frames per second or 16 frames per second at full 12-bit or 16-bit resolution and will integrate low light signals up to 30 minutes or more.

Features	Benefits
ER-150 chip: 1.37 million pixel interline CCD with peak QE over 70%	High resolution and short exposure times combined
14 MHz and 28 MHz readout modes included	Choice of very low noise or very fast readout to suit applications
12-bit and 16-bit digitizers are included and software selectable	Choice of bit depth to suit data and precision needs
Air and water cooling capabilities are standard	Long exposures with very low dark current and no vibration

Applications for the ORCA-R2

• Fluorescence microscopy
• Live cells expressing GFP
• Red to NIR fluorescence application
• Ratio imaging
• Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
• IR-DIC and fluorescence imaging
• Time lapse fluorescence imaging
• TIRF microscopy
• Real-time confocal microscopy
• X-ray scintillator readout

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Other Cameras
If you have special requirements for your application, Hamamatsu has many other models with special features for very high dynamic range, faster frame rates, UV and IR applications, time domain integration (TDI), and multiple-chip cameras. The right choice is just a call away.

ImagEM Enhanced	ImagEM-1K	C9100-02

The ImagEM Enhanced camera is a premier example of the advantages of electron multiplication technology.  The combination of the well-known e2v CCD-97 chip (16-µm square pixels in a 512 x 512 array) and Hamamatsu’s hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber with special anti-reflection technology brings low-light-level imaging to new lows. Stable cooling of the EM-CCD means reliable gain, invisible dark current, and long life for the CCD. Specially optimized drive circuits produce the lowest dark noise in all conditions.

With quantum efficiency over 90% and relative readout noise less than 1 electron, this camera easily detects single-photon events.  Hamamatsu added a proprietary Photon Imaging mode to make even single-photon events visible at full frame rate. The camera also has a normal CCD readout mode, including a built-in image reversal feature so the images taken in EM mode and normal mode overlay perfectly.  Multiple readout rates in both modes allow optimal imaging in any light level, so the only limit to imaging speed is the number of photons available.

Features	Benefits
Back-thinned 512 x 512 frame transfer CCD with greater than 90% QE	Short exposures and fast frame rates
16-µm square pixels with large full-well capacity	Large dynamic range in both normal-CCD and EM-CCD readout modes
User programmable gain aging protection alarms	Extended camera life and fewer gain calibrations over time
Optimized EM-CCD readout and stabilized dual mode cooling	Highly stabilized gain and minimal dark noise

Applications for the ImagEM Enhanced Camera

• Fast frame rates and short exposures of living cells with low excitation fluorescence
• Protein-protein interaction
• Calcium waves in cell networks and intracellular ion flux
• Real-time spinning disk confocal microscopy
• Single molecule imaging with TIRF microscopy
• Fluorescence in-vivo blood cell microscopy
• Gene expression imaging using luminescence

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The ImagEM-1K camera combines the advantages of electron multiplication technology and a million pixels. The combination of the well-known e2v CCD-97 chip and Hamamatsu’s hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber with special anti-reflection technology brings low-light-level imaging to new lows. Stable cooling of the EM-CCD means reliable gain, invisible dark current, and long life for the CCD. Specially optimized drive circuits produce the lowest dark noise in all conditions.

With 13.3 micron square pixels, the camera is well suited to high-resolution imaging with high NA lenses, and the 1024 x 1024 array provides large fields of view. Quantum efficiency over 90% and a relative readout noise less than 1 electron provide sensitivity for single-photon events. Hamamatsu added a proprietary Photon Imaging mode to make even single-photon events visible at full frame rate. The camera also has a normal CCD readout mode, including a built-in image reversal feature so the images taken in EM mode and normal mode overlay perfectly. Multiple readout rates in both modes allow optimal imaging in any light level, so the only limit to imaging speed is the number of photons available.

Features	Benefits
Back-thinned 1024 x 1024 frame transfer CCD with greater than 90% QE	Short exposures and high resolution
13-µm square pixels and 11 MHz readout	Well-matched to high NA objectives and fast readout
User programmable gain aging protection alarms	Extended camera life and fewer gain calibrations over time
Optimized EM-CCD readout and stabilized dual mode cooling	Highly stabilized gain and minimal dark noise

Applications for the ImagEM-1K Camera

• Fast frame rates and short exposures of living cells with low excitation fluorescence
• Protein-protein interaction
• Calcium waves in cell networks and intracellular ion flux
• Real-time spinning disk confocal microscopy
• Single molecule imaging with TIRF microscopy
• Fluorescence in-vivo blood cell microscopy
• Gene expression imaging using luminescence

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The C9100-02 captures images at 30 fps at full resolution and 14-bit precision. Designed from the start for fast frame rates in very low light, the C9100-02 uses a front-illuminated Texas Instruments EM-CCD chip in a Hamamatsu hermetic vacuum-sealed chamber pumped to 10^-8 Torr. Stabilized cooling at -50°C in ambient temperatures up to 30°C means reliable gain and data even in warm rooms or environmental chambers.

With 8 micron square pixels, the camera is well suited to high-resolution imaging with high NA and low magnification lenses. The 1000 x 1000 array provides large fields of view. Quantum efficiency over 60% and a relative readout noise less than 1 electron provide great sensitivity.

Features	Benefits
High EM gain factor (2000 times)	Great low signal detection
1000 x 1000 pixels, 8-µm square pixels, and 30 frames/s readout	High spatial resolution well matched to high NA objectives
-50°C air cooling stabilized up to 40°C ambient	Consistent data regardless of ambient temperature

Applications for the C9100-02 Camera

• Fast frame rates and short exposures of living cells with fluorescence
• Calcium waves in cell networks and intracellular ion flux
• Real-time spinning disk confocal microscopy
• Single molecule imaging with TIRF microscopy
• Fluorescence in-vivo blood cell microscopy

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Other Cameras
If you have special requirements for your application, Hamamatsu has many other models with special features for very high dynamic range, faster frame rates, UV and IR applications, time domain integration (TDI), and multiple-chip cameras. The right choice is just a call away.