Olympus has introduced the CX21LED clinical microscope with built-in light-emitting-diode (LED) illumination.
Offering long-term performance for biological and medical applications, this imaging system can illuminate samples with a similar light intensity to that provided by halogen bulbs.
The LED light source produces a uniform, controllable and stable illumination for high-quality imaging.
As an environmentally friendly system, this microscope is also said to be suitable for educational use.
The Olympus CX21LED features an LED with an expected lifetime of more than 20,000 hours, eliminating the need for frequent halogen lamp replacements.
This cost-effective method of sample illumination not only consumes much less energy than halogen lamps but also provides a comparable light intensity for excellent imaging, according to the company.
The CX21LED microscope is composed of an eyepiece and a condenser, which are both factory attached to the body, and a revolving nosepiece firmly fixed to the wide and rigid arm along with the objectives.
The compact system, weighing approximately 6kg, can be safely transported between laboratories and can be easily stored.
As well as providing uniform and stable light intensity, the brightness of the LED can be changed without affecting the colour temperature.
This, along with the incorporation of the Olympus plan-corrected UIS2 objectives, ensures that clear images are obtained with a stable colour balance at any brightness level.
The ergonomic layout of the main controls (focus and fine-focusing knob, light control adjustment and stage handle) allows the user to operate the microscope with minimal movement.
An ultra-smooth, four-position revolving nosepiece ensures smooth operation and durability.
This is further enhanced by the abrasion-resistant rackless stage, designed for smooth and continuous movement.
Olympus claims that, by effectively removing any protruding racks, the risk of damaging samples or inflicting hand injury is eliminated.
The mechanical-stage focus lock prevents the objective from touching the slide and damaging the specimen or the objective.
