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Home > Products > sCMOS Camera Selection > 4MPix sCMOS Camera
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4MPix sCMOS Camera

Key Features:

  • 2048 x 2048 Pixel Array
  • Up to 80 % Quantum Efficiency
  • 2.1e– Med Readout Noise
  • Ultra-Compact Design
  • USB 3.1 Gen1

Suggested Applications:

  • brightfield microscopy
  • fluorescence microscopy
  • digital pathology
  • lightsheet fluorescence microscopy (LSFM)
  • calcium imaging
  • structured illumination microscopy (SIM)
  • high-speed bright field ratio imaging
  • high throughput screening
  • high content screening
  • biochip reading
  • spinning disk confocal microscopy
  • 3D metrology
  • ophthalmology
  • industrial quality inspection

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The pco.panda 4.2 camera series represents a new generation of cost-effective, front-illuminated 4Mpix sCMOS cameras. Its ease-of-use begins with an ultra-compact camera housing and with a design that ensures fast data transfer AND power via a single USB 3.1 cable. Image quality is excellent, thanks to its 16-bit sCMOS sensor with high resolution, 6.5μm x 6.5 μm pixel size, high quantum efficiency and low readout noise. The pco.panda 4.2 series of cameras is recommended for low-light imaging with relatively short exposures up to 1~2 seconds. For applications in which longer exposures are typically used, a TE-cooled camera such as the pco.edge 4.2 is recommended.

Host Interface: USB 3.1

Spectral Options:

  • Monochrome
  • RGB Color
Image Sensor sCMOS monochrome or RGB Color
Pixels (H x V) 2048 x 2048
Frame Rate (fps) at full resolution 40
Pixel Size (µm)  6.5 x 6.5
Peak QE (monochrome) up to 80%
Image Sensor dimensions (mm) 13.31 x 13.31 (diagonal: 18.83)
Spectral Range (nm) 370 - 1100
Full Well Capacity (e-) 45,000
Readnoise (e-) 2.1(med) / 2.3(rms)
Dark Current (e-/p/s) @ 21 °C ambient temperature 15
A/D conversion factor (e-/DN) 0.65
Dynamic Range 21,400:1
Dynamic Range (dB) up to 87
Bit depth 16
Shutter Type Rolling Shutter (RS)
Exposure range 10μs - 5s
Time Stamp In image (1μs resolution)
Cooling Method Passive
Camera Interface USB3.1 Gen1
Binning horizontal x1, x2, x4
Binning vertical x1, x2, x4
ROI horizontal steps of 32 pixels
ROI vertical steps of 8 pixels
Trigger input signals frame trigger, acquire (SMA connectors)
Trigger output signals exposure, busy (SMA connectors)
Software pco.camware
SDK pco.sdk Included
3rd Party Software support LabVIEW, MATLAB, Micro-Manager and others
Optical Interface C-mount (optional: F-mount)
Dimensions (mm) 65 x 65 x 66
Weight (grams) 420
  • Use your mouse to read QE data at wavelengths of interest.
  • Right-click and drag to zoom-in along the X-axis to expand the view for a desired range of wavelength.
  • To pan left or right within a zoomed-in view, hold down the Shift key and use your mouse.
  • To revert from a zoomed-in view to a normal view, click on the “Reset zoom” button that is displayed at the top-RHS of the graph.

QE Curve for pco.panda 4.2 RGB Color

All QE values on this website are the best estimates available from various sources, and not necessarily from the manufacturer of the specific image sensor or from the manufacturer of the cameras in our Product Showcase. They represent the best estimates for the imagers by themselves, with the caveat that glass and other optics in the imaging path can significantly impact the spectral sensitivity of an imaging system.

As described on our Knowledge Base article on this subject, these values exist in a range. Therefore no absolute precision is implied, even when QE values are shown to two decimal places! These values and graphs are intended to be used for reference can be use for making useful comparisons between cameras. They are not intended to be a specification or a performance guarantee.

Using the method described in our Knowledge Base Article titled “How Diffraction Limits the Optical Resolution of a Microscope” one can estimate the performance of this camera when used in a microscope with commercially available microscope objectives. In the table below, it is assumed that the microscope is comprised of the objective and a tube lens with the correct focal length for the objective such that the nominal optical magnification of the microscope is the value that is specified for the objective.

Camera Parameters
Optical Format #Megapixels #H pixels #V pixels Pixel size (μm) H size (mm) V size (mm) Diagonal (mm)
18.8mm < 4/3" 4.2 2048 2048 6.5 13.31 13.31 18.83
Commercially Available Objectives
Objective: Mag/NA 1X\0.03NA 2X\0.1NA 4X\0.13NA 10X\0.26NA 20X\0.5NA 40X\0.75NA 60X\0.85NA 100X\1.4NA
Min. feature size (um) 11.18 3.36 2.58 1.29 0.67 0.45 0.39 0.24
Max pix size (um) 5.59 3.36 5.16 6.45 6.70 9.00 11.70 12.00
FN (mm) 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22
WD (mm) 8 56.3 17.2 16 2.1 16 0.66 0.31-0.4
NA 0.03 0.1 0.13 0.26 0.5 0.75 0.85 1.4
Magnification 1 2 4 10 20 40 60 100
Estimated Performance of Camera and Objective Combinations
(*) Limiting Resolution (µm) 13 6.5 3.25 1.3 0.67 0.45 0.39 0.24
Vignetting? No No No No No No No No
FOV (H x V) mm 13.31 x 13.31 6.66 x 6.66 3.33 x 3.33 1.33 x 1.33 0.67 x 0.67 0.33 x 0.33 0.22 x 0.22 0.13 x 0.13
FOV (diagonal) mm 18.83 9.42 4.71 1.88 0.94 0.47 0.31 0.19
Please contact our imaging experts for assistance in selecting a camera & objective combination that fulfils your FOV & resolution requirements at application-specific wavelengths.
1) The minimum feature size is estimated using the Rayleigh Criteria at λ = 550nm; it can be re-calculated for other wavelengths. R = 1.22*λ/(2NA)
2) The maximum pixel size is estimated by applying the Nyquist criteria to the minimum feature size as it appears on the imager plane. Maximum pixel size = R*magnification/2
3) Camera and Objective combinations which meet the Nyquist criteria and are therefore diffraction limited are indicated by showing the Limiting Resolution in green font. (*)
4) Values for Working Distance (WD) and Field Number (FN) are shown for reference only. Actual values may vary.
5) Vignetting, a darkening of the image at the corners, may be observed if the Imager Diagonal is larger than the Field Number of the Objective.

Optical Format #Megapixels #H pixels #V pixels Pixel size (μm) H size (mm) V size (mm) Diagonal (mm)
18.8mm < 4/3" 4.2 2048 2048 6.5 13.31 13.31 18.83
In applications that require the best achievable optical resolution, it is desirable to use a lens with an optical resolution ≥ 76.9 lp/mm for an image sensor with a pixel size of 6.5μm. This will ensure that the optical resolution of the camera & lens combination is Nyquist-limited by the pixel-size of the camera, and not by the quality of the lens.

The imager in this camera has a diagonal of 18.83mm, which is smaller than the ~21.6mm diameter image projected by lenses designed to be compatible with the 4/3″ optical format. These lenses can be used with this camera without vignetting, since their projected image will slightly overfill the image sensor.

The optical resolution of the lenses shown exceed the limiting optical resolution of 76.9 lp/mm imposed by the 6.5μm pixels and therefore all these lenses meet the Nyquist criteria. The limiting resolution for the camera and lens system (shown in the table below as the minimum resolvable feature) is therefore set by the camera, and not the lens.

Notes:
The working distance (WD) is defined as the distance from the object plane to the front of the lens.
The above are theoretical estimates provided for reference, and are not a guarantee of performance. Actual FOVs and optical resolution are best determined by experiment.
The FOVs and smallest resolvable feature sizes are estimated with the object plane placed at the minimum WD of the lens. A similar calculation may be performed for longer WDs. Please contact us for assistance: our specialists can help you identify a lens that meets your FOV requirements at a Working Distance that is convenient for your workflow.
Increasing the WD will result in larger FOVs, and lower optical resolution (an increase in the smallest resolvable feature size).
(*) The system meets Nyquist criteria if the optical resolution at the center of the lens (in lp/mm) is ≥ the pixel-size limited resolution (see above).
(**) The minimum resolvable feature size is estimated based on whether the lens meets the Nyquist criterion. If the Nyquist limit is met, then the resolution of the system is the estimated to be the distance on the sample plane that corresponds to two pixels in the image plane. If not, it is estimated based on the limiting resolution of the lens.

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