Nikon today announced the release of the ECLIPSE Ni-L upright microscope which features specially balanced LED illumination with properties similar to natural light. As commonly used brightfield microscopes transition away from halogen bulbs to LED light sources, this gives rise to images with blueish hues due to the unnatural color temperatures of many LED light sources. Nikon has developed the ECLIPSE Ni-L upright microscope equipped with a more balanced natural color LED light source that renders truer microscope images.
Since the color of LED light is stable, color information and images can be achieved with high color reproducibility when imaging specimens using microscope digital cameras and NIS-Elements imaging software. This reduces the need to correct color by color management software and contributes to improved accuracy of image analysis and AI learning. LED light sources boast a lifespan of approximately 25 times greater than that of halogen light sources, contributing to the reduction of waste materials associated with replacement. Their low power consumption also contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions within our environment. LED light sources significantly reduce the maintenance load in terms of light source replacement and potential down time.
For microscopes using a halogen light source, color adjustments are made using NCB (Neutral Color Balance) filters to correct for the varied color temperatures normally experienced with this technology. Color balanced natural light LEDs eliminate the need to use these filters and therefore also eliminates the risk of human error, such as forgetting to attach or detach color correction filters during critical imaging sessions.
Microscopes using a halogen light source are designed with externally attached lamp housings in order to facilitate regular light source replacement. The Nikon ECLIPSE Ni-L, due to longer life expectancy of LED light sources, has the illumination built-in resulting in an overall size reduction of 150 mm. Nikon measures W 320 x H 492 x D 383 (brightfield configuration with ergonomic binocular tube) and weighs 20 kg.
