New fluorescence microscope with LED technology

KERN & SOHN GmbH is expanding its range of microscopes with the KERN OBN 142 fluorescence microscope with integrated LED fluorescence unit. It is aimed at professionals in research, diagnostics and teaching. Based on the proven OBN-14 series, it offers a high-quality infinity optics system and a trinocular eyepiece tube. Five planachromatic lenses with magnifications from 4x to 100x and a stable angle table with coaxial coarse and fine focusing knob enable precise sample analysis in the laboratory.

The professional Köhler illumination unit with a centreable 1.25 ABBE condenser ensures high-contrast illumination in transmitted light. The light source is a 3 W LED transmitted illumination unit. There is a separate 5 W LED incident illumination unit for fluorescence applications. 

The LED fluorescence unit has a filter wheel that can be equipped with up to six standard filters for UV, V, B and G. It is suitable for immunofluorescence, nucleic acid staining and FISH analyses, among other things. Compared to mercury-vapour lamps, LEDs offer many advantages: longer service life, immediate operational readiness, lower heat generation and lower energy consumption. LEDs contain no mercury, which makes them easier to handle and dispose of, and they provide constant light intensity without flickering.

"In addition to optical performance, operational reliability is crucial," said Nicole Lebherz, Category Manager – Optics at KERN. "The LED technology in the KERN OBN 142 eliminates the warm-up time, and the stable light output ensures reproducible results – even for demanding fluorescence applications." 

The modular design enables the integration of accessories such as darkfield condensers, phase-contrast units or polarisation modules. A centring lens, a protective dust cover, eye cups as well as multi-lingual user instructions are included with the delivery. A C-mount adapter is required to connect a camera.

In a set with a cooled camera

The microscope is also available as a complete digital solution with a camera and adapter. The KERN ODC 861 fluorescence camera has a light-sensitive Sony CMOS colour sensor and integrated Peltier cooling. The KERN OXM 902 software enables image acquisition, management and analysis on a PC. This combination of high-quality optics, stable mechanics and sensor-based imaging offers a powerful solution for demanding fluorescence applications in the laboratory.