Looking Sharp

Courtesy of Nikon Instruments

Melville, NY-based Nikon Instruments has made microscopy as easy as plug-and-play with its new COOLSCOPE, a self-contained bright-field digital microscope designed for use by novices and trained experts alike. The COOLSCOPE combines two of Nikon's strengths into a PC-sized microscope that can be controlled with the click of a mouse. "We wanted to put together [Nikon's] digital-imaging capabilities with the advantages of a quality microscope," explains Stan Schwartz, division manager for product and marketing.

Users will find no eyepieces, knobs, or stages on the COOLSCOPE. Simply load a slide in the tray, and the system automatically adjusts the aperture, brightness, focus, and staging positions. "It always takes a perfect picture," says Schwartz. Parameters can be adjusted manually through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. Further, the COOLSCOPE uses an LED illuminator as its light source rather than a standard halogen lamp, providing constant color temperature and reproducible...