The Zeiss Axiovert 200M inverted microscope is a fully automated instrument with a motorized stage and z-drive. A featured technique on this system is fluorescent microscopy; however, the system is also capable of transmitted light bright-field. In addition, the microscope can acquire high-quality composite images of whole-tissue slices (a process termed "tiling") for both single- and multi-channel fluorescence. A wide range of objectives and fluorescence filter sets are available. Images are acquired by a Hamamatsu ORCA-ER CCD camera, a high sensitivity, low-noise device for high resolution imaging. An environmental chamber with temperature and CO2 control is available for extended imaging of live cells. The system operates under the control of the MetaMorph v.7.8.12 software program. This program enables complex experimental designs, including time-lapse imaging, autofocusing, streaming and z-stack acquisition.
The following objectives are available for this system:
| Mag. | Objective Description | NA | Immersion Medium | Working distance (mm) | Pixel size (um) | Field of view |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5x | Plan Apochromat | 0.16 | Air | 12.1 | ||
| 10x | EC Plan-NeoFluar | 0.3 | Air | 5.6 | 0.9958 | 1338.4 x 1019.7 |
| 20x | Plan-Apochromat | 0.75 | Air | 0.61 | ||
| 20x | Plan-Apochromat | 0.8 | Air | 0.55 | 0.4959 | 666.4 x 507.8 |
| 25x | LCI Plan-NeoFluar | 0.8 | Water/glycerol | 0.21 | 0.3947 | 530.5 x 404.2 |
| 40x | LD Plan-NeoFluar | 0.6 | Air | 2.5-3.3 | 0.2490 | 334.7 x 255.0 |
| 40x | EC Plan-NeoFluar | 1.3 | Oil | 0.21 | 0.2490 | 334.7 x 255.0 |
| 40x | C-Apochromat | 1.2 | Water | 0.29 | ||
| 40x | C-Apochromat | 1.2 | Water | 0.28 | 0.2454 | 330.0 x 251.3 |
| 63x | Plan-Apochromat | 1.4 | Oil | 0.18 | 0.1569 | 210.9 x 160.7 |
| 63x | Plan-Apochromat DIC | 1.4 | Oil | 0.18 | 0.1569 | 210.9 x 160.7 |
| 63x | C-Apochromat | 1.2 | Water | 0.28 | 0.1576 | 211.8 x 161.4 |
The following fluorescent filters are available for this microscope:
| Fluor | Filter Set | Excitation | Emission |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAPI | 49000 | 325-375 | 435-485 |
| DAPI LP | FS2 | 365 | LP420 |
| CFP | FS 47 | 426-446 | 460-500 |
| eGFP/FITC | 49002 | 450-490 | 500-550 |
| YFP | FS 46 | 490-510 | 520-550 |
| Cy3/TRITC | 49004 | 532-557 | 570-640 |
| DSRed | 49005 | 530-560 | 590-650 |
| Cy5 | 49006 | 590-650 | 662-737 |
| Cy7 | 49007 | 642-747 | 765-855 |