Hamamatsu Photonics has launched the ORCA-R2 Rapid Readout digital CCD camera. Based on the ER-150 progressive scan interline 1344x1024pixel CCD, the camera is designed for demanding, non-EM CCD applications in the visible to NIR range. The camera has two scan speeds; a normal scan speed of 14MHz and a rapid scan speed of 28MHz, which deliver full resolution 1.37Mpixel images at 8.5frames/s and 16.2frames/s, respectively. With binning, the camera has a maximum frame rate of 64.3frames/s. Data output is via Firewire IEEE 1394b. The ER-150 CCD is enclosed in a hermetic vacuum-sealed head and features -35°C air-cooling. The camera also comes with water-cooling connections as standard, for operation at -40°C for applications where low-level signals mean a tighter control of thermal noise is required. Digitisation can be carried out in either 12 or 16bit ADCs, and image enhancement is possible using analogue gain and offset controls. The camera is suitable for a range of applications, such as fluorescence microscopy, where a balance of speed, sensitivity and resolution are essential. The ORCA-R2 performance has been contained into the ORCA-AG camera head size, including an extended range of programmable trigger signal output options.
