Pixelina
The problem
In almost every lab where there is a a microscope, there is a need to document images. But the needs varies largely for different labs and organizations. In the easiest case you probably just want to capture one or a few images, save it to file, and later use them in some kind of report. In the more advanced scenario, you might have requirement to document all samples analyzed, with thousands or even hundred of thousands images per year.
Almost certainly you want to share your images with others and even with other labs or departments in your organization.
Our products can do all the above. This article is to explain which products might suit you best.
system requirements
Short version
Just the Picsara/Omnimet as a software does not put any special requirements on your hardware!
However, if using with a camera, the camera in it self put quite specific requirements based on two factors,
* Camera resolution
* Frame per second
We belive in most cases a decent frame rate is more important than high resolution, and in order to achive this you need a good and well optimized computer. This includes most specifically CPU raw performance, Graphics board and USB Controller. The higer camera resolution, the higher specs are required.
There is no specific requirement for any given camera, but the 3 suggestions bellow will point you in the right direction.
If you mind set is to ignore this, and just go for a cheap laptop, you are likely to be disapointed.
For your convenience we have also presented you with 3 combinations with different budgets that will work well together.
If you are interested in the details about how digital cameras work and really want to fine tune your system, please read Camera Basics for useful information. If not, just build your system according to one of these recommendations.
Suggestions
Budget
The budget system is suitable for students, simple inspection and other less demanding applications.
If you are on a budget, we strongly recommend you do not buy a to advanced camera, it will not work well with you standard low cost computer.
This is our proposal:
* An IDS-Imaging uEye UI-3240CP Rev. 2, (USB 3.0, 1280 x 1024 =1.3 MPix, 60 fps)
or an Allied Vision Alvium 1500 C-120 (USB 3.0 1280 x 960 = 1.2 Mpix, 52 fps)
* A 25" 1920 x 1280 Monitor
* A standard PC or laptop with at least an Intel Core i5 Gen 7 or Core i7 Gen 7 PC.
* Dedicated built in USB 3 port (never connect your camera to a USB hub)
MID Priced
The middle segment is likely to suit most imaging and analysis applications
This is our proposal:
* IDS-Imaging uEye UI-3250CP Rev. 2 (1600 x 1200 = 2 MPix USB 3.0)
or an Allied Vision Alvium 1800-U319 (2064 x 1544 = 3 Mpix USB 3.0)
* A 27"4K (3840 x 2160) Monitor, with HDMI or Display Port connection
* A desktop Core i7 Gen 10 computer with at least 1.8 Ghz.
(we generally do not recommend a laptop since they will get warm does not perform equaly well,
if you go for one, you really need a high end laptop with good cooling)
* A low cost GPU board such as Nvidia GT710 with built in HDMI/Display Port connector. (do not use a hub)
* A Build in USB-3 port
ProfesSional
This level is recommended for research and other high end applications. Here you will not get away with a standard low cost computer, and we strongly recommend that all parts of the system matches these recommendations.
This is our proposal:
* IDS-Imaging UI-3180CP-C-HQ Rev.2.1 (2592 x 2048 = 5 Mpix, USB 3.0)
or an Allied Vision Alvium 1800 U-507 (2464 x 2056 = 5 Mpix, USB 3.0)
* A 28-32" monitor with 8K (5120 x 2880) or a 4K (3840 x 2160) Monitor with HDMI or Display Port connections
* A Desktop Intel Core i7 Gen 11 or a Intel Core i9 Gen 10 with 3.7 GHz frequency (such as Core i9-10900K)
(At this level we recommend to avoid using a laptop)
* A high end GPU board such as Nvidia GTX 1080, with build in HDMI or Display Port connection (do not use a hub)
* A high end USB-3 port (in this range, a standard build in USB-3 ports might not be sufficient)
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
Saving many images
If you plan to save large sets of images into a SQL database, you need a server with high throughput, a lot of memory and fast disks.
If you go for the SQL Express solution, and install SQL Express on your client PC, make sure you have plenty of memory, at least 16 GB. Also, it make sense to have both large and fast hard drives.
Also, if working with large image sets, we recommend a high resolution monitor (so you can look at many images at the same time)