Confocal

This mostly focuses on USB cameras. AmScope seems to lead the consumer market (say $50-$800 or so) using various sensors under the hood. ATIK (astronomy focused) and Apogee seem to both be popular at the next price bucket ($1000-$4000 or so). Of course, once you get to this range people typically know what they want and applications can be specialized.

= Sensors

This is about the core sensor used in a variety of cameras. Note that specific camera implementations can have a dramatic difference in image quality and thus two cameras using the same sensor aren't necessarily interchangable

Aptina

Reference: http:www.aptina.com/products/image_sensors/

I'm just going to assume that anything with MT is Micron before the subdivision and AR is Aptina (where did the R come from?)

Linux kernel support:

• MT9M001

sn9c20x.c

• MT9M111

m5602/m5602_mt9m111.c sn9c20x.c

• MT9M112

sn9c20x.c stk1135.c

• MT9V011

sn9c20x.c

• MT9V111

zc3xx.c sonixj.c sq930x.c sn9c20x.c

• MT9V112

sn9c20x.c

• MT9VPRB

sn9c20x.c

Known used in microscope cameras:

Model	Type	Max res	MP	Sensor size	Pixel size	Notes	Ref
MT9P001I12STC	CMOS	2,592 x 1,944	5	1/2.5"	2.2µm
MT9T001C12STC	CMOS	2,048 x 1,536	3	1/2"	3.2µm		"Pin-for-pin compatible with Micron’s 1.3-megapixel MT9M001 and 2-megapixel MT9D001"
MT9M111	CMOS	1280H x 1024	1.3	1/3"	3.6μm	Not listed in site...discontinued?

MT9M111

• MT9M111I29STC: not lead free
• MT9M111I99STC: lead free iCSP)

Other chips:

Model	Type	Max res	MP	Sensor size	Pixel size	Notes	Ref
AR0130CS
AR0132AT
AR0260
AR0330
AR0330CS
AR0331
AR0542
AR0832E
AR0833
AR1011HS
AR1230
AR1331CP
AR1411HS
MT9D014D00STC
MT9D015
MT9D115
MT9D131C12STCH
MT9E013D00STC
MT9F002
MT9J003I12STCU
MT9J003I12STCV
MT9M001C12STM
MT9M002I12STC
MT9M012D00STC
MT9M019D00STC
MT9M021
MT9M024
MT9M031
MT9M032C12STC
MT9M032C12STMU
MT9M034
MT9P006I12STC
MT9P011D00STC
MT9P012D00STCM
MT9P013D00STC
MT9P014D00STC
MT9P031I12STC
MT9P031I12STM
MT9P401I12STC
MT9T012D00STC
MT9T013D00STC
MT9T031C12STC
MT9T112D00STC
MT9V011D00STC
MT9V011P11STC
MT9V022I77ATC
MT9V022I77ATM
MT9V022IA7ATC
MT9V022IA7ATM
MT9V024IA7XTC
MT9V024IA7XTM
MT9V024IA7XTR
MT9V032C12STC
MT9V032C12STM
MT9V032D00STC
MT9V032D00STM
MT9V034C12STC
MT9V034C12STM

Sony

Linux kernel support:

• sq930x.c: ICX098BQ

Model	Type	MP	Max res	Sensor size	Pixel size	Notes	Ref
ICX205AK
ICX205AL
ICX252AQ
ICX282AQ
ICX285AL
ICX285AQ

Micron

Aptina Imaging: A CMOS Image Sensor Division of Micron: http:investors.micron.com/releasedetail.cfm?releaseid=440432

See Aptina

= AmScope

These are a good option if you want something decent at a reasonable price. Don't believe they make any of their own cameras though. By pulling from multiple vendors they are able to offer a wide selection from 0.3MP inexpensive eyepiece cameras to pricy, but presumably good quality, cooled CCD cameras.

NOTE: -CK simply indicates calibration kit is included, does not effect the camera and so are omitted from cross reference charts

MD series

"Compact Digital Camera Imager"

Low cost eyepiece cameras.

Cross reference:

AmScope	?	Notes
MD130
MD200
MD35

c-mount

Cross reference ([stonedrv.inf]):

AmScope	ScopeTek	Notes
MD400E	DCM35E
MD600E	DCM130E
MD700	DCM200
MD700E	MDC200	Odd to have series crossing in same driver
MD800E	DCM310
MD900	DCM500
MD900E	DCM510
MD1800	DCM800	JM has one
MD1900	DCM900	AZ has one

Above: AmScope MD1800 (ScopeTek DCM800). Camera left showing red AR coating and 10x c-mount relay lens right. I didn't get mine new so I'm not sure what accessories they come with but mine did have eyepiece adapters.

The cameras themselves are made by ScopeTek. I think ScopeTek has its own GUI software and the AmScope software is made by AmScope.

Originally used with the 3.0 GUI (or at least when I got it):

The driver is a collection of files but essentially boils down to stonedrv.sys per being a ScopeTek camera.

"Fluorescent Camera"

Expensive

Cross reference:

AmScope	?
MT3300-CCD

MA series

Cross reference:

AmScope	?
MA1000
MA500

MT series

Cross reference:

AmScope	?
MT130
MT300
MT500
MT900
MT1000
MT1400-FL
MT1400-CCD
MT5000
MT5800

MU series

Cross reference:

AmScope	ToupTek	Notes
MU035
MU130
MU300	UCMOS03100KPA	Linux v4l driver (unreleased?)
MU303
MU500
MU500-PB10
MU503
MU800	UCMOS08000KPB	Linux driver (mainline)
MU900
MU1000
MU1003
MU1403	U3CMOS14000KPA	Linux driver (x86, x86_64, no ARM)

Microscope:touptek:mu800 overview.jpg?300 Microscope:touptek:mu800 side.jpg?300

Left: camera left showing AR coating with 10x relay lens right. Note that the relay is shorter than the previous generation. Also comes with an aluminum threaded cap for the relay lens (the MD series has baffles, not threads on the end of the relay lens). Right: showing threaded mount and adapter used to mate to inspection scope.

The cameras themselves are made by ToupTek. The software is updated to work with them. Similarly, ToupTek publishes their own unrelated software.

Mechanically the camera is stronger than the MD1800. It is much heavier in weight having a thicker case. The c-mount threading is much deeper. Another nice improvement is that the relay lens has a rubber gasket where as the MD relay lens I had to crudely seal myself to prevent dust from entering through the camera port. I haven't compared the optical quality, I in particular wonder what sort of design tradeoff where made to make the relay lens shorter. Its also a lot fatter so it might have simply been a height vs width tradeoff. FOV is about the same. The threaded port is also a nice feature, I can think of a number of situations where it can come in handy.

One item of interest is that the USB port is a lot harder to take in/out than the MD series or other typical USB devices.

NOTE: I had problems with the driver crashing on a USB 1.0 computer. Upgrading the machine (VM) to USB 2.0 solved the problem.

The GUI is evidently now ToupView per the new ToupTek cameras:

HOWEVER, while the mechanical improvements are appreciated, I am unsure the electronics/driver is as high quality as the previous generation. The camera occasionally fails to startup in the GUI. A large problem is that it does not work with DirectShow (verified through multiple completely different applications). This is a huge issue for me as the Python library I use for the CNC microscope uses DirectShow at the core.

MU800

Have been using this for a while. Started this section in attempt to improve quality from some distortion I'm having.

Stats from http:www.amscope.com/mu800.html

• OEM: ToupTek
• Max res: 3264 x 2448
• Sensor Type: custom MT/Aptina

At one point I had MT9E001 listed, not sure where I got that...doesn't really match this part

• Scan Mode: progressive
• Sensor Size (D): 7.140mm / 0.28"

H: 5.712mm V: 4.284mm

• Optical format: 1/2.5-inch (4:3)
• Pixel size: 1.75um x 1.75um
• Sensitivity: 0.3V/lux-sec(550nm)
• Dynamic range: 70.0 dB
• S/N ratio: 38.9 dB

Looking to see what it would take to match it up to BH2: http:www.alanwood.net/photography/olympus/c-mount-video-bh2-microscope.html

• A camera with a 2/3" (11mm diag) or higher sensor is reccomended
• C-mount adapter has 0.3X relay lens
• Adapters:

MTV-3 * "The MTV-3 produces a circular image approximately 16 mm in diameter, and to take full advantage of this a video camera with a 1″ sensor would be needed. The Nikon 1 J1 and V1 cameras have a CX format sensor with a 15.9 mm diagonal, and so they also appear to be suitable." U-PMTVC * "The only significant difference from the MTV-3 is that it provides some adjustment for parfocality between the video camera and the viewing eyepieces." TVZ-M Zoom Video Lens (catalogue number 7-C567) * magnification range of 0.55× to 1.1×. * includes a parfocalising collar and is designed to work without a photo eyepiece.

• Diagnostic Instruments produce alternative adapters for video cameras with ½″, 2/3″ and 1″ format sensors; they are designed to work without a photo eyepiece.
• "designed for use with video cameras with either a 1″ sensor (16 mm diagonal) or a 2/3″ sensor (11 mm diagonal), depending on the choice of photo eyepiece; cameras with smaller sensors can be used but will have a restricted field of view."
• "Reduction factors in C-mount adapters are normally quoted relative to a 1″ sensor, so a 0.3× adapter would be used with a 1/3″ sensor. However, in the specification of the MTV-3 (and the U-PMTVC), Olympus use 0.3× to refer to the reduction of the image circle of an NFK 2.5× eyepiece from approximately 48 mm (to safely cover 35 mm film) down to 16 mm for a 1″ video sensor."

MU1403

Stats from http:www.amscope.com/14mp-usb3-0-real-time-live-video-microscope-digital-camera-10-mp.html

• OEM: ToupTek
• USB Interface: 3.0
• Max Resolution: 4096 x 3288
• Sensor Type: Aptina MT9F002 CMOS (Color)
• Scan Mode: progressive
• Sensor Size (D): 7.672mm / 0.3"

H: 6.138mm / 0.24" V: 4.603mm / 0.18"

• Optical format: 1/2.3"
• Pixel size: 1.4um x 1.4um
• Sensitivity: 0.724V/lux-sec (550nm)
• Dynamic range: 65.3 dB
• S/N ratio: 35.5 dB

= Celestron

Above: Celestron 44421 2.0 MP USB eyepiece camera

I got this camera in a cereal box...err from frequent flier miles. I got it mostly because my miles were expiring and I figured I might as well get something with them. I could have got several but I wasn't sure if I was going to use the one let alone several. As of yet that's remained true as I still haven't plugged it in.

I doubt they are OEM. Looks like their main bussiness are telescopes

Motic

USB: yes

Saw some of these for a high price (Moticam Pro) on eBay, not sure of quality. Considering some of those use 2/3" sensors though which are pricy probalby decent quality

Moticam 480

The "everything in one" camera...has USB, composite, SD card, etc

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
Moticam 480	USB2, composite, SD	CCD 1/3", 720x576	"Multi-output"

Moticam

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
Moticam X	WiFi	CMOS, 1280x1024, 1/3"
Moticam 1	USB	CMOS, 800x600, 1/4"
Moticam 1SP	USB	CMOS, 1280x1024, 1/3"
Moticam 2	USB	CMOS, 1600x1200, 1/3"
Moticam 3	USB	CMOS, 2048x1536, 1/2"
Moticam 5	USB	CMOS, 2592x1944, 1/2.5"
Moticam 10	USB	CMOS, 3664x2748, 1/2.5"

Moticam Pro

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
Moticam Pro 205A	USB2	Sony ICX205AK
Moticam Pro 205B	USB2	Sony ICX205AK
Moticam Pro 205C	USB2	Sony ICX205AL
Moticam Pro 205D	USB2	Sony ICX205AL
Moticam Pro 252A	USB2	Sony ICX252AQ
Moticam Pro 252B	USB2	Sony ICX252AQ
Moticam Pro 282A	USB2	Sony ICX282AQ
Moticam Pro 282B	USB2	Sony ICX282AQ
Moticam Pro 285A	USB2	Sony ICX285AQ
Moticam Pro 285B	USB2	Sony ICX285AQ
Moticam Pro 285C	USB2	Sony ICX285AL
Moticam Pro 285D	USB2	Sony ICX285AL

ScopeTek

USB: yes

I have an AmScope MD1800:

https:picasaweb.google.com/JohnDMcMaster/Amscope_md1800?authuser=0&feat=directlink

The actual manufacturer is ScopeTek using a Cypress FX2 USB microcontroller. I haven't looked at the sensor. I tried to reverse engineer the protocol and got images but couldn't figure out how to lock the frames meaning if you ever dropped a packet the picture got out of sync. Contact JohnDMcMaster at gmail.com if you are interested in figuring this out to get a Linux driver.

DCM series

"DCM A Series: cylinder shape, DCM B Series: square shape". Omitted from table below since they are same inside

I have an AmScope square version. It is a c-mount with a 0.5X c-mount relay lens on it

List of models:

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
DCM35DL		1/3" CMOS, 8μmX8μm, 640 X 480
DCM35		1/3" CMOS, 8μmX8μm, 640 X 480
DCM130		1/2" CMOS, 5.2μmX5.2μm, 1280 X 1024
DCM310		1/2" CMOS, 3.2μmX3.2μm, 2048 X 1536
DCM510		1/2.2" CMOS, 2.2μmX2.2μm, 2592 X 1944
DCM800		1/2.5" CMOS, 1.75μmX1.75μm, 3264 X 2448
DCM900		1/2.3" CMOS, 1.75μmX1.75μm, 3488 X 2616

MDC series

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
MDC200		1/3" CCD, 3.2μmX3.2μm, 1600X1200
MDC320		1/3" CCD, ?, 2048 X 1536
MDC560		1/2" CCD, ?, 2720X2048
MDC140BW	USB2.0	2/3" CCD Sony ICX285AL	"140 Maga Pixels" where 1 maga pixel is evidently 10,000 pixels. Why does it have its own page?

DEM series

Eyepiece camera

"*All of our DEM series cameras are driverless. They can be setup directly with Windows XP SP2/ Windows Vista"

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
DEM35		1/4" CMOS, 6μmX6μm, 640 X 480
DEM130		1/4" CMOS, 2.8μmX2.8μm, 1280 X1024
DEM200		1/3" CMOS, 2.8μmX2.8μm, 1600 X1200
DEM300		?
DEM500		?

VCM series

VGA interface

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
VCM200	VGA	?

ACM35

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
ACM35(PAL,220V)		VGA(628X582 pixels)
ACM35(NTSC,110V)		VGA(510X492pixels)

GUI

The OEM GUI is maybe called either ScopePhoto or MiniSee (http:www.scopetek.com/download/download.html) I haven't tried using them.

ToupTek

On the software side, one nice thing is that they have Windows, Mac, and Linux support. The Linux GUI is simple but functional. Unlike the Windows driver the Mac/Linux versions use libusb (as opposed to kernel modules). This is nice in that it makes the application portable but prevents third party applications from accessing the camera. Therefore I'm going to complete reverse engineering / re-implementing a driver for it so that it can work with the CNC application.

TE-Cooling USB2.0 CCD Camera with C-Mount

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
SCCCD05200KPA-ICX655AQ	SONY ICX655AQA CCD(Color)	[[http:www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=57	Vendor]]
SCCCD01400KPA-ICX285AQ	SONY ICX285AQ CCD(Color)	[[http:www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=56	Vendor]]
SCCCD01400KPB-ICX205AK	SONY ICX205AK CCD(Color)	[[http:www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=58	Vendor]]
SCCCD01400KMA-ICX285AK	SONY ICX285AK CCD(Mono)	[[http:www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=59	Vendor]]
SCCCD01400KMB-ICX205AL	SONY ICX205AL CCD(Mono)	[[http:www.touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=60	Vendor]]

TE-Cooling USB2.0 CCD Camera with C-Mount

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
U3CMOS14000KPA-MT9F002	MT9F001
U3CMOS10000KPA-MT9J003	MT9J003
U3CMOS08500KPA-Special	Aptina CMOS Special sensor(Color)
U3CMOS05100KPA-MT9P006	MT9P006
U3CMOS03100KPA-AR0330	AR0330

USB3.0 CCD Camera with C-Mount

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
U3CCD05200KPA-ICX655AQ	ICX655AQ
U3CCD05000KPA-ICX282Q	ICX282Q
U3CCD01400KPA-ICX285AQ	ICX285AQ
U3CCD00300KMA-ICX619AL	ICX619AL

USB 2.0 Aptina CMOS Camera with C-mount

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
UCMOS00350KPA-MT9V001	MT9V001
UCMOS01300KPA-MT9M001	MT9M001
UCMOS02000KPA-MT9D111	MT9D111
UCMOS02000KPB-Special	Aptina Special CMOS(Color)
UCMOS03100KPA-MT9T001	MT9T001
UCMOS05100KPA-MT9P001	MT9P001
UCMOS08000KPB-Special	Aptina
UCMOS09000KPB-Special	Aptina Special
UCMOS10000KPA-MT9J001	MT9J001
UCMOS14000KPA-MT9F001	MT9F001

USB2.0 Sony EXCCD Camera with C-mount

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
EXCCD01400KPA-ICX285AQ	ICX285AQ
EXCCD01400KMA-ICX285AK	ICX285AK
EXCCD00300KMA-ICX619AL	ICX619AL

USB2.0 Sony HCCD Camera with C-mount

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
UHCCD05200KPA-ICX655AQ	ICX655AQ
UHCCD05100KPA-ICX452AQ	ICX452AQ
UHCCD05000KPA-ICX282Q	ICX282Q
UHCCD03100KPB-ICX252AQ	ICX252AQ
UHCCD03100KPA-ICX412AQ	ICX412AQ
UHCCD02000KPA-ICX274AQ	ICX274AQ
UHCCD01400KPA-ICX205AK	ICX205AK
UHCCD01400KPB-ICX205AK	ICX205AK
UHCCD00800KPA-ICX204AK	ICX204AK

Compact USB2.0 CMOS Camera with 23.2mm Ocular Tube

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
SCMOS00350KPA-MT9V011	Aptina MT9V011 CMOS(Color)
SCMOS01300KPA-Special	Special
SCMOS02000KPA-Special	Special
SCMOS03000KPA-Special	Special
SCMOS05000KPA-Special	Special

Linear CCD Camera

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
LHCCD00511-ILX511	ILX511
LHCCD00554-ILX554	ILX554
LHCCD01304-TCD1304	TCD1304

Windows GUI

Similar to the Tucsen GUI it includes a file manager. One thing unique to this GUI is that the video window is separate from the main window, a feature that I'm lukewarm over.

I think there is an alternate Windows GUI.

Mac/Linux GUI (ToupViewX)

Running under Linux:

I saw it running under Mac but didn't grab a screenshot, I think it was slightly different. Although their website references the Linux version I couldn't find it posted anywhere. However, I e-mailed support and they e-mailed it to me in a few days and seemed generally helpful.

Ubuntu 12.04 x64 instructions

If you get this error:

 ./ToupViewX: error while loading shared libraries: libbz2.so.1: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory

Because this is a 32 bit binary you need to install the dependencies.

 sudo apt-get install libbz2-1.0:i386

It uses libusb so you'll need to run it as root or other workaround:

 sudo ./ToupViewX

Tucsen

Misc series

These all use the same driver package, haven't looked as to how related they are. Very confusingly the TCC-1.4H is listed for two drivers. I'll leave it in both sections for now until I understand better why

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
IS130		Micron MT9M111
IS300		Micron MT9T001
IS500		Micron MT9P001
IS1000
TCC-1.4HICE
TCC-1.4LICE
TCC-5.0ICE
TCC-6.1ICE
Discovery C15
Discovery M15
Discovery C30

I got one of these (actually I have a 5MP and a 10MP) off of eBay new and it had an atrocious sensor (it looks like a starfield when dark). It also appears to use the same chipset as my MD1800 but the external looks nothing like on the ScopeTek website. Unless I get better evidence to show this was a one time fluke, these are garbage and should be avoided.

Update: got a new unit and it doesn't have problems:

https:picasaweb.google.com/JohnDMcMaster/Tucsen50MP?authuser=0&feat=directlink

Interestingly enough it has a different USB VID / UID such that it no longer works with the AmScope software. But it doesn't have the bad pixels (or at least visibly). Still, it has the same internals so it probably uses the same driver. Presumably the Tucsen casing is larger to give it a higher quality feeling. That said, I don't mind a heavy duty aluminum case but it is oversized.

NOTE: I had problems with the driver crashing on a VM, possibly the same problem as the AmScope driver (needed to enable faster USB)

I recently found out there is a Linux SDK although I didn't see any mention of it on their site. It provides an interface to libCamCore.so.1, a libusb based userspace library.

5.0 MP (IS500)

http:tucsen.en.made-in-china.com/product/iMkEpwFXQecd/China-5-0MP-Color-Digital-Microscope-Camera-IS500-.html

• Sensor type: MT9P001
• Sensor size: 1/2.5 inch
• Pixel size: 2.2μm X 2.2μm
• Resolution: 2592H x 1944V

10.0 MP (IS1000)

http:tucsen.en.made-in-china.com/product/OovnWuUJZBVk/China-10-0MP-Microscope-Camera-IS1000-.html

• Sensor type: MT9J001
• Sensor size: 1/2.3inch
• Pixel size: 1.67μm X 1.67μm
• Resolution: 3856H x 2764V

TCA series

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
TCA-1.31C
TCA-1.3BWHS
TCA-1.3CHS
TCA-1.31CHS
TCA-2.0C
TCA-3.0C
TCA-5.0BW
TCA-5.0C
TCA-8.0C
TCA-9.0C

TCC series

Model	Interface	Sensor	Notes
TCC-1.4CHICE-N
TCC-1.4HICE-N
TCC-1.4CLICE
TCC-1.4LICE
TCC-1.4LICE-N
TCC-3.3ICE-N
TCC-8.0C

Tsview GUI

Designed to be used with Tsview:

Much busier than the AmScope software. Has things like a file manager which depending on your workflow could seem a bit out of place if you just want software to take pictures.

Qimaging

Firewire: yes

These show up on ebay for a few k, not sure quality. I've seen firewire though and some look cooled so probably decent quality.

ATIK

Makes 16 bit USB cameras intended for astronomy (most other cameras are 8 bit). Expect to pay 1,000+

Apogee Instruments Inc. Alta

http:planewave.com/?page=1&id0=2&id=4

http:www.ccd.com/alta_f16m.html

$4400+. 12 and 16 bit models

Point Grey Flea

http:ww2.ptgrey.com/USB3/Flea3

8 MP, 16 bit for $1,000 according to http:nofilmschool.com/2012/07/forget-3k-for-3k-how-about-4k-16bit-raw-for-1k/

http:ww2.ptgrey.com/USB3/Flea3

Mightex’s TCN-1304-U

OEM model?

ThorLabs

8 and 10 bit CMOS and CCDs

http:www.thorlabs.us/Navigation.cfm?Guide_ID=2025

Micrometics

12 bit, consumer level pricing

OMAX

USB microscope camera seen on eBay. Could be ScopeTek

References

• Touptek camera: http:touptek.com/product/showproduct.php?lang=en&id=83