Benefits of Monochrome Microscopy Cameras

Why would you ever want to use a microscopy camera without color? Monochrome microscopy cameras are sometimes overlooked. There are several benefits to a monochrome microscopy camera over a color microscopy camera:

• Sharper images with better resolution.
• Output smaller file size.
• More sensitive to light.

The primary difference between a monochrome and color image sensor is the lack of a color filter array (CFA). Microscopy cameras that are equipped with color filter arrays must interpolate the color data filtered out by the optical filter using a complex demosaicing algorithm. Because the data is interpolated and not measured, a margin of error is introduced. By removing the CFA, the added error is eliminated, resulting in a sharper image with a monochrome camera, and higher effective resolution since each pixel of the monochrome sensor contains a measured value that has not been influenced by its neighbor's value. The images below demonstrate this effect.

Enlargement of a raw RGB image of a color chart.

The image above shows an enlargement of a raw RGB image from a color chart. The color channels are displayed as seen by the image sensor with Bayer pattern, without demosaicing. Notice the pixels in the enlarged image at right.

Enlargement of a raw monochrome image capturing the same color chart.

The image above shows an enlargement of a raw monochrome image capturing the same color chart. Gray levels are consistent for each area with no Bayer pattern, and no demosaicing required. Notice the pixels in the enlarged image at right are much more clear.

For a more in-depth look at monochrome versus color microscopy cameras, including more details and applications where monochrome microscopy cameras are preferred, view this page on Monochrome Microscopy Cameras.

Source: info & images courtesy of Lumenera.