Polaroid DCM 2 Online Online User's Manual
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Polaroid DCM 2 Online Online User's Manual

Polaroid DCM 2 Online Online User's Manual

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DMC 2
Online User Guide

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Summary of Contents for Polaroid DCM 2 Online

  • Page 1 DMC 2 Online User Guide...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Contents Navigating in This Document ....7 DMC 2 Camera Features ....9 Taking Pictures .
  • Page 3 Calibrating Auto Exposure ......23 Setting Exposure Manually ......24 Setting Sensitivity.
  • Page 4 Adjusting Color Balance by Selecting a Blackpoint ....47 Manually Adjusting Color Balance ..... 48 Manually Adjusting Dark Levels .
  • Page 5 Setting DMC 2 Software Preferences ....General Preferences ......72 Remote Preferences .
  • Page 6 System Requirements ....102 PC Minimum System Requirements ....103 Macintosh Minimum System Requirements.
  • Page 7 Polaroid Offices and Service Centers ....125 Technical Support ....132 Solving SCSI Communication Problems .

  • Page 8: Navigating In This Document

    Acrobat Reader software. You should familiarize yourself with the controls of the Acrobat reader. Access Help...Reader Online Guide...Viewing PDF Documents...Navigating Pages for more information. Polaroid electronic documents provide additional navigation tools at the top of the screen. The icons have the following meanings: Click to go to the table of contents.
  • Page 9 Click to display these help pages. Click to open the index.

  • Page 10: Dmc 2 Camera Features

    DMC 2 Camera Features The Polaroid DMC 2 Digital Microscope Camera captures high-quality digital color images from light microscopes and other optical instruments. The camera uses a 2- million-pixel, 11mm CCD (charge coupled device) to capture 14-bit linear RGB images. It transfers these images in seconds to an IBM PC or Power Macintosh com- patible computer in TIFF format with 1600x1200 or 800x600 pixels.
  • Page 11 Using the software provided with the camera, you can: • Display a color viewfinder image on your computer screen. • Choose resolution, exposure, sensitivity, color temperature, and other options. • Automatically adjust exposure. • Manually adjust color balance, brightness, contrast and sharpness. •...
  • Page 12 The camera has a SCSI connection requiring no frame-grabber or other special hard- ware or software. (The camera requires a SCSI host adapter, usually built into Macin- tosh computers. SCSI host adapters can also be easily added to PC-compatible computers.) Compatible with standard .63, 1:1 or larger c-mount adapters, the camera attaches easily to microscopes for most types of transmitted-light and reflected-light micros- copy.

  • Page 13: Taking Pictures

    Taking Pictures Typical Picture-Taking Sequence Turn on the camera. Start the DMC 2 software. Frame and focus the preview. Choose a capture area Choose color or grayscale preview. Rotate the image. Zoom the preview. Set exposure. Set sensitivity. Select color temperature. Select image type.

  • Page 14: Turning The Camera On

    Turning the Camera On 1 Turn off the computer. 2 Turn the camera power switch to on (1). Power switch (on = 1) 3 Verify that the green and yellow LEDs are on, indicating AC and termination power are on. Green LED Yellow LED 4 Turn on the computer.

  • Page 15: Starting The Dmc 2 Software

    To select a camera, see Windows 1 Select Programs from the Start menu. 2 Point to Polaroid Digital Microscope Camera 2 and select Polaroid DMC 2. The main DMC 2 window appears. Selecting a DMC Camera.

  • Page 16: Selecting A Dmc Camera

    Selecting a DMC Camera If more than one DMC camera is connected to the computer, use these steps to select the camera to be used in the current session: Macintosh 1 Click the Preferences button in the main DMC 2 window. 2 Click Choose a DMC 2 in the DMC 2 Preferences box.

  • Page 17: Framing And Focusing The Preview

    Framing and Focusing the Preview 1 View the subject through the microscope eyepiece. 2 Adjust subject position, focus and lighting according to the microscope instruc- tions. 3 If your microscope requires, manually switch the light path to the camera. 4 If a viewfinder image is not visible in the DMC 2 software main window, click the Preview button.

  • Page 18: Choosing A Capture Area

    Choosing a Capture Area You can capture the entire DMC frame or a smaller, selected area. To capture an area smaller than the DMC frame: 1 Adjust exposure to obtain an acceptable image on the Viewfinder Display tab of the main DMC 2 window. 2 Click the Region of Interest Selection tab.
  • Page 19 5 Click the Viewfinder Display tab to view only the capture area. The values avail- able in the Image Size box correspond to the capture area you selected. 6 Continue with the picture-taking sequence.

  • Page 20: Choosing Color Or Grayscale Preview

    Choosing Color or Grayscale Preview You can view the preview image in the DMC 2 main window in either color or gray- scale. A color preview provides a more accurate representation of the final image, while a grayscale preview refreshes faster. To view a color preview image, select Color in the main DMC 2 window.

  • Page 21: Rotating The Image

    Rotating the Image To correct picture orientation, you can rotate the preview image 180 degrees by clicking the rotate button. When you rotate the preview image, the final image is also rotated.

  • Page 22: Enlarging The Preview

    Enlarging the Preview You can enlarge the view of the preview image for focusing and closely inspecting detail while framing. Enlarging the view does not affect the final image. To enlarge the preview image: 1 Click the image to display the zoom and focus box. 2 Drag the zoom and focus box to the area of interest.

  • Page 23: Setting Exposure Automatically

    Setting Exposure Automatically 1 If you have not done so, calibrate automatic exposure for the current lighting and specimen conditions. See Calibrating Auto Exposure. 2 Click the Auto button in the main DMC 2 window. 3 Wait a few seconds for the DMC 2 software to optimize the exposure.

  • Page 24: Calibrating Auto Exposure

    Calibrating Auto Exposure 1 Manually set exposure to the optimum position for the current setup. See Setting Exposure Manually. 2 Click Calibrate Auto Exposure on the Tools menu. 3 Click the Set button in the Auto Exposure Calibration box.

  • Page 25: Setting Exposure Manually

    Setting Exposure Manually Drag the Exposure slider right or left to adjust the camera shutter speed for brighten- ing or darkening the image. Range: 20 milliseconds (far left) to 8 seconds (far right).

  • Page 26: Setting Sensitivity

    Setting Sensitivity Choose a sensitivity (camera gain) setting from the Sensitivity list: • Low (ISO 25 equivalent) • Medium (ISO 50 equivalent) • High (ISO 100 equivalent). The default setting is Medium (ISO 50 equivalent).

  • Page 27: Selecting Color Temperature

    Selecting Color Temperature You can select one of the standard color temperatures to match your lighting: • Tungsten (3200K) • Daylight (5500K) These color temperatures are appropriate for many lighting situations, but best results are often obtained by creating and using a custom color temperature. This cus- tom temperature appears as Custom in the Color Temperature list.

  • Page 28: Creating A Custom Color Temperature Setting

    Creating a Custom Color Temperature Setting If the standard color temperature settings are inappropriate for your lighting, you can create a custom color temperature setting based on the actual lighting. To create a custom color temperature: Macintosh 1 Select Calibrate Custom Color Tem- perature from the Color Temp popup menu.
  • Page 29 Creating a Custom Color Temperature Setting (continued) Macintosh 4 Click Calibrate. 5 Wait for the Calibrate Color Tempera- ture box to close. 6 To use the custom setting, select Cus- tom from the Color Temp popup menu. Windows 4 Click Begin. 5 Wait for the Calibrate Custom Color Temperature box to close.

  • Page 30: Selecting Image Type

    Selecting Image Type You can select one of these image types for your final image from the Image Type box: • 48-Bit Color (68.7 billion colors) • 24-Bit Color (16.7 million colors) • 16-Bit Grayscale (65,000 gray shades) • 8-Bit Grayscale (256 gray shades) The image type you choose affects the size of the image file.

  • Page 31: Selecting Image Size

    Selecting Image Size Choose a final-image size from the Image Size box: • 1600 x 1200 pixels • 800 x 600 pixels • 400 x 300 pixels (Windows systems only) These sizes are available if your selected region of interest includes the entire frame. If your region of interest is smaller, the available image sizes correspond to the size of the selected region.

  • Page 32: Image File Sizes

    Image File Sizes The size of the saved TIFF image depends on image type and size, as shown in the fol- lowing table. (File sizes are approximate.) Image Size (Pixels) 48-Bit Color 11,300 kbyte 1600 x 1200 2,900 kbyte 800 x 600 700 kbyte 400 x 300 (Windows...

  • Page 33: Verifying Sharp Focus Digitally

    Verifying Sharp Focus Digitally If necessary, you can fine-tune your image focus digitally with the DMC 2 software: 1 Click the image to display the zoom and focus box. 2 Drag the zoom and focus box to the area of interest. 3 Zoom into the area of interest by clicking 4 Click Focus Tool on the Tools menu.

  • Page 34: Capturing The Image

    Capturing the Image After you have selected the capture settings in the DMC 2 main window, you are ready to capture the image and transfer it to the computer. You have the following three options for capturing the image: • Capture the image, enhance it with DMC 2 software, then save it as a TIFF file. •...
  • Page 35 Capturing and Enhancing with DMC 2 Software Use this procedure to capture the image currently displayed in the DMC 2 main win- dow for enhancement with DMC 2 software: 1 Click Capture & Enhance to capture the image, transfer it to computer memory, and display it in the DMC 2 Enhance window.
  • Page 36 3 Do one of the following: Macintosh • Save the image to disk by clicking Save Image (not available when running the DMC 2 plug-in). • Transfer the image to a plug-in compatible application by clicking Transfer Image (available only when running the DMC 2 plug-in).
  • Page 37 Capturing and Saving Immediately to Disk To capture the image and save it to disk without further enhancement: 1 Click the Capture & Save button. Note: On Macintosh systems, this option is available only when running the DMC 2 software. When running the DMC 2 plug-in within another application, click Capture &...
  • Page 38 Capturing and Transferring to Another Application (Macintosh) Note: This option is available only if you are running the DMC 2 plug-in within the other application. It is not an option if you are running the DMC 2 program. To capture the image and display it in the application, click the Capture & Transfer button and wait for the image to appear in your application.
  • Page 39 Capturing and Transferring to Another Application (Windows) Use these steps if you want to transfer the captured image immediately to another image-processing or image-analysis program. The procedure you use depends on whether you opened the DMC 2 program from the Windows Start menu or you opened the DMC TWAIN software by selecting Acquire from an application's File menu.
  • Page 40 5 Click OK. When you click Capture & Save or the save button in the DMC 2 program, the image appears in the selected application for further enhancement and saving. If you are running the TWAIN version of DMC 2 software: If you are in the DMC 2 main window, click Capture &...

  • Page 41: Capturing A Rapid Sequence

    Capturing a Rapid Sequence The DMC camera and software allows you to capture a rapid sequence of images in the camera memory. After the images are stored, you can select one of the captured images for transfer to the DMC 2 Enhance window or for saving immediately. To capture a rapid sequence: 1 Set up the camera and obtain a properly exposed image in the DMC 2 main window.
  • Page 42 5 Repeat step 4 as needed to capture and display additional thumbnails until the camera buffer is full. Note: Change the Rapid Fire setting on the General tab of the Set Preferences box to stop capturing images when the buffer is full or to begin overwriting the first images captured.

  • Page 43: Printing The Image

    Printing the Image To print the current image from the DMC 2 Enhance window: Macintosh Select Print from the File menu. The image prints at 300 dpi and sized to fill the page. Note: To print at different resolutions or sizes, save the image and open it with an image-editing application such as Adobe Photoshop.

  • Page 44: Enhancing The Image With Dmc 2 Software

    Enhancing the Image with DMC 2 Software After you capture an image by clicking Capture & Enhance in the DMC 2 main win- dow, the captured image is stored in memory and displayed in the DMC 2 Enhance window. Before printing, saving or transferring this image to another application, you can apply the following enhancements: •...

  • Page 45: Automatically Adjusting Color Balance

    Automatically Adjusting Color Balance To have the DMC 2 program analyze the current image and automatically set the color sliders to their optimum position, click the automatic balance but- ton. This feature is not recommended for fluorescent imaging.

  • Page 46: Adjusting Color Balance By Selecting A Whitepoint

    Adjusting Color Balance by Selecting a Whitepoint To adjust overall color balance by identifying a whitepoint in the picture, click the white eyedropper button. Then click on an area of the picture that should be pure white. The area you clicked becomes white, and all other colors in the image are adjusted accordingly.

  • Page 47: Adjusting Color Balance By Selecting A Neutral Gray Point

    Adjusting Color Balance by Selecting a Neutral Gray Point To adjust overall color balance by identifying a neutral gray point in the pic- ture, click the gray eyedropper button. Then click on an area of the picture that should be neutral gray, such as a metallic object, concrete, gray brick, or a shadow falling on a white object.

  • Page 48: Adjusting Color Balance By Selecting A Blackpoint

    Adjusting Color Balance by Selecting a Blackpoint To adjust overall color balance by identifying a blackpoint in the picture, click the black eyedropper button. Then click on an area of the picture that should be pure black. The area you clicked becomes black, and all other colors in the image are adjusted accordingly...

  • Page 49: Manually Adjusting Color Balance

    Manually Adjusting Color Balance Drag the three Color sliders left or right to adjust color balance. The effect of your settings appears in the preview image to the left.

  • Page 50: Manually Adjusting Dark Levels

    Manually Adjusting Dark Levels Drag the Dark Levels slider left or right to decrease or increase dark levels. The effect of your settings appears in the preview image to the left.

  • Page 51: Manually Adjusting Brightness

    Manually Adjusting Brightness Drag the Brightness slider right or left to increase or decrease brightness. The effect of your setting appears in the preview image to the left.

  • Page 52: Adjusting Gamma

    Adjusting Gamma Drag the Gamma slider right or left to increase or decrease gamma (the apparent con- trast between the highlights and the shadows). The effect of your setting appears in the preview image to the left.

  • Page 53: Viewing A Histogram

    Viewing a Histogram Use the histogram display to judge the distribution of brightness values in the current image. The horizontal axis represents all possible brightness values in the image (0- 255) and the vertical scale represents the number of pixels at each brightness value. The Channel list lets you select a channel (Luminosity, Red, Green, Blue, RGB) for the histogram.
  • Page 54 To view a histogram of brightness levels in the image: 1 If the DMC 2 main window is visible, click Histogram on the Tools menu. If the Enhance window is visible, click the histogram button 2 Select a channel for display from the Channel list (Luminosity, Red, Green, Blue, RGB).

  • Page 55: Adjusting Sharpness

    Adjusting Sharpness Drag the Sharpness slider left or right to decrease or increase sharpness. The effect of your setting appears in the preview image to the left.

  • Page 56: Viewing The Full Image

    Viewing the Full Image If necessary, you can view the full image for close inspection after capturing but before saving. When viewing the full image, you can zoom and pan to assure you have captured the desired area and detail and that enhancements you applied have the expected results.

  • Page 57: Reducing Grain In Long Exposures

    Reducing Grain in Long Exposures You can reduce image grain in long exposures (longer than 500 milliseconds) by enabling the DMC 2 multi-frame averaging/dark subtract feature. To enable or disable multi-frame averaging/dark subtract: 1 Click Set Preferences on the Tools menu. 2 Click the General tab.

  • Page 58: Adding A Label

    Adding a Label Macintosh 1 Click the Add Text Label box. 2 Type a label or other descriptive infor- mation in the text box. 3 Select a font and a font size. 4 If necessary, click the Bold box to change the font to bold.

  • Page 59: Adding A Calibrated Micron Marker

    Adding a Calibrated Micron Marker DMC 2 software can add a calibrated scale or micron marker to the lower right corner of your image, providing an accurate tool for determining dimensions of features in the image. To add a micron marker to the image: 1 If you have not already done so, create a calibrated micron marker for the micro- scope objective you are using.

  • Page 60: Creating A Calibrated Micron Marker

    Creating a Calibrated Micron Marker To create a calibrated micron marker you can add to the bottom of images for deter- mining dimensions of features in the image: Macintosh 1 Place a micrometer horizontally under the microscope objective and focus the microscope to obtain a sharp image of the scale in the DMC 2 main window.
  • Page 61 Creating a Calibrated Micron Marker (continued) Macintosh The Micron Marker Calibration win- dow opens and displays the microme- ter image. 4 Define a measured distance on the micrometer image by dragging a line from one micrometer scale mark to another. The measured distance appears as a green line.
  • Page 62 Creating a Calibrated Micron Marker (continued) Macintosh 6 Enter or select the units of measure in the Units popup. 7 Type a name for the marker in the Marker Name box. 8 Click Save Marker. (End of Macintosh procedure) Next Windows To remove the second mark, click the Clear button.
  • Page 63 Creating a Calibrated Micron Marker (continued) Macintosh (no further steps for Macintosh systems) 8 If you want this calibrated marker to Windows be the default marker in the Enhance window, click the Use as default objective box. 9 Click OK.

  • Page 64: Deleting A Calibrated Micron Marker

    Deleting a Calibrated Micron Marker If necessary, you can delete a calibrated micron marker from the list box located below the Add micro marker box: 1 Click Add micron marker at the bottom of the Enhance window. 2 Click Delete Micron Marker from the list of micron markers. 3 In the Micron Marker box, click the name of the micron marker you want to delete.

  • Page 65: Saving And Reusing Program Settings

    Saving and Reusing Program Settings If you develop settings in the Enhancement window that you expect to use frequently, you can save them to a file, then reload them when necessary. If necessary, see Program settings you can save. To save the current program settings in the current settings file: Macintosh 1 In the Enhancement window, click Settings.
  • Page 66 Saving and Reusing Program Settings (continued) To save the current settings in a new settings file: Macintosh 1 In the Enhancement window, click Settings. 2 Type a name for the new settings file. 3 Select Save. Next Windows 1 If the main DMC 2 window is open, click Settings on the File menu to open the Settings window.
  • Page 67 Saving and Reusing Program Settings (continued) To load enhancement settings you saved earlier: Macintosh 1 In the Enhancement window, click Settings. 2 Select the name of the settings to be applied. Next Windows 1 In the main DMC 2 window, click Settings on the File menu to display the Settings window.
  • Page 68 Saving and Reusing Program Settings (continued) To delete a settings file: Macintosh 1 In the Enhancement window, click Settings. 2 Select the name of the settings to be applied. 3 Click Delete. Windows 1 In the main DMC 2 window, click Settings on the File menu to display the Settings window.

  • Page 69: Program Settings You Can Save

    Program Settings You Can Save When you save DMC 2 program settings for reuse (see Settings), the following settings are saved. Main DMC Window Settings • Color checkbox state • Exposure • Sensitivity Enhance Window Settings • Red • Green •...
  • Page 70 Program Settings You Can Save (Continued) Preferences Box -- General Settings • On each image capture • Cast found on color balance • Show preview on startup • Use flash • Save Viewfinder ROI settings on exit- ing the application Note: The state of the Multi-Frame Averaging/Dark Subtract checkbox and the num- ber of dark and light frames are not saved.
  • Page 71 Program Settings You Can Save (Continued) Preferences Box --Remote Settings • Use Remote Capture • Transfer to Enhance Window • Transfer to Application • Save Directly to File Preferences Box -- Output Settings • Highlight property (Specular or Non- Specular) •...

  • Page 72: Setting Dmc 2 Software Preferences

    Setting DMC 2 Software Preferences The DMC 2 Preferences dialog box (Macintosh) and the Set Preferences dialog box (Windows) let you choose these categories of settings for the DMC 2 software: • General • Remote To display the Preferences box for viewing or changing preferences: Macintosh Click the Preferences button in the main DMC 2 window.

  • Page 73: General Preferences

    General Preferences Use the General tab to select general DMC 2 software operation preferences. On each image capture: Reset to defaults Resets all controls in the Enhance window (Color, Dark Lev- els, Brightness, Gamma, Sharpness) to their factory-defaults after you capture a picture.
  • Page 74 General Preferences (Continued) Cast found on auto color balance (available only if Do auto color balance is selected under “On each image capture”): Remove it Removes any overall color cast (tint) from the image when per- forming auto color balance. Keep it Retains any overall color cast in the image when performing auto color balance.
  • Page 75 General Preferences (Continued) Show preview on startup Expands the Main window to show a preview image when the DMC 2 program starts. Use flash Activates the x-sync flash cable connector on the DMC camera when the image is captured. The default setting is off (disabled). X-sync flash cable connector Next...
  • Page 76 General Preferences (Continued) Save Viewfinder ROI settings When the DMC 2 program is closed, saves the image capture area (region of interest) selected on the Region of Interest Selection tab in the DMC 2 main window. Overwrite Images During Rapid Fire When camera buffer becomes full during a rapid fire sequence, begins overwriting the first file in the buffer instead of stopping rapid fire.
  • Page 77 General Preferences (Continued) Launch External Application Starts the image-editing application specified in the External Application Path box when an image is saved to disk. Displays the saved image in the application.

  • Page 78: Remote Preferences

    Remote Preferences Use the Remote tab to capture images using the remote trigger. You can specify if you want the captured images transferred to an image-editing program, the Enhance win- dow, or to files. Use Remote Capture Captures images using to remote trigger. Select if you want to capture multiple images remotely.
  • Page 79 Remote Preferences (Continued) Save Directly to a File Captures images and saves them directly to a file for viewing and enhancing at a later date. Remote Capture Files: Change Allows you to specify a location for your image files if you select Save Directly to a File.

  • Page 80: Output Preferences

    Output Preferences Use the Output tab to select the highlight property and the output defaults of the images. Highlight Property: Specular Usually provides best image results with reflected-light microscopy specimens containing specular highlights (reflective or metallic areas or points much brighter than most of the image). Non-specular Usually provides best results for reflected-light microscopy without specular highlights and for all transmitted-light microscopy.
  • Page 81 Output Preferences (Continued) Output Defaults: For best results, choose the appropriate channel mixture and output scale for your specimen and the way the image will be used. Color Channel Mixture CRT color Optimizes the output image color for display on a monitor. Identity Leaves the output image color as detected by the camera.
  • Page 82 Output Preferences (Continued) Color Channel Mixture (continued) User Use the custom color channel mixture in MATRIX2PUSER.MTX (for DMC 2 cameras) or MATRIXIEUSER.MTX (for DMC Ie cameras). Color Output Scale Tone Scale Optimizes the output image tone values for display on a monitor.
  • Page 83 Output Preferences (Continued) Grayscale Channel Mixture The Grayscale Channel Mixture uses the following (RGB channels) to produce a grayscale image: Luminance Digitally provides the effect of a luminance filter for gray- scale imaging. Red Provides the effect of a red filter. Green Provides the effect of a green filter.
  • Page 84 Output Preferences (Continued) Grayscale Channel Mixture (continued) Cyan (DMC Ie cameras only) Provides the effect of a cyan filter. Magenta (DMC Ie cameras only) Provides the effect of a magenta filter. Yellow (DMC Ie cameras only) Provides the effect of a yellow filter. Next...
  • Page 85 Output Preferences (Continued) Grayscale Output Scale Tone Scale Optimizes the output image tone values for display on a monitor. Linear Sets the tone value of each output pixel in proportion to the actual transmittance or reflectance measured by the camera. Logarithmic Sets the tone value of each output pixel in proportion to the logarithm of the actual transmittance or reflectance measured by the camera.

  • Page 86: Camera Preferences

    Camera Preferences Use the Select Camera tab to select the active DMC camera when multiple DMC cam- eras are connected to the computer. Cameras are identified by their Device IDs (SCSI addresses) and their Adapter IDs. To select a camera, click the appropriate line in the window and then click OK.

  • Page 87: Using The Color Stacker Utility

    Using the Color Stacker Utility The Color Stacker utility provided with DMC 2 software provides a way to combine three images. This is useful when imaging a single sample with multiple fluoro- chromes. Instead of viewing separate images, you can process the fluorochromes in red, green and blue channels and view the result in a single composite image.
  • Page 88 Creating a Composite Image (Continued) Macintosh 2 Open the Color Stacker utility (dou- ble-click Polaroid Color Stacker). 3 Select an image for each color channel by clicking each color button (Red, Green and Blue) and selecting the appropriate TIFF file.

  • Page 89: Color Stacker Preview Options

    Color Stacker Preview Options The Color Stacker utility displays a preview of the composite image as you select files for each color channel. By clicking the Options button at the top of the Color Stacker window, you can select from one of these composite preview options: •...

  • Page 90: Camera Maintenance

    Camera Maintenance DMC 2 camera maintenance consists of cleaning the camera when necessary. Click on either topic below for more information. Cleaning the camera optics Cleaning the camera body...

  • Page 91: Cleaning The Camera Optics

    Cleaning the Camera Optics Important: Protect the DMC 2 camera from dirt, dust, rain and moisture. Damage caused by these conditions may not be covered by the warranty. Always protect the shutter, the anti-aliasing filter (behind the shutter), and the CCD sensor by placing the cap on the camera c-mount opening whenever the camera is removed from the micro- scope.
  • Page 92 Cleaning the Camera Optics (Continued) Verifying the Location of Dust or Dirt Avoid needless cleaning of the DMC 2 camera optics by determining the location of dust or dirt before proceeding. You can determine whether the dust or dirt is in the camera optics or the microscope optics by comparing two images as follows: 1 Take a picture with the camera in its normal position.
  • Page 93 Cleaning the Camera Optics (Continued) 3 Follow these steps to determine whether the dust spot is on the camera optics or the c-mount adapter lens: a Separate the camera from the c-mount. b Install the lens cap on the DMC 2 camera. c Clean the c-mount adapter lens according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
  • Page 94 Cleaning the Camera Optics (Continued) Camera Optics Cleaning Steps 1 If you have not already done so, install the shutter-opening software on your com- puter as follows. (This software opens the shutter, allowing you to clean the cam- era optics.) Macintosh a Copy the file DMC 2 SHUTTER OPENER INSTALLER from the DMC...
  • Page 95 Cleaning the Camera Optics (Continued) 2 Obtain the following cleaning materials: • Clean camel-hair brush (small) • Can of clean-room-grade com- pressed air • Bulb-type manual blower 3 Detach the camera from the microscope, and remove the c-mount adapter from the camera.
  • Page 96 Click OK. 7 Power down the computer and turn the camera power off. (The shutter remains open.) Next Windows a Select Programs from the Windows Start menu. b Point to Polaroid Digital Micro- scope Camera 2 and select Shutter Cleaning Tool.
  • Page 97 Cleaning the Camera Optics (Continued) 8 Clean the anti-aliasing filter (behind the shutter) with air. If necessary, gently dis- lodge any dust with the camel-hair brush. Caution: Use care when inserting anything into the camera lens opening. The shutter blades and filter are easily damaged. If using canned air, be sure to hold the can upright to avoid spraying liquid propellant into the camera.
  • Page 98 Cleaning the Camera Optics (Continued) c If dust or dirt remains after the first attempt to wipe it away, repeat the proce- dure with a new, clean wipe. 10 After the filter is clean, close the shutter by turning the camera power switch on and then off.

  • Page 99: Cleaning The Camera Body

    Cleaning the Camera Body If the DMC 2 camera body requires cleaning, use a clean, soft cloth dampened with water. Do not use cleaners of any kind, and do not spray water or other liquids directly onto the camera.

  • Page 100: Obtaining Software Updates

    Obtaining Software Updates For the latest information about DMC 2 software updates, visit the Polaroid Web site: www.polaroid.com...

  • Page 101: Dmc 2 Camera Specifications

    DMC 2 Camera Specifications 2.1 megapixel, 11mm CCD Sensor Super high resolution (1600x1200 pixels) Output resolution High resolution (800x600) Normal resolution (400x300 pixels); Windows version only 48-bit color (68.7 billion colors) Image formats 24-bit color (16 million colors) 16-bit grayscale (65,000 gray shades) 8-bit grayscale (256 gray shades) Greater than 2 MB/second SCSI data transfer Image transfer speed...
  • Page 102 DMC 2 Camera Specifications (Continued) 2.1x7.2x5.1 in (5.3x18.3x13.0cm) Dimensions 100-250V, 0.38A, 50-60Hz surge-protected input Power supply +6 VDC, 2.0A output SA, CE, DVE Safety approvals 1 year, parts and labor Limited warranty Note: Specifications subject to change without notice.

  • Page 103: System Requirements

    Using the DMC 2 camera and software to preview, capture and enhance pictures requires a minimum level of computer hardware and software. If your system does not meet these requirements, contact your Polaroid dealer or your computer dealer. PC system requirements...

  • Page 104: Pc Minimum System Requirements

    PC Minimum System Requirements • 166 MHz Pentium processor and 64 megabytes (MB) of RAM. (96MB of RAM for a TWAIN-compliant image processing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Image- Pro.) • Microsoft Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000 or NT (4.0 or later) operating system. •...

  • Page 105: Macintosh Minimum System Requirements

    Macintosh Minimum System Requirements • PowerPC Macintosh computer or compatible with a SCSI-2 interface and 64 mega- bytes (MB) of RAM. (96MB of RAM for a Photoshop-Plug-In-compliant image pro- cessing program such as Adobe Photoshop or Image-Pro.) • Apple system software version 8.6 or later. •...

  • Page 106: Installing Software And Setting Up The Camera

    Installing Software and Setting Up the Camera Unpack. Install the DMC 2 software. Attach the camera to the microscope. Connect the camera to the computer. Connect the camera to AC power and turn on. Take a test picture.

  • Page 107: Unpacking

    SCSI cable adapter (HD50 to DB25) SCSI cable (2-meter) Polaroid DMC 2 Software CD with: TWAIN driver and Polaroid DMC 2 software for Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000 and NT; Adobe Photoshop plug-in and Polaroid DMC 2 software for Macintosh systems; online user’s guide...

  • Page 108: Installing The Dmc 2 Software

    Installing the DMC 2 Software 1 Turn the computer on. 2 On Windows systems, close any applications that may be running. 3 Insert the Polaroid DMC 2 software CD into the drive. 4 Start the installation program: Macintosh Double-click the Polaroid DMC 2 Installer.

  • Page 109: Attaching The Camera To The Microscope

    5 Follow instructions on the screen. 6 Remove the CD from the drive. Attaching the Camera to the Microscope You need a 0.63 or 1:1 c-mount adapter (not provided) compatible with your micro- scope. (Do not use a 0.5 c-mount adapter.) Refer to your microscope manual for more information about c-mounts.
  • Page 110 To attach the camera to the microscope: 1 Screw the c-mount adapter into the camera. Note: Finger-tighten the adapter. Do not use tools. 2 Insert the c-mount adapter into the microscope. The camera indicator LEDs should face the front of the microscope. Next Indicator LEDs...

  • Page 111: Connecting The Camera To The Computer

    Connecting the Camera to the Computer The DMC 2 camera requires a SCSI host adapter in your computer. If your computer does not have an adapter, you must install one (see Installing a SCSI Host Adapter). If your computer is a PC-compatible with a SCSI adapter, but the adapter is connected to a hard drive, installing a second adapter is recommended.
  • Page 112 Setting the Camera SCSI Address Each device connected to a SCSI host adapter must have a unique address from 0-6. To assure a unique address for the camera, determine the addresses of any other SCSI devices: Macintosh 1 Run Apple System Profiles, usually on the Apple menu.
  • Page 113 Setting the Camera SCSI Address (Continued) Turn the camera power switch to off (0) and set the SCSI address switch to a value not used by any other device. Note: The address is preset to 4. Do not change it unless another device is using 4. Other addresses typically available are 2, 5 and 6.
  • Page 114 Connecting the SCSI Cables Place the DMC 2 camera at the end of the SCSI chain as shown or between the com- puter and other SCSI devices. Use the shortest possible cables. Note: Turn the computer, camera and all other SCSI devices off before connecting or disconnecting any cables.
  • Page 115 Setting Termination The last device in a SCSI chain must be terminated (or have termination on), while all other devices must be unterminated (or have termination off). If the camera is the only SCSI device connected to your computer or the last device in a SCSI chain, set camera termination to on (1).

  • Page 116: Connecting The Camera To Ac Power And Turning On

    Connecting the Camera to AC Power and Turning On 1 Connect the camera to AC power and turn the power switch on. To AC power Power switch (on = 1) 2 Verify that the green and yellow LEDs are on, indicating AC and termination power are on.
  • Page 117 3 Turn the computer on. 4 Wait for the system to install the camera driver and display the normal desktop. Next...

  • Page 118: Taking A Test Picture

    3 Click Preview in the DMC 2 main window. If necessary, adjust the c-mount on the microscope to focus the image on the computer screen. (Refer to your microscope manual for instructions.) Next Windows 1 Select Programs from the Start menu. 2 Point to Polaroid Digital Micro- scope Camera 2 and select Polaroid DMC 2.
  • Page 119 4 In the DMC 2 main window, choose the appropriate settings for the image being captured: Exposure Sensitivity Color Temperature 5 Select 8-Bit Color from the Image Type box for the test. 6 Click Capture & Save to capture and save the image to disk. 7 Open the saved image with an image-analysis application and verify that it was captured satisfactorily.

  • Page 120: Camera Limited Warranty

    Should this product or any component or accessory included with it, with the exception of software, prove to be defective at any time during the warranty period, Polaroid Corporation will, at its discretion, either replace or repair this item, without charge.

  • Page 121: Radio And Television Interference

    Radio and Television Interference FCC Notice (U.S.A.) Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installa- tion.
  • Page 122 FCC Caution: To assure continued compliance, any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment. Product: The Polaroid DMC 2 Microscope Camera Marketed by: Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, MA 02139 U.S.A. Telephone: 1-800- 432-5355 Next...
  • Page 123 FCC Notice (continued) This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the follow- ing two considerations: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
  • Page 124 Warning: This is a Class A product. In a domestic environment this product may cause radio interference in which case the user may be required to take adequate mea- sures. Polaroid Corporation certifies that this product conforms to the following standards: Low Voltage Directive 73/23/EEC/EN60950/IEC 950 EMC directive 89/336/EEC...

  • Page 125: Copyright And Trademark Notices

    Copyright and Trademark Notices © Copyright 2001 Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, MA 02139 USA. “Polaroid” is a registered trademark Polaroid Corporation. All other product names may be trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

  • Page 126: Polaroid Offices And Service Centers

    P. O. Box 163 North Ryde, NSW 2113 Tel.: (02) 950 7000 Fax: (02) 887 2209 Belgique/België Polaroid (Belgium) N. V. - S. A. Rue Colonel Bourg 111 Kolonel Bourgstraat 111 1140 Bruxelles-1140 Brussel Tel.: 027143102 (Flemish) Tel.: 027143106 (French) Next España...
  • Page 127 Brasil Polaroid do Brasil Ltda. Av. Paulista, 1776/11° andar Cerqueira Cesar São Paulo - Capital 01310-921 Tel.: 55.11.285.6411 Fax: 55.11.283.2625 Fax: 55.11.288.6521 Fax: 55.11.287.5393 Canada Polaroid Canada Inc. 250 Carlingview Drive Etobicoke, Ontario M9W 5G6 Toll free: 1-800-268-6970 Next Hong Kong Polaroid (Far East) Ltd.
  • Page 128 3460 Birkerød Tlf.: 80011887 Deutschland Polaroid GmbH Sprendlinger Landstrasse 109 63069 Offenbach Tel.: 06995096056 Next Italia Polaroid (Italia) S. p. A. Via Piave 11 21051 Arcisate (Varese) Tel.: 0269633253 Japan Nippon Polaroid Kabushiki Kaisha Mori Building, No. 30 2-2 Toranomon 3-chome Minato-ku, Tokyo (105) Tel.: 81-3-3438-8811...
  • Page 129 Auckland Tel.: (09) 377 3773 Next Luxembourg Tel.: 08002542 México Polaroid de México S. A. de C. V. Paseo de la Reforma 195-Piso 17 C. P. 06500 México, D. F. Tel.: 703-1111 Fax: 566-0505 Del interior al 91 (800) 70-727...
  • Page 130 Norge Polaroid (Norge) A/S Industriveien 8B, 1473 Skårer Postboks 80, 1471 Skårer Tlf.: 80011887 Österreich Polaroid Ges. m. b. H. Eitnergasse 5A 1231 Wein Tel.: 06607433 Next Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera Polaroid AG Hardturmstrasse 133 8037 Zürich Tel.: 018385329 (Deutsch) Tel.: 018385348 (Français) Tel.: 018385349 (Italiano)
  • Page 131 Sverige Polaroid AB Ekholmsvägen 36 Box 204 127 27 Skärholmen Tel.: 084451231 U. K. Polaroid (U. K.) Ltd. & Polaroid Export Operations Wheathampstead House Codicote Road Wheathampstead Hertfordshire AL4 8SF Tel.: 0181 308 6508 (U. K.) (44) 181 308 6593 (Export)
  • Page 132 U. S. A. Polaroid Corporation Technical Support Toll free: 1-800-432-5355...

  • Page 133: Technical Support

    201 Burlington Road, 1-2A Bedford, MA 01730 Internet Support Technical support is also available over the Internet. Connect to the Polaroid Web site at www.polaroid.com. Application Support If you need help with your application software, please contact the manufacturer of the software.

  • Page 134: Solving Scsi Communication Problems

    Solving SCSI Communication Problems SCSI device not recognized Horizontal lines, sections missing from image System stops responding during image transfer...
  • Page 135 Problem: Device not recognized Failure of your computer to recognize a SCSI device could be caused by any of the fol- lowing: Device not turned on. Turn the power switch on. (See instructions for turning the device on.) Cables loose or disconnected. Check all cable connections. (See instructions for connecting the SCSI cables.) Device turned on after computer.
  • Page 136 Device not recognized (continued) Incorrect termination. Check for proper SCSI chain termination. (See instructions for setting termination.) Outdated miniport and ASPI layer drivers (Windows systems only). Update the SCSI host adapter Windows miniport driver (.MPD) files for your SCSI host adapter according to instructions provided with the adapter.
  • Page 137 Symptom: Horizontal lines, sections missing from image If your images display horizontal lines or bands, check the following: Incorrect termination. Check for proper SCSI chain termination. (See instructions for setting termination.) Low-quality cables. Use only high-quality SCSI cables. Cables are too long. Use shorter SCSI cables. Standard SCSI chains are limited to a total length of 6 meters.
  • Page 138 Symptom: System stops responding during image transfer If your system locks and stops responding to the mouse and keyboard during image transfer, check the following: Incorrect maximum sync transfer rate or other settings (for Adaptec 2940 and 3940 host adapters only). Change the maximum sync transfer rate to its lowest set- ting (5.0 or 10.0, depending on the adapter model).

  • Page 139: Changing Sync Transfer Rate On Some Adaptec Scsi Adapters

    Changing Sync Transfer Rate on Some Adaptec SCSI Adapters If your system has an Adaptec 2940 or 3940 SCSI host adapter, it may not recognize a SCSI device if the minimum sync transfer rate or other values are incorrectly set. To change the minimum sync transfer rate and other important values for these SCSI adapters: 1 Restart your computer and wait for the following message to appear:...
  • Page 140 4 Make sure the SCSI Device Settings are as follows: Setting Initiate Sync Negotiation Maximum Sync Transfer Rate Enable Disconnection Initiate Wide Negotiation Note: Change these settings only for the SCSI address of the device not recognized. Leave all other settings unchanged. 5 Press Esc until you are prompted to save the changes.

  • Page 141: Installing A Scsi Host Adapter

    Installing a SCSI Host Adapter This device connects to a SCSI host adapter in your computer. Most Macintosh com- puters have a SCSI adapter built in, but most IBM PC compatible computers do not. If you must install a SCSI adapter, turn the computer off and follow instructions pro- vided by the adapter manufacturer.

  • Page 142: Index

    Index AC power, connecting camera to area of interest, choosing attaching camera to microscope blackpoint, adjusting color balance by selecting brightness, adjusting manually camera body, cleaning camera optics, cleaning camera preferences camera, attaching to microscope camera, connecting to computer Next...
  • Page 143 Index (Continued) camera, DMC, selecting camera, selecting camera, turning on capture area, choosing capturing the image Cast found on auto color balance color balance, adjusting automatically color balance, adjusting by selecting gray point color balance, adjusting by selecting whitepoint color balance, adjusting manually color balance, adusting by selecting blackpoint Color Channel Mixture Color Output Scale...
  • Page 144 Index (Continued) color temperature, setting communication problems, SCSI, solving copyright notice dark levels, adjusting manually dark subtract, using to reduce grain device not recognized, solving DMC Ie cameras, software compatibility Do auto color balance EMI notice (Canada) EMI notice (Europe) enhancing the capture image enlarging the preview Next...
  • Page 145 Index (Continued) exposure, automatic, calibrating exposure, setting automatically exposure, setting manually FCC notice features, DMC 2 camera file sizes, based on type and image sizes flash, using fluorochromes, combining with Color Stacker utility focus, verifying digitally focusing and framing preview frame, smaller, choosing for capture framing and focusing preview full image, viewing...
  • Page 146 Index (Continued) gamma, adjusting grain, reducing in long exposures gray point, selecting to adjust color balance Grayscale Channel Mixture Grayscale Output Scale grayscale preview, choosing Highlight Property histogram, viewing horizontal lines, solving Next...
  • Page 147 Index (Continued) image enhancement image size in pixels, selecting image type, selecting installing software and setting up camera interference, radio and TV Internet, obtaining technical support via ISO value, setting label, adding to image Launch External Application launching DMC 2 software lines, horizontal, solving lockup, system, solving Next...
  • Page 148 Index (Continued) maintenance, camera marker,calibrated, adding to image micron marker, calibrated, adding micron marker, calibrated, creating micron marker, deleting missing image sections, solving multi-frame averaging, using to reduce grain Multi-frame Averaging/Dark Subtract navigating in this document Non-specular Next...
  • Page 149 Index (Continued) offices and service centers, Polaroid Output Defaults output preferences Overwrite Images During Rapid Fire package contents picture taking, general steps picture-taking sequence, typical power switch, camera, turning on preferences, general preferences, setting preview, choosing color or grayscale preview, framing and focusing...
  • Page 150 Index (Continued) rapid fire feature, using rapid sequence of images, capturing Remote Capture Files remote preferences Reset to defaults responding, system stops, solving rotating the image Save Directly to a File Save Viewfinder ROI settings scale, calibrated, adding to image SCSI address, camera, setting SCSI cables, connecting SCSI communication problems, solving...
  • Page 151 DMC 2 camera sensitivity, setting sequence of images, capturing sequence, picture-taking service centers and offices, Polaroid settings, program, saved in settings file settings, program, saving and reusing sharpness, adjusting Show preview on startup...
  • Page 152 Index (Continued) Specular starting DMC 2 software sync transfer rate, changing on SCSI adapters system requirements technical support, obtaining termination, SCSI, setting text label, adding to image trademark notice Transfer to Application Transfer to Enhance Window Next...
  • Page 153 Index (Continued) updates, software Use existing settings Use flash Use Remote Capture warranty, camera, limited whitepoint, selecting to adjust color balance World Wide Web, obtaining technical support via zooming the preview...

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