Just my two cents with a bit of a delay ...
1. I have tried the 'cheap' solution and simply lost not so much
money since it was damped to the junk yard at the end. We now have an
'expensive' solution (Crystal Farm) but - guess what - it works. Our
cheap solution was the BioTom robot, from a company that - not
shockingly - is bankrupt. Some of the machines they built had better
fates. I have not checked current 'cheap' solutions for a while
though and this is by no means a critique of any existing systems.
But, still, as far as I know capitalism won and you get what you pay
for.
2. The best thing about an automated imager is that, unlike me or my
group members, it is as happy to take pictures at 03:00 in the
morning as at 11:00 or 15:30. The thing that makes that possible is
the hotel. As said below a good microscope is difficult to beat. The
automated imager beats it for the reason it can take pictures at
various times. You see in day 2 a thing that could be dust or
crystal ? You look at 'time 0' and 'day 0.5' and see if it was there
or not. yes, the images are not as good as your old Leica/Olympus and
your eyes and hands scanning, but the *hotel* attached to it that
makes it possible to take many images, beats that.
For an imager I would choose one that:
1. Takes good images for my usual trays
2. Has a hotel that allows my plates to stay there for a month or so
and good scheduling (we use 0, 6 hrs, 12 hrs, 24, hrs, 2 days 7 days,
2 weeks I think)
3. Comes with a good DB and software for viewing, or even better it
is supported in PiMS ;-) (coming soon!)
4. Make sure the hotel is either thermostated or that my
crystallization room will not suffer from the extra machine(s) inside.
There are quite a few solutions that meet these criteria out there
and I would not be shocked if some cheaper ones work fine.
A.
On Oct 29, 2007, at 9:52, mesters wrote:
Dear Rebecca,
a good microscope is very difficult to beat. The reason for this is
the larger numerical aperture (= the maximum cone of light that can
enter the lens) when compared to long and small-diameter tubes with
a camera on top. The resolution of the camera is less important
here and it does not compensate for poor optics.
What is most important is a proper illumination of the sample!
To the best of my knowledge and I am sure I have forgotten a few, a
listing of all more or less simple, medium throughput (without
plate-hotel), not so expensive, imagers:
Crystal Pro
Minstrel 1
Rockimager 1
Crystal Monitor
CrysCam
The best thing is to go and test these yourself with your favorite
plate and a difficult protein.... a specifically selected 96-well
plate with lysozyme crystals always look great in almost any
imager. Nevertheless, the crystal pictures in brochures of some
companies already reveal problems with the illumination as a clear
dark ring is visible at the rim of the image...........
Good luck.
J.
*R. Page wrote:
*
*
From:* CCP4 bulletin board [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] *On
Behalf Of *Page, Rebecca
*Sent:* Friday, October 26, 2007 6:10 PM
*To:* CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
*Subject:* [ccp4bb] Cost-effective imaging systems: recommendations
and opinions requested
Dear CCP4 community,
I know this question has been posted before, but imaging systems
are updated so often that I’d like to post it again.
I am considering purchasing *a crystal imaging system*.
I am looking for a system that is
1) cost-effective
2) straightforward to use
3) suitable for a low-medium throughput (2-4 academic laboratories;
with primary use by graduate students)
4) nice clear crystals images
I am interested in all systems, but I’d be especially interested to
know how people feel about the ArtRobbins CrysCam, including its
pros and cons and if there are any other comparable systems
available for a similar price. If you have an imaging system you
are especially fond of (or regret buying), any information that you
can provide about that system is very welcome as well, as is any
information about the associated software.
I’ll compile and re-post all comments and opinions for everyone
else who might find this information useful.
Thanks very much in advance,
Rebecca
Rebecca Page
Brown University
--
Jeroen Raymundus Mesters, Ph.D.
Institut fuer Biochemie, Universitaet zu Luebeck
Zentrum fuer Medizinische Struktur und Zellbiologie
Ratzeburger Allee 160, D-23538 Luebeck
Tel: +49-451-5004070, Fax: +49-451-5004068
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Http://www.biochem.uni-luebeck.de
Http://www.iobcr.org
Http://www.opticryst.org
--
If you can look into the seeds of time and say
which grain will grow and which will not - speak then to me (Macbeth)
--
