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uScope HXII Scanning Insects
uScope HXII

Information in this article applies to:

  • uScopeHXII (Model HX2D)
  • uScope Navigator V4.0 and Later

Article ID: HXB1218 — Created: 25 Jun 2018 — Reviewed: 15 Nov 2020

Question

Can I scan insects with the uScopeHXII?

Answer

Yes. Almost certainly. However, there are some caveats with insects and whole slide imaging.

  • Insect sections are usually very thick. This can cause some parts of each field to be out of focus due to thickness variations in the insect section.
  • Focus position differences between proximate fields can cause poor stitching of adjacent field.
  • Good scan results are obtained using the Initial Only focus method and manual selection of the focus point. The Fast Stack focus method may yield good results, too.

The following deep zoom images show the image quality of entomology scans made by the uScopeHXII whole slide scanner.

Thick sections are best scanned with an objective that has a very wide depth of field—like that of the 10x objective found in the uScopeHXII-10. Good results can also be had with a 20x objective.

The depth-of-field of 40x and 60x objectives is too narrow to provide adequate results. uScope models with these objectives should be avoided when scanning insects.

Note
The uScopeHXII is not ideally suited for scanning insects. The lowest power objective available with the uScopeHXII is 20x which may not have sufficient depth of field.The uScopeHXII is designed to be used for polarized slide scanning of birefringent specimens. However, the uScopeGX-10 might work well enough for most insect scans. The uScopeHXII-10 (10x Objective) provides great results for these types of whole slide scans.

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