New features this month:
PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT
Lumenera Announces Launch of INFINITY1-2
2 Megapixel Microscopy Camera
 Lumenera is officially launching the new INFINITY1-2 microscopy camera specifically designed for documentation. This 2.0 megapixel camera is available in color and features a high resolution CMOS sensor.
The INFINITY1-2 is specifically designed to be a cost-effective, versatile solution for clinical, life science, materials science and educational professionals. With 1600x1200 resolution and on-board processing, the INFINITY1-2 delivers outstanding image quality for a wide variety of scientific applications.
The INFINITY1-2 has a compact design equipped with a C-Mount for use with all microscope configurations including upright, inverted and stereo.
Included with purchase of INFINITY1-2 is INFINITY ANALYZE software for advanced camera control, image processing, measuring and annotation, as well as INFINITY CAPTURE, an intuitive user interface which includes all of the basic features needed to control your INFINITY camera and capture images.
For more information on the new INFINITY1-2 scientific camera please contact scientificsales@lumenera.com.
WORLD RECORD
Lumenera Helps Set Astronomy Guinness World Record
Lumenera is proud to have assisted in setting the Guinness World Record for The Largest Ground-based Digital Lunar Mosaic.
The Lunar World Record Team, featuring some of the world's foremost amateur astronomy imagers, gathered in April 2009 to create a high resolution image of the moon larger than any other previously taken by ground-based astronomers. They chose to use Lumenera’s SKYnyx2-0 and INFINITY2-1 camera series for this ambitious undertaking. 
Lumenera’s professional astronomy cameras were combined with high-end amateur telescopes and special software to capture close to 1.2 million video frames of the 9-day old Moon over a single night. 288 individual images were than meticulously pieced together and colour balanced to create a seamless single mosaic. The record breaking mosaic is 87.4 megapixel in resolution with a Moon diameter of approximately 9550 pixels, allowing for features as small 0.6 miles to be seen.
Sales of the Guinness World Record setting image will be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. In support of this remarkable astronomy achievement, fund raising competitions were held by Lumenera’s employees and contributions raised for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust were matched by the Corporation.
For more infomation click here or to visit the Lunar World Record Team offcial website click here.
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
Lumenera's 3.1 Megapixel Scientific USB 2.0 Camera
The INFINITY1-3 is Lumenera’s cost-effective versatile solution for documentation and archiving of clinical, life science, and material science images. The INFINITY1-3 camera provides a resolution of 2048x1536 and on-board processing for outstanding image quality.
Live video preview provides for real-time focus, while auto exposure and auto white balance efficiently capture your optimal image. An intuitive user application provides camera controls, while full integration to popular third-party imaging applications is available through our TWAIN drivers.
The INFINITY1-3 is available in color or monochrome and in several form factors including board-level and custom enclosures. Included with all INFINITY1-3 cameras is INFINITY ANALYZE software for advanced camera control, image processing, measuring and annotation, as well as INFINITY CAPTURE, an intuitive user interface which includes all of the basic features needed to control the INFINITY1-3 camera and capture images.
For more info on the INFINITY1-3 please click here.
NEW DOWNLOAD
INFINITY Software Release 5.0.2 is Now Available for Download
When downloading the new release of INFINITY 5.0.2 be sure to download the corresponding Release Notes. This helpful document describes the improvements made to the INFINITY ANALYZE menus and dialogs, making it easy to navigate the program. ANALYZE now starts with a much simpler looking appearance, with many of the icons and panels hidden from view, making the initial experience for the novice user less intimidating. The application now supports a full screen view that can be toggled with a simple keyboard click, taking full advantage of a large resolution screen to display more of the live preview image or captured image.
Please note this application installs with a set of Flash Tutorials that are easily accessed from the Windows start button in both Windows VISTA and Windows XP. The Flash Tutorials provide a great introduction or refresher course on how to navigate through the ANALYZE software. Click here to access the Flash Tutorials.
For more information on INFINITY ANALYZE please click here.
PROMOTION
Lumenera Now Offering a Complimentary Camera with Purchase
Purchase any INFINITY3-1 color or monochrome cooled CCD camera before December 31, 2009 and receive a complimentary INFINITY1-3C color 1.3 megapixel camera. This offer allows you to take full advantage of the increased sensitivity of the INFINITY3-1 for fluorescence and the INFINITY1-3C for brightfield applications.
Included with the purchase of Lumenera's high performance scientific digital cameras is INFINITY ANALYZE image analysis software. INFINITY ANALYZE allows for easy and precise measurement, annotation and image processing when using the INFINITY camera line.
For full details on this exciting promotion please click here to view the flyer.
CASE STUDY
Lumenera Aids the HORIBA Group in Developing a Fluorescence Measuring Instrument
The HORIBA Group, an organization providing scientific researchers the best products and solutions to meet their needs, developed DynaMyc a user friendly photon counting instrument. This sensitive instrument required an imaging component with incredible low-light sensitivity and advanced fluorescence capabilities to capture fine details. 
DynaMyc required a megapixel camera capable of capturing crisp and clear images of difficult samples. Color was a concern due to the nature of fluorescence and the importance of distinguishing areas of interest. HORIBA looked to Lumenera’s INFINITY3-1C to provide the imaging solution capable of producing high resolution images of various florescence samples.
For the full Case Study on HORIBA and Lumenera please Click Here.
DID YOU KNOW 
USB 2.0 vs FireWire-By Brian Graydon, Lumenera's Director of Business Development for NA Scientific Channel
Two potential interfaces for scientific digital cameras are USB 2.0 and FireWire. While the two provide similar performance, USB 2.0 has the advantage of market prevalence ensuring simple plug-and-play installation with minimal technical challenges.
Performance
The video performance of a scientific digital camera is defined as the maximum frame rate at a given resolution and is measured in frames per second (fps). USB has a published speed of 480 Mbits/s compared to FireWire’s 400 Mbits/s. Published reports showing USB being significantly slower than FireWire can be misleading as these reports are usually based on tests using external hard drives and are completely irrelevant as far as digital scientific cameras are concerned. At least one FireWire camera company claims to now have “Fast 1394” which can achieve 400 Mbits/s. Lumenera’s USB camera interface has always been capable of achieving greater than that. Having a high bandwidth interface allows for higher frame rates, however, often the bottleneck on a camera’s video performance is the sensor, not the interface. As an example, a 1.4 megapixel CCD or CMOS imager may be inherently limited to frame rates of only 15 to 30 fps (and often less in order to increase their quality) leaving bandwidth to spare in both the USB 2.0 and FireWire interface.
Digital Scientific Camera Transfer and Frame Rates
| Connection |
Transfer Rate |
Frame Rate |
| USB 2.0, 1.3 megapixel |
480 Mbits/s |
30 fps |
| FireWire, 1 megapixel |
400 Mbits/s |
30 fps |
Market Prevalence
A key difference between USB 2.0 and FireWire is market prevalence in today’s technology. The vast majority of computer manufacturers have included USB ports with computers since 2001, ensuring that scientific cameras based on a USB interface are and continue to be supported. In addition, because USB is so prevalent very few technical challenges occur during installation and operation. FireWire is much less common on computers, being found only on systems built specifically for professional audio/video applications or premium retail motherboards. For computers with limited space, it is impossible to upgrade the computer to FireWire.
USB 2.0 is an ideal interface for scientific cameras, offering plug-and-play installation with all computers, while providing more than enough throughput for its selected image sensors. Though FireWire is a viable option with comparable performance to USB 2.0 it presents usability challenges with technical equipment used today.
EVENT
Eastern Ontario Economic Showcase 2009
 Lumenera exhibited at the Eastern Ontario Economic Showcase on September 24th, 2009 in Ottawa, Ontario. With presentations from Donald J. Trump, Terry Matthews, Brett Wilson, and many others this well attended showcase was a great opportunity to interact with local organizations and support Ottawa's technology industry. Lumenera was one of only 90 community and business exhibitors invited to this prestigious business event.
CORPORATE NEWS
Lumenera Introduces New Shipping Policy on Website
Lumenera’s recently introduced shipping policy now has a dedicated webpage to answer all consumer questions regarding the delivery of their order. This section of the site will better inform our customers by providing clearer guidelines regarding Lumenera’s preferred FedEx shipping methods, timelines and associated changes for non-preferred carriers.
Lumenera relies on FedEx to deliver its products in a timely and safe manner, making daily pickups from our headquarters. In-stock products can arrive as quickly as the next day for your convenience. Please take advantage of our expanded information by referencing the new Shipping section on the web site.
Click here to view Lumenera’s new Shipping Information webpage.
New Policy for Expired and Voided Warranty Cameras
Lumenera now has an updated 'out of warranty' and 'voided warranty' pricing scheme for camera repairs.
Charges for cameras not under warranty will now be based on whether the repair is sensor or board related, or in some cases both. This new approach will allow us to better understand what work is required for the camera to become functional, and what the repair costs will be.
When the damaged camera is received it will be triaged and the cost to repair the
issue will be quoted to the customer prior to any work being done. Please note that there is a minimum charge of US$200 for any camera repair, and a Purchase Order for the amount of the repair will be required prior to work being done.
Lumenera Welcomes Lutz Schmidt and Dan Otell
Lutz Schmidt joins Lumenera as Director of Business Development - European Markets. Lutz brings a strong background in imaging and international sales.
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Dan Otell joins Lumenera as Director of Business Development and will be managing the Western United States.
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