The Olympus Microscopy Resource Center galleries include images of fluorescent specimens, as well as darkfield, phase contrast, and Hoffman modulation contrast photomicrographs. In addition, the gallery features streaming video and images from featured microscopists.

Fluorescence Microscopy of Cells in Culture - Serious attempts at the culture of whole tissues and isolated cells were first undertaken in the early 1900s as a technique for investigating the behavior of animal cells in an isolated and highly controlled environment. The term tissue culture arose because most of the early cells were derived from primary tissue explants, a technique that dominated the field for over 50 years. As established cell lines emerged, the application of well-defined normal and transformed cells in biomedical investigations has become an important staple in the development of cellular and molecular biology. This fluorescence image gallery explores over 30 of the most common cell lines, labeled with a variety of fluorophores using both traditional staining methods as well as immunofluorescence techniques.

Mortimer Abramowitz Gallery of Photomicrography - Mortimer Abramowitz, a renowned microscopist, has penned numerous articles and books on microscopy and has received several awards, both for his contributions to the field and for his stunning photomicrographs. As a tribute to his excellence in the discipline of microscopy, Abramowitz was awarded the prestigious New York Microscopical Society (NYMS) Ernst Abbe Memorial Award in 2002.

Olympus BioScapes Image Galleries - This competition, which was launched in 2004, recognizes the finest images of life science specimens captured through light microscopes, using any magnification and any brand of equipment.

Olympus Fluorescence Image Gallery - Incident light fluorescence microscopy is growing rapidly in importance as an investigational tool in the fields of medical and biological research. All photomicrographs in this gallery were taken with Olympus microscopes operating in widefield mode and employing UIS optics and a PM-30 automatic camera system.

Differential Interference Contrast Digital Image Gallery - Thin unstained, transparent specimens are excellent candidates for imaging with classical differential interference (DIC) microscopy techniques over a relatively narrow range (plus or minus one-quarter wavelength) of bias retardation. The digital images presented in this gallery represent a wide spectrum of specimens, which vary from unstained cells, tissues, and whole organisms to both lightly and heavily stained thin and thick sections. In addition, several specimens exhibiting birefringent character are included to demonstrate the kaleidoscopic display of color that arises when anisotropic substances are imaged with this technique. All of the images presented in this gallery were captured with an Olympus DP70 camera system operating on a BX60 transmitted microscope.

Polarized Light Image Gallery - As a contrast-enhancing optical technique, polarized light is unsurpassed in the magnificent array of colors generated by interference of orthogonal light waves at the analyzer. Useful for observation of mineral thin sections, hairs, fibers, particles, bones, chemical crystals, polymers, and a wide variety of other specimens, polarized light can be employed both quantitatively as well as qualitatively. Visit this gallery to observe how polarized light can be employed to observe specimens that would otherwise be difficult to distinguish from the background.

Darkfield Image Gallery - The Olympus Microscopy Resource Center gallery of darkfield illumination photomicrography contains a wide spectrum of images taken under a variety of conditions and utilizing many different specimens. Included in this unique gallery are specimens ranging from simple diatoms to fossilized dinosaur bones, insects, Moon rocks, and integrated circuits.

Hoffman Modulation Contrast Image Gallery - The Hoffman modulation contrast photomicrography contains images taken under a wide variety of conditions using many different specimens. Use the links in this section to navigate to the individual entries in the gallery.

Phase Contrast Image Gallery - The gallery of phase contrast photomicrography contains a large collection of images taken under a wide variety of conditions using specimens ranging from fossilized dinosaur bones to soft tissues from human and plant pathology.

Brightfield Microscopy Digital Image Gallery - Brightfield illumination has been one of the most widely used observation modes in optical microscopy for the past 300 years. The technique is best suited for utilization with fixed, stained specimens or other kinds of samples that naturally absorb significant amounts of visible light. Images produced with brightfield illumination appear dark and/or highly colored against a bright, often light gray or white, background. This digital image gallery explores a variety of stained specimens captured with an Olympus BX51 microscope coupled to a 12-bit QImaging Retiga camera system and a three-color liquid crystal tunable filter.

Plant Tissue Autofluorescence Gallery - Autofluorescence in plant tissues is a common and useful phenomenon arising from a variety of endogenous biomolecules that absorb light in many regions of the near-ultraviolet and visible light spectrum. One of the primary contributors of plant autofluorescence is chlorophyll, but lignins, carotenes, and xanthophylls also produce a significant level of fluorescence emission when stimulated with the proper wavelengths. This digital image gallery examines natural autofluorescence in plant tissue thin sections using multiple excitation wavelengths with laser scanning confocal microscopy.

Brightfield Illumination Digital Image Gallery - Featuring a wide spectrum of stained and unstained specimens, the MIC-D brightfield image gallery contains digital images that were captured using the microscope at a variety of zoom optical system magnifications. The images were corrected and adjusted with respect to contrast, brightness, sharpness, hue, color balance, and saturation using digital image processing tools available in the MIC-D software processing window.

Darkfield Illumination Digital Image Gallery - Darkfield illumination transforms specimens into bright, highlighted structures superimposed on a very dark or black background. When the MIC-D digital microscope illuminator is positioned at highly oblique angles (over 25 degrees from the optical axis), semi-transparent specimens can be readily observed and captured with the accompanying interface software. This gallery demonstrates the darkfield imaging ability of the microscope on a wide variety of specimens.

Oblique Illumination Digital Image Gallery - The true versatility of the unique MIC-D digital microscope design becomes apparent with oblique illumination techniques made possible by off-axis translation of the illuminator head and condenser assembly. This feature enables the microscopist to enhance contrast in specimens that would otherwise remain invisible (or nearly so) in brightfield illumination. The oblique illumination gallery contains numerous images of both stained and unstained specimens observed with off-axis lighting techniques.

Polarized Light Digital Image Gallery - Polarized light is useful for anisotropic specimens that interact with light waves in a highly directional manner. The MIC-D digital microscope polarized light gallery contains a wide variety of birefringent specimens ranging from common organic chemicals and vitamins, to ceramic single crystals and petrographic mineral thin sections. Each image has been captured and processed to expose the minute and intricate details often present in specimens of this nature.

Reflected Light Digital Image Gallery - The range of specimens falling into the reflected or incident light category is enormous, and includes metals, ores, ceramics, polymers, semiconductor wafers and dies, slag, coal, plastics, paint, paper, wood, leather, and glass inclusions. In order to study these specimens, which are unable to pass light through the interior, illumination must be directed onto the surface and eventually returned to the microscope objective by either specular of diffused reflectance. The MIC-D digital microscope reflected light gallery contains a selected variety of specimens that are often captured with telephoto lenses in traditional photography.

Integrated Circuit Digital Image Gallery - The intricate details found on the surface of integrated circuits offer a unique glimpse into the miniature world of modern electronics. In reflected light mode, the MIC-D digital microscope is a useful tool for examining these devices, whether encapsulated in a package or in the form of a flat, raw wafer. Highlight regions containing busses and registers can be enhanced through the application of filter gels over the illuminator front lens element to produce highly colored digital images. The integrated circuit gallery contains images of common microprocessors, memory chips, math co-processors, as well as common network and logic circuits.

Butterfly Wing Scale Digital Image Gallery - From a distance, butterfly wings are a beautiful sight to behold. Under a microscope, they are even more so. The Olympus MIC-D Digital Microscope is capable of capturing the fine details present in the delicate structures of these fragile, yet versatile structures. Utilizing a variety of specimen preparation techniques, the butterfly wing scale gallery contains digital images taken in brightfield, darkfield, and oblique illumination modes, as well as in reflected light. Each type of illumination results in a different image and, when examined together, they provide a more complete representation of the magnificence and complexity of some of nature's most splendid creatures.

Chemical Crystals - Chemical compounds can exist in three basic phases: gaseous, liquid, or solid. Gases consist of weakly bonded atoms and expand to fill any available space. Solids are characterized by strong atomic bonding and have a rigid shape. Most are crystalline, having a three-dimensional periodic atomic arrangement. Some, such as glass, lack this periodic arrangement and are noncrystalline, or amorphous. Liquids have characteristics that fall in between gases and solids. This cinemicrographic collection shows time-lapse movies of various chemical compounds as they change physical states.

Pond Life - Freshwater ponds provide a home for a wide variety of aquatic and semi-aquatic plants, insects, and animals. The vast majority of pond inhabitants, however, are invisible until viewed under the microscope. Beneath the placid surface of any pond is a microscopic metropolis bustling with activity as tiny bizarre organisms pursue their lives; locomoting, eating, trying not to be eaten, excreting, and reproducing. In this collection of digital movies, observe the activities of microscopic organisms taken from a typical North Florida pond.