70 PART IV Digital Documentation
Figure 11.1: Different camera adapters
Sensitivity
The term “sensitivity” comes into play when very week signals are being observed.
Usually this happens in fluorescence microscopy or other contrasting methods
which either limit the amount of available light or require you to protect
living samples from light-induced damage. So the question is, what is the minimum
amount of signal required to be able to produce a usable digital image?
Several factors influence this:
✔✔ the wavelength-dependent capability of the sensor to convert photons into
an electrical signal, known as quantum efficiency
✔✔ the size of the pixel area that is collecting the photons
✔✔ the inherent multiple noise sources of the sensor and the camera
✔✔ the available exposure time to catch a detectable and unblurred image of
your sample
