Whether a camera is suitable for manual slide scanning is determined by the sensor technology. Generally, cameras with a so-called global shutter sensor or a CCD sensor in progressive scan mode can be used for scanning. As the sensor technology is not always obvious, the list below compiles the most common microscopy cameras that are compatible with mvSlide. If you don't find your camera on the list, or if you don't have a camera yet, just contact us for support! In addition, (industrial) cameras from Basler, IDS Imaging, Lumenera, The Imaging Source and PointGrey equipped with global shutter sensors are supported.

All microscopes with good optical quality and which have a camera port can normally be used for scanning. If you are unsure whether a camera can be mounted on your microscope, please contact Microvisioneer to discuss the options available.

Yes, there are some minimum requirements as outlined in the table below. Newer computers today usually meet these requirements.

By default, the scans are saved as *.svs files. The *.svs file format is a common file format in digital microscopy and used by some manufacturers of motorized slide scanners as well. In addition, scans can be saved as *.tiff files, and smaller scans can be saved as *.jpeg files as well. These common file formats are compatible with all major available software for viewing, sharing and analyzing whole slide images.

Generally, the file size depends on the objective lens magnification that has been used for scanning, and on the area that has been scanned. A typical file size would be approximately 200 MB, but the size can reach up to 2GB for very high magnifications.

There are two versions of InstaSlide available. 1. The Cloud Edition makes the scans available via a cloud, but the scans are not uploaded to a cloud. With this Cloud Edition, scans can be shared with anyone with internet access. 2. In addition, there is also a LAN Edition available, which doesn't make use of a cloud service. With this LAN Edition, scans can be shared with anyone within the same local network.

The remote person just needs a device with a web browser to view the whole slide images. For example, scans can be viewed with a desktop PC, but also with a tablet or even on the smartphone. There is no need to install a specific viewer software.