Knowledge Base

Problem

The DanioVision camera does not capture the entire well plate in the live image; the user cannot zoom out and is unsure how to fit the full plate into frame.

Details

Symptoms: Only a portion of the 24- or 96-well plate is visible in the Arena Settings live view. The user can adjust focus and aperture on the lens but finds no zoom control. Attempting to zoom digitally in software has no effect on the field of view. Affects users unfamiliar with the fixed-focus, fixed-zoom lens supplied with DanioVision.

Solution

1. Be aware that the DanioVision camera is fitted with a fixed-focus lens — there is no optical zoom capability. Do not attempt to force a zoom ring; none exists.
2. Ensure the Fresnel lens inside the observation chamber is in the lowered (down) position.
3. In EthoVision XT, set the recording resolution to 1280 × 960. At this resolution the full plate should be visible in the field of view.
4. Note that at 1280 × 960 the maximum achievable frame rate is 25–30 fps; plan your experiment settings accordingly.
5. If the plate is still not fully visible at 1280 × 960 with the Fresnel lens lowered, check that the camera has not been physically repositioned. If needed, contact Noldus support to verify the correct camera mounting height.