UVP ChemStudio Series by Analytik Jena GmbH+Co. KG

"I purchased this system after comparing it to similar products from ThermoFisher and Bio-Techne I use the ChemStudio mainly for imaging of DNA gels and Western blots, but I've recently started using it to photograph bacteriophage plaque assay plates. The system is compact, and the controlling software is both powerful and intuitive. Analytik Jena's technical support is excellent. When an update to Windows 11 disabled the camera, I called and got a replacement driver that solved the problem in less than half an hour. My favorite features: Replaceable non-proprietary emission filters - I can cheaply and easily add new colors by simply swapping filters on the multi-position wheel. Tablet-based integrated controlling computer - in addition to running the software, the Windows-based tablet lets me organize images, email them, or store them on our cloud-based drive. Image stacking - This was life-altering. The camera software allows you to specify multiple exposures. For example 25 images of 30 seconds each. After each image, the software stacks the next on top of it, so the first image would be 30 seconds, the next 60, the next 90, and so on. Because of this, I don't have to spend a lot of time optimizing exposures; I can just start a stack, walk away, and come back later to select the best image of the batch. I don't have to commit either, because I can save the whole stack file and select a different exposure later. Overall, I'm very pleased with this system, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their Western blotting workflow."