Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2016 Jul 21.
Published in final edited form as: Methods Enzymol. 2012;506:361–389. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-391856-7.00042-1

Table 18.4.

Types of confocal microscope used for live imaging mouse embryos

System configuration Advantages Disadvantages
Point laser scanning confocal Most commonly used, best out-of-focus exclusion, best resolution Slow, decreased sensitivity, high risk of phototoxicity, expensive
Slit laser scanning confocal Fastest confocal, low risk of phototoxicity, high sensitivity Low resolution
Spinning disk confocal Fast, most gentle confocal, low risk of phototoxicity Low resolution, not ideal for very thick specimens, works best with only one fluorophore
Light sheet based fluorescent Ideal for very thick specimens, low risk of phototoxicity Need for rotating device, huge amount of data are generated
Two- and multiphoton Low risk of phototoxicity Parameters need to be checked before experiment, red and far-red FPs cannot be used, difficult to perform multiphoton experiments