Figure 1.

Comparison of key parameters of different imaging techniques. Each microscopy technique has strengths and weaknesses that are important to consider before choosing the adequate microscopy approach. We limited the radar plot to five parameters (Resolution, Sample preparation ease, Depth penetration, Molecular species variety, and Sample integrity), although experimental needs may require considering other aspects (i.e., acquisition speed). The relative performance of confocal microscopy (in blue), multiphoton (in red), and label-free multiphoton (in green) are compared with the outer position indicating the best performance for that parameter. The same set-up can be optimized for specific approaches (multiphoton fluorescence vs. label-free multiphoton).