Comparing the ORCA-Quest 2 and SPAD512²: two cutting-edge cameras

Lausanne, November 29, 2024 — Pi Imaging, in collaboration with its official U.S. distributor Axiom Optics, is pleased to share a side-by-side comparison of two state-of-the-art scientific cameras: the ORCA-Quest 2 (Hamamatsu Photonics) and our SPAD512².

This evaluation, conducted independently by Axiom Optics, showcases the capabilities of two different sensing technologies, qCMOS (sometimes also denoted as QIS [quanta image sensors]) and SPAD, under identical conditions, showing an advantage of SPAD technology in low light (<300 photons) scenarios coupled with short exposure times (<10 ms) and high frame rates (>100 fps). Axiom Optics tested the cameras with an Argo-HM fluorescent slide on an inverted fluorescence microscope with a 100 µs exposure time. The SPAD512², is shown to have a 5× to 10× higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The results, supplementing our white paper comparing sCMOS and SPAD technology, indicate a strong advantage of SPAD technology for low-light and high-speed applications.

The SPAD technology establishes an advantage by early digitalization. Photons are directly converted into digital pulses, eliminating the need for charge and voltage amplification and leading to zero read-out noise.