Leica FIRECAM RELEASE NOTES V 3.4.1 User Manual

Leica FireCam

Release Notes V 3.4.1

Leica FireCam

Release Notes V3.4.1

Abstract

This document describes the V 3.4.1 release of Leica FireCam software for Apple Mac Intel or
PowerPC computers.

All reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that this publication is correct and complete, but
should any user be in doubt about any detail, clarification may be sought from Leica Microsystems
(Switzerland) Ltd, or their accredited representative. The information in this document is subject to
change without notice and should not be construed as a commitment by Leica Microsystems
(Switzerland) Ltd.

Leica Microsystems (Switzerland) Ltd. accepts no responsibility for any errors that may appear in this
document.

© Leica Microsystems (Switzerland) Ltd, 2009.

All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form, or
communicated to a third party without prior written permission of Leica Microsystems (Switzerland)
Ltd.

Due to a policy of continuous development, we reserve the right to change specifications without
notice.

Apple, Mac, Macintosh and FireWire are trademarks of Apple Computer Inc.

Date: June 2009

Table of Contents

1 Introduction 4

2 Installation 4

3 Reason for this Release 4

4 System Requirements 5

4.1 Operating System..............................................................................................5

4.2 Computer.............................................................................................................5

5 Changes in This Release 6

5.1 Fixes in 3.4.1........................................................................................................6

6 Changes in Previous Releases 7

6.1 Features in 3.4.0.................................................................................................7

6.2 Fixes in 3.4.0........................................................................................................7

6.3 Fixes in 3.3.1........................................................................................................7

6.4 Features in 3.3.0.................................................................................................7

6.5 Features in 3.2.0.................................................................................................7

6.6 Fixes in 3.2.0........................................................................................................7

6.7 Features in 3.1.0.................................................................................................8

6.8 Features in 3.0.1.................................................................................................8

6.9 Features in 3.0.0.................................................................................................8

6.10 Features in 2.0.1.................................................................................................8

6.11 Features in 2.0.0.................................................................................................8

7 Known Limitations 9

7.1 EC3 .......................................................................................................................9

7.2 USB1 ....................................................................................................................9

7.3 MacOS 10.4.8 (Tiger).........................................................................................9

7.4 Older Leica DFC cameras ................................................................................9

1 Introduction

This release supports the following Leica cameras and microscopes.

You should read this document before installing your copy of this software.

 DFC280
 DFC290
 DFC295
 DFC320
 DFC300 FX
 DFC310 FX
 DFC340 FX
 DFC350 FX
 DFC360 FX
 DFC420
 DFC420 C
 DFC480 R2
 DFC490
 IC D
 IC 3D
 DFC500
 EC3
 EZ4 D Stereomicroscope

Please identify the type of camera or microscope that you are using before
installing the software from this release.
If in doubt, check for the software specific to your equipment at the Leica
Microsystems websites:

www.leica-microsystems.com/camera_systems

(for Leica DFC cameras)
or

www.leica-microsystems.com/education

(for Leica EZ4 D stereomicroscopes & EC3 cameras)

2 Installation

Installation and operation of the software is detailed in the Leica FireCam
User Manual and Leica FireCam Help. The manual can also be found on the
CD.

Upon inserting the CD into your computer you should be presented with
options to install the software or browse to the supporting documentation on
the CD.

3 Reason for this Release

This version releases new functionality and maintenance that has taken place
since the release of version v3.4.0.

In particular, it fixes an issue with the Leica DFC480 R2 camera.

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 4 of 10

4 System Requirements

4.1 Operating System

Supported MacOS operating systems (32-bit & 64-bit):

10.4 (Tiger) or later.

Please use the latest updates. (Please see the limitations.)

(contact http://www.apple.com for updating your system)

You may need Administrative rights for installation.

4.2 Computer

The recommended computer specification is as follows:

 G4 PowerPC or Intel processor 1Ghz Mac, with 512 Mb RAM.

 Graphics: 128Mb RAM supporting 32 bit.

 4-pin or 6-pin or 9-pin FireWire Port for all Leica DFC cameras,

 USB 2.0 port (for EC3 camera or EZ4 D microscope)

 CD-ROM drive or internet connection for download.

Please Note:
Faster processors, additional RAM memory and more advanced graphics
adapters may improve the performance of Leica FireCam. Running other
programs at the same time may limit performance.

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 5 of 10

5 Changes in This Release

5.1 Fixes in 3.4.1

Leica DFC480 R2: Some Full Frame HQ images were captured as a bluish
image. This is fixed.

Leica DFC480 R2: The live image sometimes froze when adjusting the
exposure with up/down arrow buttons. This is fixed.

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 6 of 10

6 Changes in Previous Releases

6.1 Features in 3.4.0

Leica DFC295: This version introduces support for the DFC295.
This camera has a 1394b (800 Mb/s) FireWire connector, but can run on an
existing 1394a port with an A->B cable.

6.2 Fixes in 3.4.0

Leica EC3: In faster versions of MacBook Pro and Air, white balance
sometimes produced a greenish color. This has been fixed with the ability to
override the factory settings. See

6.3 Fixes in 3.3.1

Leica EC3: After capture, the frame rates sometimes slowed when used on
Mac OS v10.5 (Leopard). This is fixed.

6.4 Features in 3.3.0

Known limitations

.

Leica DFC310 FX: This version introduces support for DFC310FX.
This camera has a 1394b (800 Mb/s) FireWire connector, but can run on an
existing 1394a port with an A->B cable.

6.5 Features in 3.2.0

Leica DFC360 FX: This version introduces support for DFC360FX.
This camera has a 1394b (800 Mb/s) FireWire connector, but can run on an
existing 1394a port with an A->B cable.

64-bit: Mac OS 64-bit is supported.

10.3 (Panther): This operating system is no longer supported.

6.6 Fixes in 3.2.0

Histogram: Fixed gaps in the display.

JPEG & PNG file format: Fixed rotate and flip.

Auto-exposure: This was not refreshed upon recalling from a saved setting.
This is fixed.

Output Filename: This was not recalled from a saved setting. This is fixed.

Leica DFC300/350 FX: Supports early models of this camera.

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 7 of 10

6.7 Features in 3.1.0

External Editor: Provides an option to open images automatically in an
external editor after capture.

Supports Full Screen mode.

6.8 Features in 3.0.1

FireCam now supports Leica DFC500 cameras on computers with Intel
processors. Please see the limitations.

6.9 Features in 3.0.0

FireCam now supports Leica DFC cameras on computers with Intel
processors.

Introduces support for Leica DFC290 and Leica DFC420 C cameras.

6.10 Features in 2.0.1

FireCam now supports computers with Intel processors.

6.11 Features in 2.0.0

This is the first release of the software for Leica EZ4 D Stereomicroscopes.

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 8 of 10

7 Known Limitations

7.1 EC3

Some faster versions of MacBook Pro and Air may produce a white balance
that is green. In this case, the EC3 factory color settings can be overridden
with the following adjustment in FireCam>Preferences>Camera:

If the color balance is too green, reduce the value in the green edit box, or
increase the values in the red and/or blue boxes. Similarly adjust the colors of
the other values if necessary. You can press Reset to return existing values.

7.2 USB1

USB 1.0 or 1.1 (Standard USB) are not supported in Leica FireCam. Your
computer must support USB 2.0 (High-Speed USB) to use the Leica EZ4 D or
Leica EC3 correctly.

7.3 MacOS 10.4.8 (Tiger)

The Leica DFC500 does not operate in this specific version of Mac OS.
Use 10.4.9 or higher.

7.4 Older Leica DFC cameras

The following Leica cameras are not supported:

DFC480 R1
DFC300/F
DFC350F
DC500

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 9 of 10

Switzerland

www.leica

-

microsystems.com

Leica Microsystems (Switzerland) Ltd Customer Support Tel: [phone]
Stereo and Macroscope Systems Fax: [phone]
CH 9435 Heerbrugg [e-mail]

Leica FireCam Release Notes Page 10 of 10