Nikon advanced modulation contrast (NAMC)

NAMC combines oblique illumination with a modulation contrast approach to visualize differences in phase across a sample. Differential interference contrast is unsuitable for observing cells in plastic dishes due to strain patterns and phase contrast suffers from halo and shade-off artifacts with large sample features. NAMC offers an alternative strategy that avoids these issues and is popular for in vitro fertilization (IVF) applications.