Topcon TRC-NW200 Fundus Camera

Although the NW-200 is self-contained, its lack of automated features and camera technology designate it as entry-level and basic.

Overview

UIf you’ll take a second look at Topcon NW200, you’ll notice that unlike most fundus imaging systems, the unit has no camera-back. The camera-back is a digital SLR camera (usually made by Canon) that actually takes the photo and creates the digital file; the machine itself is just a series of mirrors and lenses in which employs the actual capturing device. The NW200 is different in the sense that it utilizes it’s own CCD camera, and creates the file as an all-in-one unit. Think of other retinal cameras as an individual company whom outsources 75% of its operation. The Topcon is the inverse of that concept, performing all operations in a self contained unit– something that is quite an achievement. This of course comes with its pros and cons; we love the fact that a retinal camera has the ability to capture, record, and store digital fundus files all on a compact-flash card. We dislike the fact that we sacrifice some quality and megapixels by the lack of a serious DSLR camera. Make no mistake, the CCD camera produces suitable retinal photos, however its 3.1 megapixel camera lags behind modern competitors. We understand that since we’re not taking professional photos of a mountain landscape scene, megapixels may be over emphasized in our fundus imaging reviews, however it is the baseline for a quality photo. To add some clarity (pun intended), the NW200 takes great entry-level fundus photos, which can be assessed and diagnosed (from) easily… so long as that diagnosis does not require 5x of magnification zoom on your laptop.