The N50 and N60 are nanovolume-only instruments. They read 0.3 to 3.5 µl directly on a sampling surface and do not have a cuvette path. The NP80 combines both modes. It has the same NanoVolume sampling surface and also accepts a standard cuvette, making it the better choice when you need both measurement modes on a single instrument.
Instruments & Consumables
Photo- & Spectrophotometers
Implen NanoPhotometer spectrophotometers for microvolume nucleic acid and protein quantification
Matching the instrument to your sample volume and throughput stops quantification being a bottleneck. Options range from single-sample cuvette and nanovolume readers to twelve-sample multichannel and dedicated OD600 models.
C40 - cuvette-based standard spectrophotometer. The C40 measures your samples in a standard cuvette (1 cm path length). It covers DNA, RNA and protein assays. It suits low-concentration samples and colorimetric assays such as Bradford and BCA that need a larger volume and longer path for your assay.
N50 - nanovolume UV/Vis, no cuvette. The N50 measures 0.3 to 3.5 µl of your undiluted sample directly on the NanoVolume sampling surface, as a drop, with no cuvette needed. It measures DNA, RNA, and protein by absorbance and reports 260/280 and 260/230 purity ratios for your sample.
N60 - nanovolume UV/Vis with touchscreen. The N60 covers a broader concentration range than the N50 for your samples. It scans the whole wavelength span of 200 to 900 nm.
NP80 - combined nanovolume and cuvette in one instrument. The NP80 measures nanovolumes and also includes a cuvette holder for cuvette-based measurements. This makes it a versatile single instrument for your bench, able to switch between nanovolume and cuvette measurement without changing instruments.
N120 - multichannel nanovolume for higher throughput. The N120 measures twelve nanovolume samples at once in a single pass, using a multi-channel pipette. It suits your workflows that process many samples together, such as library preparation batches or plate-based extraction runs. High-throughput quantification before sequencing is a common use.
OD600 DiluPhotometer. This is a single-wavelength photometer for bacterial and yeast growth monitoring at approximately 600 nm. Main applications are measuring optical density in your bacterial or yeast cultures and protein quantification. It is not a general-purpose UV/Vis spectrophotometer. The DiluCell virtual-dilution cuvette applies a fixed, calibrated dilution factor optically, so dense cultures that fall outside the linear range of a standard cuvette can be read accurately without manual serial dilution. It suits growth-curve experiments, inoculation decisions, and fermentation monitoring at your bench or in an anaerobic chamber.
For your regulated environment, an IQ/OQ validation package and CFR 21 Part 11 compliant software are available for the NanoPhotometer instruments.
Choosing the right NanoPhotometer instrument
The comparison below identifies the right model for your workflow.
1. Wavelength range. If your work needs a NanoPhotometer that scans multiple wavelengths, one of the NanoPhotometer models fits. For a fixed 600 nm wavelength only, the OD600 is the match; it measures optical density in bacterial or yeast cultures and supports protein quantification such as Bradford assays.
2. Sample throughput. For measuring several of your samples at once, the N120 is the match.
3. Cuvette or drop format. For a cuvette slot, the C40 or NP80 fits your setup. For nanovolume measurement, the N50, N60 or NP80 covers it. The NP80 handles both cuvette and nanovolume samples in one instrument.
4. Regulated environments. An IQ/OQ package and CFR 21 Part 11 software are available for NanoPhotometer instruments, for your regulated workflow. Confirm requirements at enquiry stage.
Applications
Nucleic acid concentration and purity QC after extraction
A direct NanoVolume read on 1 to 2 µl reports your sample's concentration and purity after nucleic acid purification kits are used.
Quantification accuracy before qPCR, ddPCR and NGS library prep
Concentration accuracy affects downstream results, so your samples are checked before normalisation for library preparation.
Direct A280 protein quantification
Your purified proteins with a known extinction coefficient are measured directly by A280 in nanovolume or cuvette mode, without a separate colorimetric assay.
Colorimetric protein quantification for crude lysates
Bradford, BCA and Lowry measure your protein without known extinction coefficients, run in cuvette mode with protein quantification kits.
Bacterial and yeast growth monitoring by OD600
The OD600 DiluPhotometer tracks your culture density at 600 nm, guiding growth-curve experiments and inoculation decisions at the bench.
Dense culture measurement without manual dilution
The DiluCell virtual-dilution cuvette applies a fixed dilution factor, so your dense cultures read accurately without serial dilution.
Product Catalog
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Implen OD600 Photometer
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Frequently asked questions
Microvolume instruments measure 1 to 2 µl of undiluted sample on a short optical path. This is faster and uses far less material than diluting into a 1 ml cuvette, and it removes dilution errors. Very dilute samples may read more accurately in a cuvette with a longer path length. Instruments offering both paths, such as the NP80, or the C40 alongside a nanovolume model, cover the widest range of concentrations.
The 260/280 ratio reports nucleic acid purity relative to protein. Pure DNA reads near 1.8, and pure RNA reads near 2.0. Lower values suggest protein contamination. The 260/230 ratio indicates contamination by chaotropic salts, guanidine, ethanol, or carbohydrates. Values below 1.8 suggest carry-over that can inhibit downstream enzymes.
Yes. Direct A280 measurement works for purified proteins with a known extinction coefficient. Colorimetric assays such as Bradford, BCA, and Lowry can also be run in cuvette mode (C40, NP80) when you measure total protein in a crude lysate where individual extinction coefficients are unknown.
The DiluCell is a specialised cuvette insert for the OD600 DiluPhotometer that introduces a fixed, calibrated virtual dilution factor. Dense bacterial or yeast cultures that exceed the linear OD600 range of a standard cuvette can be measured directly in the DiluCell. The instrument applies the dilution correction automatically and reports the true OD600 value. This removes the need for manual serial dilution.
Product catalogs
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