Olympus has launched the new and improved cell* family range of mutually compatible imaging systems, combining excellent performance with user-friendly operation. The first two members of this family, cell^A and cell^B are entrylevel software packages for image acquisition, reporting and archiving for standard life science applications. The cell^A system is the ideal stepping-stone into digital image acquisition in routine research microscopy whereas cell^B encompasses all of the functions of cell^A along with a host of additional features. This provides a well-balanced imaging system for documentation and archiving in basic cell microscopy.