Limited time-resolution in microscopy is an obstacle to many biological studies. Despite recent advances in hardware, digital cameras have limited operation modes that constrain frame-rate, integration time, and color sensing patterns. In this paper, we propose an approach to extend the temporal resolution of a conventional digital color camera by leveraging a multi-color illumination source. Our method allows for the imaging of single-hue objects at an increased frame-rate by trading spectral for temporal information (while retaining the ability to measure base hue). It also allows rapid switching to standard RGB acquisition. We evaluated the feasibility and performance of our method via experiments with mobile resolution targets. We observed a time-resolution increase by a factor 2.8 with a three-fold increase in temporal sampling rate. We further illustrate the use of our method to image the beating heart of a zebrafish larva, allowing the display of color or fast grayscale images. Our method is particularly well-suited to extend the capabilities of imaging systems where the flexibility of rapidly switching between high frame rate and color imaging are necessary.
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