Finger Lakes Instrumentation

What Finger Lakes Instrumentation does

Finger Lakes Instrumentation (FLI) is a privately held US manufacturer of low-noise cooled scientific cameras founded in 2000 and headquartered at 200 Tech Park Drive, Rochester, NY. The company designs and produces six core product lines — three CMOS cameras (Kepler for Space Domain Awareness, Aurora for life sciences with Sony IMX sensors at 90% quantum efficiency, and Revelation for OEM integration) and three CCD cameras (MicroLine for compact applications, ProLine for filter-wheel-integrated long-exposure imaging, and Hyperion as a shallow-form-factor variant) — alongside a proprietary accessory ecosystem of color filter wheels (CFW series), CenterLine dual-carousel filter wheels, and camera adapters. Underlying technology centers on Peltier-based thermoelectric sensor cooling, sealed sensor chambers engineered for extreme reliability in remote and OEM environments, deep-depletion back-illuminated CCD sensors with enhanced near-infrared coatings, and a cross-platform open-source SDK supporting Windows, Linux, and macOS. FLI is TUV-certified and emphasizes that all products are engineered, built, and serviced in New York.

FLI serves four primary customer segments: astronomy and astrophysics research institutions (its original market, including observatories from the high arctic to the Antarctic and a referenced role in the TRAPPIST exoplanet discovery), life sciences OEM manufacturers (with stated cumulative shipments of 10,000+ cameras for next-generation sequencing, fluorescence, mass cytometry, X-ray crystallography, chemiluminescence, PCR, and veterinary X-ray), Space Domain Awareness programs for ground-based satellite tracking and space debris imaging, and a long tail of industrial and forensic imaging applications. The company sells on a quote-based pricing model — no public list prices are disclosed — through its own website and an authorized distributor network covering more than 50 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and the Middle East. Cumulative shipments exceed 20,000 cameras since 2000.

FLI operates as Finger Lakes Instrumentation LLC, a privately held New York LLC with no parent company, no disclosed institutional investors, no M&A history, and no published financials. There are no funding rounds, leadership changes, or certifications on record beyond the TUV mark referenced in marketing. Revenue is generated exclusively through hardware sales and accessory bundling, with software (SDK, ASCOM/INDI/LabVIEW/MatLab/Python drivers) provided to support integration rather than as a separate monetized line.

Name

Finger Lakes Instrumentation

Legal name

Finger Lakes Instrumentation LLC

Website

https://flicamera.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Finger Lakes Instrumentation is a privately held US manufacturer of low-noise cooled CCD and CMOS scientific cameras serving astronomy research, life sciences OEM, Space Domain Awareness, and industrial imaging customers across more than 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scientific Imaging Cameras

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511), Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing (334516)

SIC

Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812)

akta.pro primary industry

Imaging Sensors (CMOS/CCD/ToF/Depth) (HDAHALAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sensors, MEMS & Imaging ICs (HDAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Cooled CCD cameras
• Scientific imaging cameras
• Low-noise CMOS cameras
• Thermoelectric cooled sensors
• Astronomy life science imaging

Headquarters

HQ city

Rochester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Scientific Camera Sales: FLI generates revenue through the sale of cooled CMOS and CCD scientific cameras, including Kepler, Aurora, Revelation, MicroLine, ProLine, and Hyperion product lines, along with accessories such as color filter wheels and adapters.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FLI designs, engineers, manufactures, and services low-noise cooled CCD and CMOS scientific cameras in Rochester, NY, selling three CMOS camera lines (Kepler, Aurora, Revelation) and three CCD camera lines (MicroLine, ProLine, Hyperion), together with supporting accessories such as Color Filter Wheels, CenterLine dual-carousel filter wheels, and lens adapters. The cameras use Peltier thermoelectric cooling and proprietary sealed sensor chambers to enable long-exposure, low-noise imaging for astronomy research, life-science OEM integration, Space Domain Awareness, and industrial/forensic inspection customers in over 50 countries.

Product overview

Finger Lakes Instrumentation offers a comprehensive portfolio of scientific imaging products designed and manufactured in the USA. The product lineup consists of three CMOS camera lines (Kepler for Space Domain Awareness, Aurora for life sciences, and Revelation for OEM integration) and three CCD camera lines (MicroLine for compact applications, ProLine for demanding environments with filter wheel integration, and Hyperion for shallow form factor needs). Accessories include Color Filter Wheels and CenterLine dual-carousel filter wheels, plus camera adapters supporting Nikon F-mount and Canon EOS lenses. The company serves applications in astronomy, life sciences, Space Domain Awareness, forensics, and OEM integration across over 50 countries worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kepler: High-speed, low-noise CMOS cameras designed for Space Domain Awareness with wide field of view, high frame rates, and exceptional quantum efficiency.
• Aurora
• Revelation
• MicroLine
• ProLine
• Hyperion
• CenterLine

Products and services

• Kepler CMOS Camera High-speed, low-noise cooled CMOS camera line designed for Space Domain Awareness and other advanced applications; delivers high frame rates, wide field of view, and exceptional quantum efficiency for continuous 24-hour day and night imaging by government, defense, and research customers.
• Aurora CMOS Camera Cooled CMOS camera line featuring Sony IMX sensors with 90% quantum efficiency, designed for life-science and astronomy imaging requiring high resolution and high quantitative accuracy, with native support for FLI Pilot software.
• Revelation CMOS Camera Cooled CMOS camera supporting a wide range of Sony IMX sensors with high sensitivity and low noise in a thin-profile, cost-effective form factor designed for easy integration into compact OEM systems, with SDK and customer support included.
• MicroLine CCD Camera Compact, lightweight cooled CCD camera providing outstanding noise, frame quality, download speeds, bit-depth, and CCD cooling performance for demanding astronomy and OEM environments, with an optional copper heatsink for extra deep-cooling margin.
• ProLine CCD Camera High-precision cooled CCD camera with direct connection to FLI filter wheels and 15-micron pixels optimized for extended exposures with long focal length optics in research and OEM applications.
• Hyperion CCD Camera Cooled CCD camera with a shallower form factor than MicroLine, high quantum efficiency, and exceptionally low read noise, supporting back-illuminated CCDs and serving applications requiring compact design alongside the MicroLine family.
• Color Filter Wheels (CFW Series) Precision-engineered color filter wheels with no-slip drive chain, stepper motor, and precision-ground pivot pin for smooth, quiet operation, offered in CFW14-5, CFW1-5, CFW1-8-25, CFW1-8-28, CFW2-7, CFW5-7, CFW8-8RND, CFW8-8SQ, and CFW9-5 configurations for various filter sizes.
• CenterLine Filter Wheels (CL Series) Dual-carousel filter wheels with a center aperture that maintains telescope balance, offered in CL-1-10 (ten positions for 50mm square filters) and CL-1-14 (fourteen positions for 50mm round filters) configurations.
• Camera Adapters Adapters for lens mounting including Nikon F-mount, Canon EOS, C-mount, and micro 4/3 standard options, with models such as AD27 for MicroLine/Nikon and AD21 for ProLine/MicroLine with 65mm shutter.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 20,000 cameras shipped worldwide since 2000
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered regional and minor.

• Cloud Break Optics LLCregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS authorized distributor based in Seattle, WA (2821 NW Market St, Ste G, Seattle, WA 98107). Provides local sales and support for FLI cameras in the Pacific Northwest region.
• StarizonaregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS authorized distributor based in Tucson, AZ (5757 North Oracle Rd, Tucson, AZ 85704). Provides sales and support for FLI products in the Southwest US.
• TolgaAstro LLCregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS authorized distributor based in Parlin, NJ (111 Pointe of Woods Dr, Parlin, NJ 08859). Provides sales and support for FLI products in the Northeast US.
• Woodland Hills Camera & TelescoperegionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS authorized distributor based in Woodland Hills, CA (5348 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Woodland Hills, CA 91364). Major US distributor providing sales and support for FLI products in California and surrounding states.
• ASA Astrosysteme GmbHregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustrian authorized distributor providing sales and support for FLI products in Austria.
• ASTELCO Systems GmbHregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman authorized distributor based in Martinsried/München (Fraunhoferstrasse 14, D-82152). Provides sales and support for FLI products in Germany.
• Baader PlanetariumregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGerman authorized distributor based in Mammendorf (Zur Sternwarte 4, DE-82291). Provides sales and support for FLI products in Germany.
• Officina Stellare s.r.l.regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorItalian authorized distributor based in Thiene (Via San Sebastiano, 27, 36016). Provides sales and support for FLI products in Italy.
• Beijing MicroviewregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChinese authorized distributor based in Beijing (29 Shangdi Zhufang Rd, Haidian District, Beijing 100085). Provides sales and support for FLI products in China.
• Galaxy Scientific GroupregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHong Kong authorized distributor (2205 CCT Telecom Building, 11 Wo Shing Street, Fo Tan, Shatin). Provides sales and support for FLI products in Hong Kong.
• Multipix Imaging LtdregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK authorized distributor based in Petersfield (1 Ridgeway Office Park, Bedford Road, GU32 3QF). Provides sales and support for FLI products in the United Kingdom.
• SixclearminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProvides LabVIEW training and integration support for FLI's legacy products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Hamamatsu Photonics: Hamamatsu manufactures scientific CCD and sCMOS cameras and OEM image sensors used in microscopy, astronomy, and life sciences — competing with FLI in both camera modules and sensor integration.
• Andor (Oxford Instruments): Andor designs and manufactures scientific CCD, EMCCD, and sCMOS cameras for applications spanning astronomy, life sciences, and physical sciences — directly overlapping FLI's Kepler/Aurora/MicroLine/ProLine product positioning and integrator ecosystem.
• QImaging: QImaging designs cooled CCD and CMOS cameras for life sciences microscopy, a key OEM- and end-user-driven segment where FLI also competes.
• Teledyne Photometrics: Teledyne Photometrics makes cooled CCD and sCMOS cameras for life sciences and physical sciences research, competing head-to-head with FLI's Aurora, MicroLine, and ProLine OEM-oriented product lines.
• PCO (Excelitas Technologies): PCO designs high-sensitivity sCMOS and CCD scientific cameras used in research and OEM applications, directly competing with FLI's high-speed, low-noise scientific camera offerings.
• Raptor Photonics: Raptor Photonics develops scientific low-noise CCD and CMOS cameras for astronomy, life sciences, and surveillance applications, overlapping FLI's target segments and product approach.
• Teledyne Princeton Instruments: Princeton Instruments manufactures high-performance scientific CCD, CMOS, and InGaAs cameras for spectroscopy, astronomy, and imaging — overlapping FLI's cooled CCD portfolio and deep-depletion NIR capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• Teledyne FLIR: Teledyne FLIR produces a wide range of cooled and uncooled scientific and industrial cameras (including astronomy and OEM variants) that compete with FLI across multiple application segments.
• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a broad photonics and imaging component supplier offering scientific cameras alongside optics and detectors — adjacent competitor with overlap in life sciences and physics research imaging.

Emerging players

• XIMEA: XIMEA makes compact scientific and industrial cameras, including cooled CMOS models, that overlap with FLI's OEM-focused Revelation line for life sciences and industrial imaging.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FingerLakesInstrumentation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Finger Lakes Instrumentation