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From 12 to 71 MP, multi-megapixel industrial cameras has never been so cheap!

Multi-Megapixel imaging has come down significantly in price in the last few months.

In comparison to previous multi-megapixel CCD image sensors, the price per pixel has been reduced by almost 50%!

This is being fueled by new CMOS image sensors from ON-Semiconductor and Sony and are now debuting in several camera lines.  

Additionally, Crowley has reduced the price on the 71MP USB3 camera making it extremely affordable for many applications.  With a resolution of 10,000 x 7,096 @ 3 frames per second, this camera is excellent for applications ranging from aerial surveillance to industrial machine vision applications.  


The new CMOS image sensors bring exceptional sensitivity, lower noise, increased speeds and best of all, lower prices!  

These multi-megapixel (high resolution) sensors are available in 12, 16, 25 and 71 megapixel resolutions with their specifications below along.

Specifications on multi-megapixel industrial cameras  
(click on camera for full specifications or sensor for specs)


12MP – AVT – Manta G-1236  (Sony Pregius IMX304)
16MP – Dalsa Nano XL-M4090  (On-Semi PYTHON NOIP1SN016KA)
25MP – Dalsa Nano XL-M5100  (On-Semi PYTHON NOIP1SN025KA)


71MP- Crowley – MACHCAM   (CMOSIS CHR70M  )  NEW low price just released!

Applications include: 

  • Aerial Surveillance
  • Metrology
  • Semiconductor, LCD / PCB  Inspection
  • Archival Scanning (Documents and Micrographics)
  • General Machine Vision and more

Remember, lens selection is as important as the camera selection.  Don’t pay for a camera and throw away pixels due to lack of lens resolution.  1st Vision has experts on hand to help you in the lens selection!   

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Product Release – Allied Vision expands the Manta product line with G-895 (8.9 MP) and G-1236 (12 MP) CMOS cameras

Allied Vision has expanded the versatile Manta product line using the latest CMOS image sensors from Sony.  Using the new Sony Pregius IMX267 (8.9 MP) and IMX304 (12 MP) sensors, these cameras bring high resolution with great image quality.


Like all Sony Pregius sensors, they deliver unprecedented image quality for a CMOS sensor, equaling and even outperforming comparable CCD’s.  Best yet, Allied Visions price points for these cameras are significantly lower than older CCD image sensors of comparable resolution!  



Highlights on the new cameras as follows:

Allied Vision Manta G-895 with 8.9 Megapixel Sony CMOS sensor

The Manta G-895 uses the Sony Pregius sensors with a 12 bit ADC, has high Dynamic range with very low temporal dark noise.

This camera provides extremely high sensitivity providing overall excellent performance. 

With a smaller sensor than older 8MP cameras (KAI-08050), lower cost and better performance, this is a great choice for new and existing upgrades in this resolution.  















Allied Vision Manta G-1236 with 12.3 Megapixel Sony CMOS sensor

 Allied Vision is the first to market with the Sony Pregius IMX304 sensor!  


The Manta G-1236 incorporates the IMX304 CMOS Sony Pregius sensor with a 12 bit ADC, and has a Dynamic range of 71.9 dB with temporal dark noise of only 1.98 e-.  

As with the 8.9MP sensor, this camera also provides excellent low light sensitivity with excellent performance.

The IMX304 has a 1.1″ image format with a 3.45 pixel pitch which requires an adequate lens.  We recommend Tamron’s 1.1″ format lenses for this sensor.  Read more here





Common Features in the Manta product line:

  • Auto-gain (manual gain control:  0 to 40 dB)
  • Auto exposure
  • Auto white balance settings (color cameras only ) 
  • Decimation
  • Gamma correction    
  • Trigger over Ethernet (ToE) 
  • Power over Ethernet (PoE)
  • Modular concept allowing for angled heads, optical filters, lens mounts and board level options on some models.  
  • Many other features including Auto-Iris (Video), IEEE1588 prcision timing protocol included.    

Contact us for a quote on the new cameras!


See the full specifications for the Allied Vison Manta series

Manta G-1236  4112 x 3088, 9.7 fps, Sony IMX304
Manta G-895  4112 x 2176, 13.4 fps, Sony IMX267
For all Allied Vision cameras click here now!

   

Please note:  For the larger sensors, its imperative to match up the proper lens to the sensor.  1st Vision carries many 1″ and 1.1″ format lenses.  (click on sort to see all 1″ and 1.1″ lenses together)

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New High Resolution 1.1” Lenses are a perfect fit for the new Sony 1.1” 12 MP Sensor cameras

Sony’s Pregius image sensor line has continued to expand to higher resolutions and sizes.

The latest 12 megapixel, Pregius IMX304 sensor has a 3.45um pixel pitch which requires a 1.1″ lens to prevent vignetting.

 In order to obtain optimal contrast within an image using this sensor,  a lens supporting at least 145 line pairs / mm must be used.

 


The lenses are optimized for down to 3.1um pixel pitch images.  Use of state of the art optical technology enables high contrast and high resolution from the center to edges of the lens, despite the large lens aperture.   

Examples below






The image to the left demonstrates improper pairing of a lens without enough performance to adequately resolve the size of the pixels on the camera.  Zooming into the given areas shows lack of contrast

 

 

The image to the right demonstrates the performance of the Tamron 1.1″ lens on the new 12MP, 3.45um pixel pitch image sensors.  Zooming into the given areas show high contrast in the center and edges of the lens.




Alternative solutions prior to now would be to use a 4/3″ or F-mount lens which are very expensive.  If a 1″ format was used, you will have vignetting on 5% of the edges of the lens. This lens is the best solution for the larger 1.1″ sensors!

Key Features include

  • Compatible up to 1.1″ C-mount cameras:  Compatible with image sensors up to 1.1″ formats and image circle diameters of 17.4mm (effective image circle diameter to 17.6mm).  
  • Industrial leading high contrast and resolution:  Compatible with 3.1um pixel pitch image sensors, up to 1.1″ sensors.  Perfect for Sony Pregius IMX304, 12 megapixel sensors.
  • Lens designed for High-Fidelity imaging:  Uniform high contrast and resolution from the corners to the center despite the large aperture size.  Provides 160 lp/mm in the centers.  
  • Combination of advanced coating technology:  Integration of advanced techniques such as broad band anti-reflection coatings are used, additionally allowing for high image quality at close distances. 
  • Enhanced Functionality and Utility:  Well tuned rotation torque of both focus and iris control rings facilities smooth adjustments.  Lock mechanisms on the rings can be positioned at a choice of tree lock positions.   

 

 

Interested in cameras using the new 
Sony Pregius IMX304 12 Megapixel image sensor?  


A list of current cameras with this sensor are below: 

Allied Vision cameras
Manta G-1236 – GigE, 4112 x 3008, 9.7 fps, 

Teledyne Dalsa cameras
Genie Nano M4020 / C4020  (Coming soon!)

 

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White Paper – Learn about High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging techniques for Machine Vision

What is High Dynamic Range (HDR) Imaging for machine vision?

First we need to understand what is dynamic range in an image! 

Dynamic range is a term used to describe the difference between the brightest part of a scene and the darkest part of a scene at a given moment in time – essentially the amount of contrast within a single image.  

The four images above provide an example of a high dynamic range scene.  Note how there are details in each exposure that may not be visible in a different exposure (Note that we can see the buildings in the lower right image vs the upper left image). None of the exposures can capture the entire scene without under-saturing (turning dark) or over-saturating (turning white)

In many imaging applications it becomes difficult to discern the dark and bright areas due to lack of dynamic range within the camera.  In turn, cameras using HDR methods must be utilized in order to obtain a high dynamic range image.  

This white paper provides a technical background explaining HDR imaging.   You will learn about various methods used to achieve HDR images including  sequential image fusion, multi-slope pixel integration and dual-sensor image fusion.  Industrial cameras from JAI are identified that support these various methods.  
 
By utilizing the best HDR methods and camera solutions, a HDR image can be achieved and provide detail in the bright and dark areas of an image.  (HDR image below) 
 
“StLouisArchMultiExpEV-4.72” by Kevin McCoy – Own work.  Licenced under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons 
://commons.wikimedia.org
 

1stVision has a staff of engineers all with +25 years of experience in the industrial imaging market.  Contact us to help answer your questions and provide a complete solution including cameras, lenses, lighting and cables.