Industrial cameras play in a completely different league compared to WEB cams. Tailored for performance, they are at the top of the food chain in terms of accuracy and speed of laser detection
Advantage
- Higher quality of the image sensors used
This means that higher resolutions are available at higher frame rates (frames per second) - C / CS mount lens connector
A large number of lenses are available through the use of standardized C / CS mount lens connections - Complete documentation
Sensor sizes and sensor pixel sizes will be announced by the manufacturer. This enables the lenses to be perfectly matched - Zoom lenses
Used zoom lenses can visually reproduce the filmed screen in full format (thus higher resolution and more accurate shot detection) - USB3 connection
Compared to the relatively old USB2 port, more computer resources are available (less overhead and less resource consumption)
Disadvantage
- More expensive
A combination of an industrial camera and a suitable lens can quickly cost more than 500 euros - Various factors have to be considered
- The image sensor size
It determines the imaging angle of the lens (a larger sensor has a larger one, a smaller sensor has a smaller viewing angle)
Among other things, it also determines whether the lens fits the sensor - The image sensor pixel size
This should correspond to the optical resolution of the lens. Most C / CS mount lenses are from the time of analog television broadcasting. Accordingly, they dissolve the picture badly. Even the most expensive camera with the best image sensor is of no use - Lens intermediate ring
With an intermediate ring of 5.026 mm you can convert a C-mount lens into a CS-mount lens or a CS-mount camera into a C-mount camera - Optical distortion of the lens
The distortion should be as low as possible (barrel or pillow distortion). Certain lens manufacturers do not state this because the removal of the distortions causes higher costs (better remuneration, more precise grinding, aspherical lenses, more precise lens mounting)
- The image sensor size
Admittedly, finding a good combination is relatively tricky. It took me more than a month to find just a suitable lens. I now introduce you to a good camera-lens combination
KOWA LMVZ4411
This is the best lens at an affordable price. My absolute favourite
- F-1.6 over the entire zoom range. The smaller this value, the higher the light intensity. A high light intensity achieves high frame rates (frames per second) even without manual adjustment in the camera control software
- The slightest distortion (o.1% to maximum o.35%) is an absolute dream value
2.5x zoom range (4 to 11 mm, how much the viewing angle is now determines the size of the sensor) - C-mount lens connector
Optical resolution 4.5μm (perfect for 1920 x 1080/16: 9/2 MegaPixel) - Sensor size 9mm in diameter (this corresponds to a 1 / 1.8 inch sensor format) This is the size of the image that the lens images on the image sensor. The camera image sensor can now be the same or smaller, but never larger
DFK 23UM021
One of the best still affordable cameras with high resolution and high frame rate
- 80 frames per second at a resolution of 1280 × 720 (0.9 megapixels)
- Pixel size 3.75μm (a bit smaller than the lens, but in an absolutely reasonable range)
- Sensor format 1/3 inch (important for determining the viewing angle of the lens)
Schneider-Kreuznach 090 E color filter
Best quality, protects the lens at the same time
- Reduces green & blue (better contrast for laser point detection)
- Allows red and infrared to pass through (for red laser and infrared laser detection)
C / CS mount adapter
This adapter is required for mounting the lens on the camera (C-mount to CS-mount)
USB3 connection cable
The lengths of full / hi-speed and low-speed cables from the hub to the device are limited to three and five meters, respectively
Longer distances can be overcome by interposing USB hubs. I generally recommend only the highest quality cables and, if the required length is more than 3 meters, a USB hub between the individual cables
Using this example, you can now use our lens calculator to calculate the distance (camera to screen) at which the screen width is in the corresponding zoom range.
The following information is required
- Format of the sensor (can be seen in the technical specifications of the camera)
1/3 inch - The format of the sensor determines the horizontal optical angle of the lens (see the technical specifications of the lens)
With a 1/3 inch sensor format, the above zoom lens has a horizontal angle of 25 ° to 55.5 ° (degrees)
Now you can use the angle and the distance of the camera to the screen to adjust the width of the screen