Cameras Archives - Page 2 of 44 - 1stVision Inc.

July 24, 2026July 24, 2026

RGB / NIR applications with DALSA Linea Multispectral

Multispectral imaging, in general terms, creates solutions that draw on spectral response from two or more regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. So it might be UV+VIS or VIS+IR, for example. And VIS might be monochrome (with or without filters) or color. And IR might be any of NIR, SWIR, MWIR, or LWIR. If you can add value and competitive advantage through an application built on a multispectral approach, there are cameras, sensors, lenses, filters, and lighting to support your design.

Traditionally one would need two different cameras to create a multispectral solution. That’s because most cameras are designed around a sensor that is optimized for just one portion of the spectrum. While there are good reasons behind cameras that “specialize” on just a segment of the spectrum, it creates multi-camera integration challenges for those who want to build multispectral solutions. Until now…

RGB / NIR with DALSA Linea ML-FC-08K07N

Take a look at the response curve below. The 8K DALSA proprietary CMOS sensor used in the Linea ML-FC-08K07N camera performs well on both sides of 700 nm. To the left it’s responsive in the VIS portion of the spectrum, from 400 – 700 nm. And to the right it does well in NIR, from 800 – 1000 nm. That’s an unusual and powerful range.

Applications potential

Banknote and secure documents inspection: The visible inspection handles geometric feature checks, while NIR looks for special inks that appear only in those wavelengths.

Semiconductor wafer and PCB inspection: Find defects below the surface with NIR. While doing surface inspection in VIS.

Multisource imaging

Suppose you need to capture both brightfield and darkfield images of the same linescan continuous target. While one could set up two different cameras, calculate offset timing based on motion characteristics, and integrate or compare images on the host…

… with multiple strobed light sources… and the DALSA ML 8K camera sensitive to both VIS and NIR, the same camera can capture both brightfield and darkfield images in a single pass.

Courtesy Teledyne DALSA

Key features include:

8,192×4 multiline trilinear color & NIR CMOS line scan sensor

Camera Link HS Fiber interface*

75kHz scan rate

72dB dynamic range

(*) Linea ML is DALSA’s first camera with native fiber optic connectors. No adapters or converters required. Fiber has two key advantages: (1) long cable runs beyond copper cable performance; (2) immunity to electrical interference

CLHS native fiber interface – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA

Linea Multispectral Line scan – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA

Line scan and multispectral imaging are both a bit more obscure than area scan machine vision. But each incredibly powerful, either alone or in combination. We’d be delighted to understand your application goals and constraints, to help you determine solution options.

1st Vision’s sales engineers have over 100 years of combined experience to assist in your camera and components selection. With a large portfolio of cameras, lenses, cables, NIC cards and industrial computers, we can provide a full vision solution!

About you: We want to hear from you! We’ve built our brand on our know-how and like to educate the marketplace on imaging technology topics… What would you like to hear about?… Drop a line to info@1stvision.com with what topics you’d like to know more about.

#Multispectral

#LineaML

July 6, 2026July 6, 2026

KOWA Innovations: New LF Large Format ruggedized lenses

Kowa LF high-resolution large-format machine vision lenses are engineered for rigorous industrial imaging. With a 46.0mm image circle, these optics are optimized for 4K line scan cameras and large-sensor area scan systems.

Rugged large format lenses – Courtesy Kowa

Two mount options

F-mount or TFL-II mount

Large image circle options up to approximately 43.3mm to 46mm depending on model.
For sensors with pixel sizes from 7.5µm on LF line scan models and 3.1µm on CLS color line scan model.
Very low distortion for web, print, packaging and materials inspection
Manual focus and iris control.

Noteworthy features

Anti-Rattle F-Mount: Ensures the lens stays locked in place to eliminate image shake in vibration-prone installations.

Enhanced Thumb-Screw Retention: Specialized slide mechanisms prevent thumb screws from working loose, yet allow swift lens removal or changeout as needed.

4K-Ready Optics, Multiple Focal Lengths: Designed for 4K line scan and high-resolution imaging, the LF Series is available in 28 mm, 35 mm, and 50 mm focal lengths for a range of applications.

Industrial reliability: The new ruggedized LF prototypes set a new standard for stability and service life, delivering secure imaging performance under the most demanding circumstances.

Lens selection

If you are a seasoned imaging professional, you may know exactly how to choose the optimal lens, from the large range of available lenses.

Or you may prefer a guided approach.

Or a hybrid approach, using your own review of key considerations in machine vision lens selection, together with our guidance.

#Largeformat

#F-mount

#TFL-II

June 1, 2026June 1, 2026

FLIR Blackfly S now available through 1stVision

New to the 1stVision portfolio, FLIR Blackfly S are available in compact housed and board-level models, with lossless compression, achieving both high speed and high image quality.

Features and Benefits

USB3 Vision and GigE Vision interface models

Sony Pregius S and ON Semi CMOS sensors for high sensitivity, low noise image quality

Compact 29 × 29 mm “ice cube” form factor simplifies integration in tight spaces

Wide resolution range (<1 MP to 20+ MP) supports speed or precision optimization

Advanced on-camera image processing include color correction, lossless compression, lens shading correction

Advanced camera controls (sequencer, timers, counters, events) enable precise automation

Develop Once, Deploy Everywhere

With tens of different models of FLIR Blackfly S, cameras, Teledyne Vision Solutions emphasizes “develop once, deploy everywhere”. Since each housed model has the same form factor, varying only by sensor, from < 1MP to > 24MP, the same SDK, software, and interface deploys seamlessly. Whether you want to increase resolution at an existing camera position, or roll out cameras at new positions and new applications, the breadth of this camera series really helps customers scale easily.

Per the video below, board-level cameras can be deployed in diverse configurations, but share the same board dimensions, SDK options, and interfaces.

Video courtesy of Teledyne

Typical Applications

Automated optical inspection (AOI)
Industrial machine vision inspection systems
Robotics guidance and pick-and-place
Electronics and semiconductor inspection
Medical and life sciences imaging
Barcode reading and logistics automation
Embedded vision and OEM integration

Intelligent traffic systems and transportation imaging
Electronics and semiconductor inspection
Food and packaging inspection
Scientific and laboratory imaging

Additional benefits

Lens costs typically low: Thanks to many Blackfly S cameras using Sony Pregius S sensors, small pixel sizes enable high resolution packed into a small sensor. This means lenses can be physically smaller, which saves weight and materials, and typically translates to lower costs.

Reduced lighting requirements: Another benefit of highly-responsive sensors is that ambient light may be all that’s needed. Or less ambitious artificial lighting. Another possible cost advantage.

Synchronize by PTP: For multi-camera applications, often it’s required to synchronize two or more cameras. Precision Time Protocol (PTP) allows that to happen through the camera network cabling, without additional cable costs or complexity management.

Can be used with Sapera LT (Teledyne Dalsa SDK), so if you’re using DALSA Nano and find a model from the FLIR line up, you can make an easy switch.

Series extended – new models

Even if you thought you knew the Blackfly S series, new models joined the family. For example the BFS-PGE-50Y2 is available in both monochrome and color, with Sony AR0521 1/2.5″ CMOS sensor, 2.2 um pixels, and 24 FPS at 5 MP. With a CS-mount it’s ideal for flexible optics choices and system integration.

Call us at 978-474-0044. We can guide you to the optimal sensor, camera, and interface for your application requirements. We’ve also got you covered for lensing, lighting, software, and accessories.

#FLIR

#Blackfly

#TeledyneDALSA

#TeledyneVisionSolutions

June 1, 2026June 2, 2026

HDR in machine vision – solving bright and dark imaging challenges

High dynamic range (HDR) isn’t new. It’s frequently mentioned. And offered on-camera, or via software or FPGA. Is it just a marketing term, or a real benefit? If your application’s scenes contain both bright and dark regions, HDR can absolutely deliver benefits.

Consider the three images shown below:

Neither the “slow shutter” image nor the “fast shutter” image is optimal. The former is over-saturated – one can’t even find the many windows in the central building. The fast shutter image is of course too dark, essentially losing the arch and the flagpole. While this scene is more from the realm of “photography” than “machine vision”, the concepts are the same.

Clearly the best image is the HDR image – the lighter areas are revealed in nuanced detail, but so too the unlit trees and gray windows are clear in their own degrees of black and gray, and everything in between. How is this achieved?

What is HDR?

Let’s unpack the acronym, starting with DR for dynamic range. DR is the ratio between the largest and smallest measurable values, for the quantity being measured. For machine vision, it’s light intensity that’s being quantified.

Generally speaking, a larger dynamic range is preferrable to a small one, as the nuanced differences of a relatively larger dynamic range may be required for effective image processing. Take edge-detection, a common machine vision requirement for many applications. The edge may only become apparent, under given lighting conditions and resolution, when the saturation of pixels in a given region are consistently lower to one side and consistently higher to the other side of the “emergent” edge. With sufficient dynamic range, calculated confidence grows, while poor dynamic range may fail to reveal an edge at all.

Ways to create a composite HDR image

One way to create an HDR image is with two exposures and an algorithm for creating the composite. The shorter exposure captures the more brightly lit or highly reflective surfaces, while the remaining regions remain unsaturated or only slightly registering. A longer exposure oversaturates the lighter targets, but reveal nuanced variation in the previously unrevealed details.

In fact one does the longer exposure first, such that the darker portions of the scene produce a variance of non-zero values – i.e. a dynamic range across the darker regions.

Then for the shorter exposure, use the brightest non-saturated pixels from the first exposure as a reference to generate small non-zero values as a control on the short exposure, creating a calculated point of overlap. That way many pixels that were oversaturated on the long exposure are only slightly to moderated saturated on the short-exposure, for a nuanced spread of values across the corresponding pixels.

The blending algorithm compares the two images, pixel for pixel, with the overlap point as a reference. Saturated pixels in the first image are replaced with the corresponding non-saturated pixel values from the second image.

While the two-exposure approach described above is easy to understand, there’s clearly a time-cost in taking two successive exposures, reading them both out to the PC host, and doing the image processing. For certain applications, that may be acceptable. For others, especially with motion involved, or desired high cycle counts, one might hope for a faster approach.

Another way: multi-slope pixel generation on CMOS sensors

The rise of CMOS sensors and their transistor-based pixel architecture enables on-sensor functionality that convenient supports the generation of HDR images. This may be achieved by resetting pixels approaching saturation, prior to end of exposure, so those pixels have an opportunity to be filled from a range of values instead of maxing out had the reset not occurred.

Consider the follow two diagrams, and the supporting discussion below:

If many pixels fill before the end of the exposure, a lot of the image may be oversaturated, even though the darker regions need a longer exposure to become meaningfully non-zero. Courtesy JAI.

But thanks to CMOS transistors at each pixel position, the sensor can be programmed to monitor saturation values, and to reset pixels approaching saturation to “partial fill” levels that allow additional fill for the remainder of the exposure.

It gets even better

Above was “intro level” HDR, concepts and techniques that provide the foundation. Meanwhile innovators keep taking it to the next level.

For example, Sony now offers Quad HDR on their IMX900 sensor, available in the IDS uEye low-cost cameras. Getting the dark sections sufficiently saturated while not oversaturating the brighter regions is really evident with Quad HDR below.

Quad HDR generates a balanced image – Courtesy IDS

In the video below, you may jump to position 1 minute 42 seconds for more on Quad HDR:

Even more on HDR:

If you’d like to read a more in-depth treatment on HDR, including more example images, supporting arithmetic and graphical rational, download our whitepaper on High Dynamic Range Imaging.

Or perhaps you have an application with known nuanced dark regions as well as variation in the saturated areas, for which HDR may add value. Should you do it on-camera/sensor? In an FPGA/frame-grabber? On the PC host? Use lighting techniques to avoid needing HDR altogether? There are a number of different ways to achieve optimal image outcomes, but HDR is certainly a valuable technique for some applications.

Call us at 978-474-0044, and let us guide you to a best-fit solution.

#HDR

#Highdynamicrange