1st Vision‘s factory automation OEM machine vision lensesare designed using glass from one of the top Japanese lens manufacturers. These lenses are not branded and allow our clients to have excellent performance at a better price than the ‘named’ brand manufacturers since there are no marketing costs!
In their class, they offer the most bang for the buck!
In comparing specifications, our OEM lenses have better resolution in many cases over brand name lenses, but at ~ 30% less cost! in some cases. If used in an OEM design, a non branded lens will ensure customers are coming to you for replacements and ensure the same performance. Details specifications can be found HERE.
As we know selecting a lens can have its challenges, our staff of degree’d sales engineers are here to help! We can help pair the best lens with the given camera and image sensor to maximize performance.
Best of all.. 1st Vision has these in stock!
All our our OEM lenses can be purchased on-line HERE
We also have several blog posts providing additional education on lens selection including handy focal length calculators. Resources:
1st Visionhas extensive knowledge in industrial imaging and can help answer any questions. We have over 100 years of combined knowledge and look forward to discussing your application.
Please do not hesitate toContact us! 1st Vision can provide a complete solution including cameras, lenses, lighting and cables. Ph: 978-474-0044 info@1stvision.com www.1stvision.com Follow us on Social Media!
Macro lenses solve the problem of imaging a small field of view from a relatively large distance away (relative to the size of the field of view). This solution normally consists of a large focal length lens, however these lenses have Minimum Object distance (MOD) and focus further away than desired.
For example: Using a 1/3” sensor, you want to look at a 3mm Field Of View (FOV) from 30mm away. The solution requires a 50mm lens, but 50mm lenses do not focus closer than 500mm away in some cases!
A solution is to add “extension tubes” in between the camera and the lens, but this leads to several problems like high image distortion, resolution loss (especially at the corners), poor depth of field and chromatic effects. This makes this method not suitable for good imaging especially if accurate measurements are required.
What’s the solution?
Opto Engineering Macro lenses! These lenses are specifically designed for macro imaging allowing close up focusing and small field of views. Unlike conventional lenses, these lenses are optimized to overcome image distortion, poor depth of field and chromatic effects. A very low optical distortion makes these lenses perfectly suitable for precise dimensional measurement applications.
As seen on the images to the right, using a macro lens delivers superior image quality compared to standard fixed focal length camera lenses using extension tubes.
Incredibly low distortion is also provided by these macro lenses compared to standard fixed focal lenses with extension tubes. These lenses will provide the same performance at the center and edges of the field of view. This is crucial in flat measurement applications. Using conventional lenses, measurements will not be accurate and require calibration.
Color consistency is provided by these macro lenses for demanding applications and corrected over the visible spectrum. In turn, chromatic aberrations are not exhibited when compared to conventional lenses.
Opto Engineering provides four series of lenses that cover 1/3″ to 2/3″ format area sensors and up to 63mm line scan sensors – Series as follows:
This short video provides a brief overview of the Opto Engineering Macro series lenses
1st Visionhas extensive knowledge in industrial imaging and can help answer any questions. We have over 100 years of combined knowledge and look forward to discussing your application.
Please do not hesitate toContact us for a quote.1st Vision can provide a complete solution including cameras, lenses, lighting and cables.
In any industrial imaging application, we have the task of selecting several main components to solve the problem at hand. The first being an industrial camera and second, a lens to acquire the given image. In many cases, our working distance of our lens is constrained and may have to mount the camera closer or further from the object plane. Once set, this defines our working distance (WD) for the lens. In addition, we have a given field of view (basically the dimension across the image) of the desired object.
In order to select the correct focal length lens which is denoted in millimeters (i.e 25mm focal length), we need additional information on the camera sensor. Camera sensors come in various “Image formats”. The chart below indicates some common formats which relate to the sensor size. The sensor size can be found on the actual sensor datasheets if not available in a given chart.
For this exercise, we want to image an object that is 400mm from the front of the lens to the object and desire a field of view of 90mm. We have selected a camera with the Sony Pregius CMOS IMX174 sensor. This uses a 1/1.2″ format which measures 10.67mm x 8mm. We have the following known values at this point: Field of View (FOV) = 90mm Working Distance (WD) = 400mm Sensor Size = 10.67mm – We will calculate for a 90mm horizonal FOV, in turn use the horizontal sensor dimension The basic formula on how to calculate the lens focal length is as follows: FL = (Sensor size * WD) / FOV Using the values from our application,
FL = ( 10.67mm * 400mm ) / 90mm FL = 47.4mm Lenses are only available off the shelf in various focal lengths (i.e 25mm, 35mm, 50mm), so this calculate is theoretical and may need an iteration to adjust working distance. Alternatively, if your application can have a slightly smaller or larger FOV, the closest focal length lens to your calculation may be suitable.
1st Vision has made calculating your lens focal length a bit easier! As in engineering, its good to know the background formulas, but in practicality, like to simplify life with tools
You will find our lens calculator HERE. Alternatively as select a camera, you will find an icon to the right which will automatically populate the calculator. Below is a short video showing how to use this resource from the camera pages.
A few additional considerations when selecting a lens:
Lenses have minimum working distances (MOD), so this should be considered when reviewing a lens setup. MOD’s can be found on the lens page for the given lenses.
Lenses need to be paired with the appropriate sensor. For example, if you have a 1/2″ sensor, you need to ensure you are using a 1/2″ format lens or larger.
In selecting a lens, you need to ensure the lens has enough resolution (in lp/mm) to resolve the pixels on your camera. Be sure to review this data carefully once you ID the desired focal length. Demystifying lens specifications provides further understanding.
Contact us to discuss your application and help make a recommendation! 1st Vision can provide a complete solution including lenses, cables and lighting. www.1stvision.com Ph: 978-474-0044
In our previous blog, Demystifying lens specs, we discussed the Modulation Transfer Function, also known as MTF, which gives you the performance of light through a medium. The MTF helps us understand lens characteristics, however it is extremely hard to compare using manufacturer’s data sheets. In essence, looking at a 25mm / f1.4 lens from vendor A to vendor B may look similar with basic information, but they are not! Not all lenses are created equal and in turn need extensive data for comparison.
The problem with comparing lens MTFs.
The problem is that most lens manufacturers DO NOT supply MTF information, or do not supply complete MTFs. Lens manufacturers with high quality optics, such as Schneider Optics,are one of the few that provide a complete set of MTFs vs. transmission. (See an example on Pg 2 on thisdatasheet.) Many will provide basic information in terms of line pairs/mm (lp/mm) measured in the center of the lens, however this is still not enough for a true comparison. MTF data will vary with aperture (f3), light intensity and distance from the center to edges. In turn, if you are not comparing “apples to apples”, you cannot draw a conclusion on which is the better lens.
Can I just measure the MTF myself?
The short answer to this is: Not so easily! First off, the MTF of a computer monitor is probably around 30 lp/mm. All the lenses we are discussing in this blog are at least 2x this, if not 3 or 4x it. So the limiting factor is the monitor, and you will not be able to see any differences. If you have a resolution chart, and some software where you can get the actual pixel data and plot it vs. the test pattern, you can get a better idea. However, a fairly rigid test set up with constant lighting, constant exact FOV and other identical parameters is required. This is a very lengthy process and requires special equipment. True optical testing is the correct way to determine and compare MTF.
Bottom Line: 1st Vision has done extensive testing on many lenses and have true comparisons. We can help you determine which lens is the best for your application!…. Unless you have some nice optical equipment and some time!
Contact us to discuss the application and we can help make a recommendation! 1st Vision has 100’s of lenses in stock for same day delivery!
Our lens webpage also highlights the resolution and distortion BUT again does not tell the whole story!
1st Vision‘s factory automation OEM machine vision lenses are designed using glass from one of the top Japanese lens manufacturers. These lenses are not branded and allow our clients to have excellent performance at a better price than the ‘named’ brand manufacturers since there are no marketing costs!
