We’ve provided product overviews and updates on Teledyne DALSA’s AxCIS Contact Image Sensor in prior blogs, including a recent one on applications.
AxCIS modules – Courtesy Teledyne DALSA
New models and features
The AxCIS product family now includes color models in widths of 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm. Monochrome models are offered at 400mm and 800mm respectively. In imperial units that spans from 16 – 32 inches.
AxCIS provides selectable 28/42/56/84um pixel size and high speed 50/60/100/120kHzx3 via the Camera Link HS interface.
Lighting flexibility
While sensors and features are always big factors in machine vision, pros know that lighting is just as important. AxCIS’ designers provide users with considerable flexibility on lighting options.
AxCIS modules may be purchased either with or without lighting. The with-lighting option provides tremendous value and ease of deployment – when appropriate for your application.
Here’s a short video showing all that’s bundled into a CIS (including bundled lighting):
But lighting isn’t one size fits all
The bundled lighting referenced above would be ideal for bright-field illumination. But what if your application is best-served by dark-field lighting, or another approach? To review lighting, see our KB article on lighting techniques.
Since AxCIS modules may also be supplied without bright-field lighting, we offer coax and other lighting solutions suitable for dark field methods.
Lab testing available
If you are uncertain whether this could be your solution, or which components would be optimal, contact us to test your samples in the lab. You can send us parts and we’ll scan them, sending you the results and the optimal device recommendations and configurations. It’s a way to get proof of concept with a lot of the effort outsourced to us.
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.
Next level time-of-flight – ToF. Nion combines spatial resolution of 1.2 MP (@30 fps) with reliable depth precision. Housed in a robust IP67 enclosure, Nion captures 3D for even fine structures – cost-efficiently.
Nion 3D ToF camera – Courtesy IDS Imaging
OnSemi AF0130 Hyperlux ID sensor
The AF0130 belongs to the Hyperlux ID family. It’s an Indirect Time of Flight (iToF) sensor, back side illuminated (BSI) CMOS global shutter depth and imaging solution. It calculates depth, confidence and intensity maps at high speeds from its laser modulated exposures.
But while powerful, stereo vision requires at least two cameras, and the corresponding electronics and software to synchronize the images and build the 3D model. So it can be overkill if you don’t need that level of performance.
With the Nion ToF product, IDS brings a more affordable 3D imaging solution to the market, which is more than good enough for many 3D applications .
The video below provides a nice overview. We tease out some of the key points in text and graphics further below, but you might like the dynamics of the video:
What’s inside that IP67 enclosure?
IP67 means dustproof and immersible in water to a depth of 1 meter for up to 30 minutes. That’s pretty robust. More than good enough for even the most challenging industrial environment, outdoor or wash down context.
Besides the tight enclosure, of course there’s a lens to focus the light source onto the sensor, electronics to support the GigE Vision interface, the sensor is the heart of the matter.
Exploded view of Nion camera – Courtesy IDS Imaging
Highest resolution industrial ToF camera
As this blog is released in April 2026, this is the highest resolution industrial ToF camera on the market.
To calculate a single depth value, four coordinated exposures with different phase positions (typically 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°) are usually necessary. These four signals are then used to calculate the phase shift – and thus the distance. Thanks to its special pixel architecture and integrated on-chip processing, the AF0130 iToF sensor captures all four phase images in quick succession and stores them directly and completely in the chip’s memory – without any intermediate readout.
This significantly shortens the time between exposures and noticeably reduces motion blur. Another advantage of continuous reading: The depth information can be efficiently re-sorted and directly processed further – without time-consuming post-processing. This not only makes the camera more robust against movement, but also enables higher frame rates and reduces the load on the host system. This is a decisive advantage, particularly in dynamic applications such as robotics, logistics or pick-and-place.
Courttesy IDS Imaging
Key takeaways on motion artefact reduction are:
Boiling the above section down to key takeaways, we note:
Multi-phase demodulation (four, to be specific)
Reduced motion artefacts in dynamic scences
Suggested Markets
Just to whet the appetite, we call out logistics, robotics, medical, and manufacturing as sectors where affordable ToF 3D imaging can deliver value on investment. But of course you may have 3D applications in mind in another sector.
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.
In machine vision, historically there is a preponderance of fixed focal length (FFL) lenses, also know optically as a prime lens. They are less complex to design and manufacture, and are high-performance in terms of image sharpness and ability to accept wide aperture options for low-light applications. FFL lenses are typically are set for a designed FOV and WD and don’t have flexibility on focal lengths. If your application is like that, lucky you.
But my application isn’t like that!
You may have a factory production monitory project, for example. You know the general dimensions of the layout and the approximate camera mounting position. But you have limited time to configure and deliver proof of concept or acceptance testing. so you want to show up with everything you need to achieve good outcomes, instead of guessing wrong on a fixed focal length lens and having to exchange it.
Whatever your planned application, you know the optical “neighborhood” but need the flexibility to fine-tune in the field.
Zoom lens
A zoom lens remains in focus across a range of focal lengths, and is often remotely controlled. Likewise it’s also often motorized. So they tend to be large(ish), heavier, more complex to design, and are more expensive than a fixed-focal length lens.
Zoom lens at differing optical magnifications – Courtesy Edmund Optics
In the illustration above, notice how the light rays entering from the right range from a wide field of view (FOV) at the top to a narrow FOV at the bottom. That’s a consequence of the changing focal length. It’s an asset if you need that behavior. Or a liability if you don’t
This blog is about varifocal lenses, so that’s all we’ll say about zoom lenses here. But the “different focal lengths” and “different FOV” concepts also apply to varifocal lenses, so it’s worth noting points of overlap.
Varifocal lens
A varifocal lens is designed to hit the sweet spot between fixed focal length vs. zoom. By spanning a (modest) range of focal lengths, a varifocal lens can be adapted in the field to optimize for observed conditions.
You might not know at design time exactly what final focal length you’ll choose, so a range of coverage lets you tune as you deploy and run acceptance tests. It also means the same lens could be used for a year or more in one setting – then loosen a set screw, refocus, and tighten the set screw and the same lens performs great in the new context.
Example: per red ellipses markup, this lens offers focal lengths from 4.4 – 11mm – Courtesy Kowa
But unlike a big motorized zoom, the varifocal lens is often* manually adjusted. And it’s typically modest in size, weight, design complexity, and cost.
(*) EXCEPTION! The Optotune electrically tunable series describe below uses liquid lens technology for autofocus within milliseconds.
Enough concept already – what varifocal lenses are available?
Below we present and link to three different varifocal product lines carried by 1stVision. We sequence by alphabetical order, but each series has its own value proposition, depending on your application needs:
Kowa LMVZ Varifocal Lenses
Kowa’s LMVZ varifocal lenses are designed for machine vision, industrial inspection, and surveillance applications. Their adjustable focal length design allows integrators to fine-tune field of view without changing lenses.
Kowa LMVZ varifocal lenses – optionally with IR correction for VIS + SWIR – Courtesy Kowa
Optotune Focus Tunable Lenses
Optotune is an industry leader in focus tunable lenses. Many are electrically tunable, utilizing liquid lens technology. They also offer a manually tunable lens.
A focus tunable lens – Courtesy Optotune
Unlike manually tunable varifocals, the EL series offers fast, precise autofocus in milliseconds with no moving mechanics.
Tamron Vari-Focal Lens Series
The Tamron vari-focal series is designed for high-resolution IP and security surveillance cameras. These lenses offer flexible focal length adjustment for both wide-area coverage and detailed zoom.
Mega Pixel varifocal lens series – Courtesy Tamron
Select IR-corrected models enable true day/night performance, while compact, durable construction ensures dependable operation in commercial, industrial, and municipal security installations.
Optics is partly physics and science…
But it’s also engineering, and performance requirements, and budget, and experiential knowledge. If you’ve got a lot of all that in your wheelhouse, just call for a quote at 978-474-0044. Or if you’d like some help in choosing, call that same number and tell us a little about your application. Either way, we’re here for you. For lenses, cameras, and more.
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.
uEye EVS Event Based Cameras – Courtesy IDS Imaging
We introduced these event-based cameras in a previous blog – still a great entry point and overview. In this new blog we’ll highlight use cases. They are pretty compelling.
But first we re-run a single graphic to highlight the paradigm shift from frame-based to event-based imaging:
XCP-E Event based cameras utilize the Sony Prophesee sensor – Courtesy IDS Imaging
If you come from a frame-based imaging background – as most of us do – it’s worth getting one’s head wrapped around the event based model. It’s that different – at the technology level and in what it enables at the applications level.
On to use cases and key takeaways…
Results instead of raw data: Per the scene-driven remark in the paradigm comparison graphic above, observe the video analysis clip below. By ONLY picking up on motion, the camera delivers exactly and only what one wants – the people and suitcases passing through the field of view.
Results instead of raw data – Courtesy IDS Imaging
A frame-based approach to such an application would require complex algorithms to identify the “moving stuff” from the “background stuff”, which is compute intensive. It may be doable the hard way, but it takes effort – and isn’t as performant.
Extremely high dynamic range
See in the dark. The Sony Prophesee IMX636 sensor recognizes contrast changes even from 0.08 lux.
Sensitive in very low light – Courtesy IDS Imaging
Detect extremely fast processes
Temporal resolution <100us. i.e. the minimum measurable time difference between two consecutive pixel events, is less than 100µs. That’s comparable to a traditional image-based frame rate of more than 10,000 FPS without motion blur.
High speed applications – Courtesy IDS Imaging
blah blah
Efficient data processing
Only changes are captured – static areas are ignored. So there is (much) less data to process than with a frame-based approach. This saves memory, data transfer volumes, and compute time.
The astute reader will have already inferred that this is a corollary on the “results instead of raw data” message and video earlier in this blog. It’s such a key point it bears repeating.
Less data generated means less data to process – Courtesy IDS Imaging
The following short video shows that the Sony Prophesee IMX636 is the key to sending less data, as it only senses “what’s changed”. Essentially it lights up a pixel exactly and only when that position senses motion – and not when it doesn’t.
Frame-based approach sends entire frame every time vs. event-based just sends each next change – Courtesy IDS Imaging
Use cases
Some of the videos above suggest certain use cases, but let’s spell out a few:
Monitoring: Compared to CCTV, the IDS uEye XCP-E cameras are more compact, and only show action as opposed to (also) steady-state. Or combine the two with event-based cameras logging the timestamps of interest.
Video analysis and Smart City people tracking: A level up from simple monitoring, people tracking doesn’t just detect motion but infers/projects trajectories, and may lead or assist in threat detection.
Drone detection: Just as with people tracking, an event-based camera finds what’s moving against a field of static clutter, as it only sees what’s moving.
Gesture recognition: UI design opportunities, whether for pupil tracking, head motions, and/or hand/finger tracking.
Industrial applications: Monitor equipment vibration to optimize preventative maintenance and/or anticipate and avoid catastrophic breakdown.
Counting: E.g. pill production and sorting, food processing, or other fast-but-small-items conveyor applications.
Takeaway: If it moves, an event-based camera will find it.
See the entire family of IDS uEye XCP-E cameras. Call us at 978-474-0044. Tell us a little about your application and we’ll help you pick the ideal camera and accessories.
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.
