1stVision is pleased to announce that Allied Vision has released three fourth-generation Sony IMX sensors with Pregius S global shutter technology to its Alvium 1800 U camera series. With the new models Alvium 1800 U-511 (Sony IMX547), Alvium 1800 U-811 (Sony IMX546) and Alvium 1800 U-1242 (Sony IMX545), the Alvium camera series with USB3 interface now comprises 19 models. All cameras are available in different housing variants (closed housing, open housing, bareboard), as monochrome or color cameras, and with different lens mount options. The USB port can be located either on the back of the camera or on the left side (as seen from the sensor).
AVT Alvium housed, bareboard, and open variants
To highlight just one key point about each new camera:
Alvium U-511: First 5.1 Mpix global shutter Sony sensor for S-mount lens
Alvium U-811: Square 8 Mpix sensor ideal for round or square objects, and microscopy
Alvium U-1242: Same resolution with smaller sensor as 2nd gen IMX304
Model
Alvium 1800 U-511
Alvium 1800 U-811
Alvium 1800 U-1242
Sensor
Sony IMX547
Sony IMX546
Sony IMX545
Sensor type
CMOS Global shutter
CMOS Global shutter
CMOS Global shutter
Sensor size
Type 1/1.8
Type 2/3
Type 1/1.1
Pixel size
2.74 μm × 2.74 μm
2.74 μm × 2.74 μm
2.74 μm × 2.74 μm
Resolution
5.1 MP 2464 × 2064
8.1 MP 2848 × 2848
12.4 MP 4128 × 3008
Frame rate
78 fps (@450MB/s)
51 fps(@450MB/s)
33 fps(@450MB/s)
Key attributes at a glance
All cameras are available with different housing variants (closed housing, open housing, bareboard) as well as different lens mount options, according to your application’s requirements.
Contact us at 1stVision with a brief idea of your application, and we will contact you to discuss camera options. support and / or pricing.
1st Vision’s sales engineers have an average of 20 years experience to assist in your camera selection. Representing the largest portfolio of industry leading brands in imaging components, we can help you design the optimal vision solution for your application.
1st Vision is the most experienced distributor in the U.S. of machine vision cameras, lenses, frame grabbers, cables, lighting, and software in the industry.
The IDS uEye XLE family is now available to 1stVision customers. These versatile cameras are designed for high-volume price-sensitive projects needing basic functions without special features. Suitable applications include but are not limited to manufacturing, metrology, traffic, and agriculture.
IDS uEye XLE board-level and housed options
Thanks to different housing variants, extremely compact dimensions and modern USB3 Vision interface, uEye XLE cameras can be easily integrated into any image processing system. Housing variants include housed and board-level, with different lens mount options.
Currently there are 10 family members, each available with monochrome or color CMOS sensors, from 2 – 5MPixel. Cameras have excellent low-light performance, thanks to BSI “Back Side Illumination” pixel technology.
With a USB 3.1 Gen 1 interface, all XLE models communicate via the USB3 Vision protocol, and are 100 percent GenICam-compliant. So you may easily operate and program the cameras with the IDS peak SDK, as well as other industry-standard software.
1st Vision’s sales engineers have an average of 20 years experience to assist in your camera selection. Representing the largest portfolio of industry leading brands in imaging components, we can help you design the optimal vision solution for your application.
1st Vision is the most experienced distributor in the U.S. of machine vision cameras, lenses, frame grabbers, cables, lighting, and software in the industry.
Teledyne DALSA’s Falcon4-CLHS cameras are now available to 1stVision customers. The state-of-the-art in the Falcon series, there are both 11Mpixel and 86Mpixel models, each using CLHS to achieve stunning frame rates. This can enable new applications not previously possible, or next-gen solutions with a single camera, where previously two or more were needed – greatly simplifying implementation.
This 11MPixel camera, available in two monochrome variants, offers a global shutter sensor, a wide field of view to 4480 pixels wide, and up to 609fps at full resolution.
Teledyne DALSA Falcon4 cameras
Popular applications for the 11Mpixel models include:
Machine Vision
Robotics
Factory Automation Inspection
Motion Tracking and Analysis
Electronic Inspection
High Speed 3D imaging
If your application requires even more resolution, Teledyne DALSA’s Falcon 4-CLHS 86M also uses a global shutter 86Mpixel CMOS sensor, and up to 16fps. Also a monochrome sensor, it shows good responsivity into the NIR spectrum.
Aerial imaging
Applications for the 86Mpixel camera include:
Aerial Imaging
Reconnaissance
Security and Surveillance
3D Metrology
Flat Panel Display Inspection
1st Vision’s sales engineers have an average of 20 years experience to assist in your camera selection. Representing the largest portfolio of industry leading brands in imaging components, we can help you design the optimal vision solution for your application.
1st Vision is the most experienced distributor in the U.S. of machine vision cameras, lenses, frame grabbers, cables, lighting, and software in the industry.
This is a question we get asked frequently: “Why should we pay $200 plus for your board level machine vision camera when we can just get a webcam for $69?”
A great question and maybe you can, but what ARE the differences?
Basically, there are just a few questions you need to answer to see if you should use a webcam for you machine vision application which are as follows:
Do you need to program to integrate the video into an application with processing or control?
Do you need consistent image quality?
Are you doing computer vision (the computer is making decisions based on the images) or are you just viewing the images visually?
Do you care if the camera specifications change over your product’s life cycle?
Is the object under inspection moving?
Do you need to control when you take the picture or interface to a trigger or strobe?
Do you need to be able to choose what lens you will need?
If the answer to any of the above are YES, then a webcam will NOT work well or at all for your application. If the answers are NO, then by all means, you might be able to save money and just use a low-cost webcam. (You can stop reading here if you want, or continue for more details below).
Machine Vision Camera Software
Webcams do NOT come with a SDK as they are made to show video only. They normally provide a universal video driver, and also an application for viewing video.
Webcams have rolling shutter sensors which mean they cannot acquire images of moving objects without ‘smearing’ them. Industrial machine vision cameras use sensors with global shutters providing the ability to freeze the image to produce non smeared images of moving objects.
Example: Without adequate shutter speed with a global shutter, image will be blurry with motion
Trigger and Strobe Control
Webcams only have an interface to the USB data, whereas industrial machine vision cameras have hardware and software inputs and outputs. These allow for exact timing for a trigger to take a picture and a strobe to illuminate the object.
Example: External trigger control is tightly timed with IO including light flash. Courtesy of IDS Imaging
Camera Specs Changing over time
Webcams just need to show you video! In turn the manufacturers are not concerned if the sensors inside the camera change every six months. Whether the sensitivity changes by 10% makes no difference when you are just video conferencing with Grandma.
Industrial machine vision cameras are made with image sensors that don’t go obsolete every 6 months, but rather companies hope for 10 year life spans. It makes a huge difference if you are doing a computer vision algorithm that you have 5 man years of software development and the sensor’s sensitivity changes by even 1%.
Furthermore, the form factor of webcams change frequently as well. This doesn’t make a difference when it is just on your desk. It makes a huge difference when your camera and lens is fixtured in a machine that has 500 hours of CAD work to design, much less build. Moving the camera and lens 10cm might not be possible!
Do you need to choose your lens?
Webcams come with an integrated lens that is suitable for general viewing, and this lens is integrated with the camera and not changeable. Industrial machine vision cameras come with no lenses as not only do lenses come in a variety of focal lengths for different magnification, but also lenses coming in a variety of resolutions. Choosing a lens requires you to know the size of the sensor, your working distance, your field of view, and the pixel size. (See related educational blogs on lenses at end of this post)
What are your options for a low cost camera solution?
If you need industrial machine vision camera solutions with a solid SDK, long life cycles, at a low price, there several solutions to consider. Rolling shutter imagers are always lower price which are always a place to start along with USB2 interfaces. Read our previous blog HERE which outlines some specific models which are low cost. There is also a great new platform coming providing 5 Megapixel resolution with a rolling shutter imager, but with great performance for $280! Contact us for more details.
Give us some brief idea of your application and we will contact you to discuss camera options.
1st Vision’s sales engineers have over 100 years of combined experience to assist in your camera selection. With a large portfolio of lenses, cables, NIC card and industrial computers, we can provide a full vision solution!
