Allied Vision Camera Selection Guide
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Finding the right camera Choosing the right machine vision camera for your application is not an easy task. We listed the first 10 key questions you should ask yourself when selecting a camera for your imaging project – and provide answers. Want to dig deeper? Contact us! We’ll be happy to give you more personalized guidance. 10 Questions to ask yourself to find the right camera: // Which spectral sensitivity? // How fast should my camera be? // Which interface is the right one for me? // How do I interpret EMVA 1288 data? // Which sensor technology for desired image quality? // Does the...

Choosing the right camera starts with defining the right spectral sensitivity for your application. Using machine vision, your system can see much more than the human eye can see. Infrared sensitivity helps you compensate changing light conditions or identify specific properties of the inspected object. Standard camera NIR enhanced camera SWIR camera // Finding the right camera Visible spectrum: monochrome vs. color Nearly all cameras for the visible spectrum are available either in monochrome or color version. If your application does not require color information, we recommend that you...

Near-Infrared Sensitivity (NIR) // Conventional cameras with CCD or CMOS sensors capture images in the visible spectrum (400-700 nm). However, their sensitivity goes further into the near-infrared spectrum than that of the human eye. Infrared pass filters can be used to eliminate interference from visible light. // NIR-enhanced cameras feature conventional CCD or CMOS imagers optimized to provide a higher nearinfrared sensitivity between 750 and 1,000 nm. 22% Allied Vision cameras with the best NIR-sensitivity measured by the quantum efficiency at 900 nm Infrared Sensitivity Short-Wave...

There is no such thing as a good or bad interface. Each interface technology has its strengths and weaknesses. What matters is which interface is the right one for your application depending on your individual requirements. Your choice of interface will be different depending on whether you need a high bandwidth to transmit high-resolution images at high speed or a long cable length to operate a multi-camera system remotely. The table below gives a rough overview of the pros and cons of each technology. Our sales engineers can help you make a more accurate choice based on your individual...

4. Which sensor technology for desired image quality? In the visible spectrum, machine vision cameras rely on CCD or CMOS sensors. CCD has been the dominant technology until recently because of its higher image quality compared to CMOS. However, CMOS sensors have significantly caught up to CCDs, and now are able to provide comparable image quality at higher frame rates and lower cost. As a result, CMOS technology is progressively replacing CCD in the imaging market. But because of the wide range of CCD sensors available, it will take several years until every resolution and sensor size is...

Allied Vision offers cameras ranging from QVGA (0.1 Megapixel) to 29 Megapixels. Resolution alone is not the ultimate indicator of the quality of a camera or even the quality of the image it delivers. We recommend that you select a camera with just enough resolution for your inspection task in order to optimize your costs and system performance. Bear in mind that the higher the resolution, the more bandwidth is needed to transmit the image data to your host. That means that most of the time, you have to trade off frame rate for resolution. Which resolution is the right one for you depends...

6. How fast should my camera be? Many machine vision applications require a high frame rate. This is the number of frames (or images) captured per second (fps = frames per second). A high frame rates allows you to speed up your inspection process and increase productivity. High-speed cameras are also needed to precisely analyze a movement, like motion capture applications for example. Speed should always be considered in relation to resolution. The higher the resolution, the more data needs to be transmitted to your host for each image. As all interfaces have a limited bandwidth, this means...

// Finding the right camera 7. How do I interpret EMVA 1288 data? EMVA 1288 is a standard measurement method defined by the European Machine Vision Association to test key performance indicators of machine vision cameras. This standard contributes to making technical data provided by various camera vendors comparable with each other. Allied Vision's camera tests are fully EMVA 1288 compliant, test reports are available on request. Please contact us and we’ll be happy to provide the data you need. When comparing EMVA 1288 data, you should be aware that the tests are performed by each...

9. Does the camera support my software? Whatever your technical platform, your operating system and your software solution, your camera should integrate smoothly and easily. As technology evolves rapidly, you also want your image-processing software to be future-proof and adapt to new interfaces or platforms. Allied Vision cameras come with our Software Development Kit Vimba free of charge. Vimba is extremely flexible to adapt to your current and future needs. It supports all camera interfaces – GigE Vision, USB3 Vision, FireWire and Camera Link – and runs on Windows, Linux and Linux for...

Investing in machine vision cameras is a matter of trust. Cameras are the core component of your imageprocessing system. You and your customers expect them to deliver the best possible performance for many years. So it is good to know you can rely on a strong partner for the whole life cycle of your project. This is why we believe that service is just as important as the quality of our products. Our sales engineers help you select the appropriate camera and accessories for your specific application. Our support team is at your side to answer your questions and solve your problems during the...