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High-quality imaging is increasingly becoming important in today's fast changing technological world. With the advent of professional video production, live streaming and academic research, the use of 4K resolution has become a common phenomenon. To make an informed choice while choosing the best 4K camera USB module there are several factors that you should put into consideration. This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know to choose optimal 4K camera USB module that suits your requirements.
In order to dive deeper into specifics about 4K camera USB modules, it is important first to understand what exactly is referred to as 4k resolution. 4K usually means Ultra High Definition (UHD) display resolution having approximately four thousand pixels across horizontally. This higher resolution provides significantly sharper images and more detail compared to lower resolutions like p or 720p.
There are numerous advantages associated with using pictures with a resolution of around four thousand pixels per inch or better known as &#;four kay&#;. It not only gives crystal clear and sharp picture quality but also makes post-production editing and cropping more flexible. Moreover, it keeps making improved technology irrelevant by ensuring that at any given time; one media content does not stay on outdated technology such as HD television.
When it comes down to selecting a proper product for oneself among available offers in terms of actual price range, certain criteria should be taken into account:
- Budget:Define how much money could be spent on buying this device.
- Specific Usage Requirements:If users have decided why they need this device, then it would be easier for them to find out what specific features they are looking for.
- Special Requirements for Individual Parameters:Pay attention if there are any unique technical specifications or features necessary for your particular work.
- Software Compatibility:Make sure that the module is going to be suitable with the software and platforms you are going to use.
- Specific Functional Needs:Do not forget about this, while thinking of a desired application, since certain functions should be included in it.
After considering the aforementioned factors here are five popular 4K camera USB modules which have gained attention in the market:
1.Arducam 4K 8MP IMX219 Autofocus USB Camera Module11:This camera module has an 8MP sensor IMX219 that produces clear images and accurate color reproduction. For example, it can automatically focus on objects at millimeter level and also at long range distances without adjusting its lens. Besides, there is a built-in microphone in it which could record videos with voice.
2.Brio Stream3:Many users have rated this camera module as the best among all other types of 4K cameras.
3.Obsbot Tiny23:The automatic tracking feature of this camera module makes users love it so much.
4.Dell UltraSharp3:Users like this camera module because of its great image quality.
5.Supertek ST10-415FF7&#; A Sony IMX415 based 4K camera module with a pixel size of 1.45um (H) x 1.45um (V). It is a high-definition USB2.0 colour video digital signal processor ( DSP) embedded CCD digital device which allows auto functions such as auto white balancing and auto exposure control that is tuned for optimum still picture performance.
Choosing the right 4K camera USB module requires careful consideration of a number of things, including: budget, specific usage requirements, software compatibility and unique functional needs. In this way, by considering the advantages of 4K resolution, knowing about key selection criteria and reviewing popular module recommendations you can choose a module that meets your needs and performs exceptionally for your applications.
When it comes to developing a camera-related project on embedded systems like the Raspberry Pi (RPi) or NVIDIA Jetson Nano (NJN), we will take many factors into consideration. To help you better select a camera module, here is a quick start guide from Arducam.
If you are going to add a camera module to embedded systems like RPi or NJN, you should know how it&#;ll be connected. There are several interfaces available on those two devices for camera connection, which lead you to different camera families, respectively MIPI, USB, and SPI cameras.
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MIPI Alliance is an organization that develops interface specifications, including the MIPI Camera Serial Interface 2 (MIPI CSI-2). MIPI CSI-2 was widely used in mobile industries, and companies like Apple have long adopted this interface in their smartphones. As this camera interface was high-performance, cost-effective, and easy to use, it was quickly expanded beyond the mobile industry with the support of manufacturers.
Therefore, it&#;s natural to see this interface on embedded systems like the RPi and NJN. On the Raspberry Pi, the MIPI CSI-2 interface takes the form of two physical connectors: 15-pin connector on standard Raspberry Pi models and a 22-pin connector on Pi zero and Compute Module. The Jetson Nano, on the other hand, adopts the 15-pin connector. The 15-pin and 22-pin connectors work with the same camera modules, just with different flex ribbon cables.
The MIPI CSI-2 interface is the default camera interface for Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano, and the Raspberry Pi camera module V1 and V2 are all based on it. These cameras, along with the third-party upgrades based on them, would serve well to cover most of the basic applications. Even if you want to use these two kinds for multi-camera applications, you can do that with Arducam camera multiplexers and stereo camera HATs.
Powerful and popular as the MIPI CSI-2 Interface seems, it still comes with some limits. The MIPI cameras rely on extra drivers to work, so there is little support of different image sensors if the embedded system manufacturers do not push it forward. Take the Raspberry Pi as an example, we had been stuck with the OV and IMX219 for a long time before the third one &#; HQ camera &#; was out.
Arducam has tried hard to change this situation and introduced the Arducam MIPI camera module lineup to fill this gap. With Arducam SDK and examples, you can use various MIPI camera modules on the Raspberry Pi other than the official two.
With Arducam&#;s latest Pivariety camera series, native ISP tuning on higher-spec sensors is also supported.
However, if the Arducam MIPI camera modules still cannot cover your needs, you might have to consider other interfaces.
Aside from the dedicated MIPI CSI-2 camera interface, the RPi and NJN also come with multiple USB ports for connecting more devices, including USB cameras. The USB cameras adopt the standards of the USB interface, so they are easily expandable and adapted. What&#;s more, they could be made driver-free by following the USB device standards.
Those driver-free USB cameras are UVC cameras, and those not are usually developer kits for camera evaluation and development. UVC is short for USB Video Class, and it&#;s one of the USB device classes. The drivers for UVC cameras to work have already been preinstalled in the operating system, so it&#;s a plug-and-play experience for them.
The most used UVC cameras are webcams, but there are also other UVC cameras available for embedded uses. Arducam offers several UVC board cameras as an implement for our current embedded MIPI camera modules. These cameras have more case-specific features like Wide Dynamic Range (WDR), low light enhancement and so on.
On the other hand, the Arducam USB camera shield is a general-purpose camera control board designed for both PCs and embedded systems like the Raspberry Pi, Odriod, TI Beaglebone, and similar hardware. It supports almost all parallel interface image sensors and many MIPI camera sensors ranging from 0.3MP to 18MP, including both global and rolling shutter sensors. The camera comes with a comprehensive software SDK library and example source code you need to make it work on Windows and Linux systems.
The SPI camera solution is feasible on the Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano platform but is less recommended for those two devices. The SPI camera is a general-purpose camera solution that can work with any device that has SPI and I2C connectors. It was mainly designed for the platforms without a dedicated camera interface, such as the Arduino boards. Although you can use it on a Raspberry Pi, the limited SPI rate will become a handicap for the camera application.
Another thing to consider is the sensor type. It might not apply to all cameras, but most Arducam global shutter cameras are monochrome and most rolling shutter cameras are color sensors.
A color sensor is an image sensor with color filters, and the Bayer array filter is the most common one. A color filter passes light with a certain wavelength and blocks the others in a sub-pixel, and the information on the sub-pixels will then be used to generate the color of the pixel.
Rolling shutter, on the other hand, refers to a method of capturing images. A rolling shutter does not expose the entire sensor simultaneously, instead, it exposes line by line from top to the bottom.
The good thing about the color sensor with a rolling shutter is that it shows what our human eyes see better. It&#;s cheaper to build and easy to equip with more pixels. However, it may fail to capture objects that move faster than the speed of exposure.
Unlike a rolling shutter camera, a global shutter camera exposes all pixels at the same time. The shutter opens and closes in a short period. Therefore, it can take better pictures of fast-moving objects without blurring the details.
A monochrome sensor captures an image only recording the strength of illumination, regardless of the colors. In this way, it can capture more light &#; or more specifically, photons &#; because no light will be blocked by a filter. That&#;s a good companion for global shutter, because the fast shutter speed and high frame rates on those shutters capture less light during each exposure, and the extra lights passed without the color filter would offset the loss in exposure time.
Conclusion: If you aim at higher frame rates and fast-moving objects, you can go with global shutter monochrome cameras. If you want to capture more details and still photos, you can try a high-resolution rolling shutter color camera.
Unlike human eyes, the cameras cannot switch between objects near the lens and those far away easily. Most times the focus of a camera is set to infinity by default, and you might find it hard to see closer objects, just like the official Raspberry Pi cameras.
If a camera comes with a camera lens, such as an M12 or CS-Mount lens, the focus would be manually adjustable, and you can screw the lens further from the thread to focus on closer objects after it&#;s focused to infinity.
However, if your application required the focus to change from time to time, you would not want to adjust the focus manually each time. The autofocus camera modules come with built-in motors to move the lens, so you can remotely control the focus either by sending commands or use software for autofocus.
For example, a customer of ours wants to use a camera on Raspberry Pi for day/night surveillance, and he wants to keep the color details at night. At first, he uses a 5MP OV camera, only to find it&#;s not able to capture enough light for the picture to show anything. He then wants a larger lens to capture more lights and get our CS-Mount lens camera for Raspberry Pi, but the image area is narrower than his expectation and the dark areas are still not identifiable. After knowing his detailed requirements, we have recommended a low-light USB camera module with a wide-angle lens, and he is happy with that.
In conclusion, the key to finding the right module for your project is to know your applications and requirements. Do you need to capture crisp sharp details? How large is the captured area and how far will you be shooting the scene? Does the object move fast like on a convey belt? What is the lighting condition? Will you be using the camera on different platforms?
After figuring out these questions, you can decide between the camera interfaces, colors, Field of View, and focus methods. When all these questions have been answered, we are getting to the right camera.
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