1st Vision

05/05/2026

uEye LIVE cameras video stream/record WITHOUT a PC

Do you seek a single-device solution for process monitoring – a video streaming/recording industrial camera without needing an additional PC? IDS uEye Live SCP | SLE compact industrial cameras enable monitoring tasks to be executed directly on the camera without the need for an additional PC.

Use cases – what would one do with this?
If you need to visualize, document, or monitor processes, this camera is quick to integrate and requires no programming. No PC is needed, as it’s a system on a chip, embedded in the camera.

Just as vehicle dashcams and video doorbells capture sequences that are useful to have documented, it can be useful to capture industrial processing sequences that would otherwise have been missed.

Whether for quality control, process improvement, compliance requirements, or liability, videos of “where it went wrong” can be incredibly valuable. Using the event recording feature, one may have a lookback window of recorded streaming, in order to go back and replay the sequence, extract frames, etc.
https://zurl.co/vZSGe

Do you seek a single-device solution for process monitoring – a video streaming/recording industrial camera without needing an additional PC? IDS uEye Live SCP | SLE compact industrial cameras enable monitoring tasks to be executed directly on the camera without the need for an additional PC. If y...

04/30/2026

AxCIS update – new models and feature callouts

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. https://zurl.co/6KNBu

We’ve provided product overviews and updates on Teledyne DALSA’s AxCIS Contact Image Sensor in prior blogs, including a recent one on applications. New models and features The AxCIS product family now includes color models in widths of 400mm, 600mm, and 800mm. Monochrome models are offered at 40...

04/28/2026

IDS NION 3D Time of Flight camera | 1.2 MP Industrial ToF for Robotics and Automation

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.
https://zurl.co/NCPsI

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. OnSemi AF0130 Hyperlux ID sensor The AF0130 belongs to the Hyperlux ID family. It....

03/24/2026

Varifocal lenses: What are they and how do they differ from a zoom lens?

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.

This linked blog explains how varifocal lenses can provide that flexibility. And how to avoid confusing varifocal vs. zoom lenses - they share certain features but they aren't the same thing.https://zurl.co/4Sp0p

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 applicatio...

03/18/2026

IDS uEye EVS Event Based Cameras – Use cases

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.

If it moves, an event-based camera will find it. In fact, with event based imaging, the sensor/camera only sees what's changed, effectively filtering just the "good stuff" from the background clutter. For motion-based applications, that's exactly what one wants.

The linked blog includes compelling short videos and use-cases for event based imaging, including monitoring, analysis and smart city people tracking, drone detection, gesture recognition, industrial applications, and counting.
https://zurl.co/aJqwy

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: If you come f...

03/17/2026

XTIUM3 PCIe Gen4 frame grabber for ultra-fast image acquisition

Frame grabbers interface between high-speed cameras and PCs to reliably transfer and buffer image data. They can also do various pre-processing and image transformations, improving throughput and reducing workload on the PC.

Teledyne DALSA’s XTIUM3-CLHS PX8 Camera Link HS Frame Grabber is designed for maximum sustained throughput with high-speed image acquisition rates up to 8.6 GB/s and host transfer rates up to 12.5 GB/s.

Using CLHS X-protocol, Xtium3-CLHS PX8 achieves over 97% packet efficiency with 64/66-bit encoding. Sustained throughput of 13.2 GB/s directly to host memory minimizes CPU overhead and accelerates image processing.

https://zurl.co/HLn92

Frame grabbers interface between high-speed cameras and PCs to reliably transfer and buffer image data. They can also do various pre-processing and image transformations, improving throughput and reducing workload on the PC. Teledyne DALSA is a recognized industry leader in frame grabbers and machin...

02/10/2026

Opto Engineering liquid lenses for rapid focus adjustment

If your application does fine with a fixed focal lens, or a mechanically adjustable focus, that’s great. But some applications benefit from – or only become possible with – the ability to rapidly tune the focus. Enter liquid lenses, like Opto Engineering’s EL5MP and EL12MP.

Leonhard Euler (Euler’s equations, anyone?) did groundbreaking work in fluid dynamics in the 1700s. In 1859 Thomas Sutton used a glass sphere filled with water to create a lens. So the concepts for liquid lenses aren’t new. But they’ve only been commercialized in the last 20 years

If you need fast focus (a few milliseconds) and high reliability (more than a billion cycle lifetime), Opto Engineering offers both a 5MP liquid lens series as well as a 12MP series. Focal lengths from 6mm - 35mm. Across the two series, there are working distances on the near side from 60 – 200mm, depending on the specific model. Low distortion is another advantage.https://zurl.co/VPO0e

All of us machine vision practitioners know a thing or two about camera lenses. Some of us are optical engineers. Others are self-taught through reading and experience. Others let their systems designers choose the lens. Ever need a fast focus change? If your application does fine with a fixed focal...

02/05/2026

SWIR Dynamic Operating Point Optimization – Explained

Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) imaging is enjoying double-digit growth rates, thanks to improving technologies and performance, and innovative applications. Unlike visible-light sensors, SWIR cameras can image through silicon, plastics, and other semitransparent materials. That’s really effective for many quality control applications, materials sorting and inspection, crop management, fruit sorting, medical applications, and more.

Unlike CMOS sensors, from which high-quality images are reliably derived under wide operating conditions, SWIR sensors typically need “tuning” relative to temperature and exposure duration. First generation SWIR cameras sometimes generated images that while useful, were a bit rough and with certain limitations in the extreme. SWIR camera manufacturers have been innovating solutions to raise the performance of their cameras.

What’s the problem?
In short-wave infrared (SWIR) imaging applications, camera operation points such as exposure time, gain and bit-depth need to be adapted depending on the inspection task at hand. Image sensor defects such as defective pixels and image non-uniformities – inherent to SWIR sensors – are sensitive to the aforementioned operations points.

Allied Vision has introduced dynamic operating point optimization (DOPO) to further automate SWIR cameras’ capacity to adapt to changes brought about by exposure time, temperature, gain, and bit depth.

A DOPO equipped camera is factory calibrated at up to 600 correction maps, varying each of exposure time, temperature, gain and bit depth across a range of steps, and building maps that represent all the stepwise permutations.

Takeaway: DOPO provides a set of correction tables not just one
So with DOPO providing a set of correction tables, the camera can automatically apply the best-fit correction for whatever operating point is in use. That’s the key point of DOPO. Unlike single-fit correction tables, with so many calibrated corrections under DOPO, the best-fit isn’t far off.

https://zurl.co/JDWGh

Short Wave Infrared (SWIR) imaging is enjoying double-digit growth rates, thanks to improving technologies and performance, and innovative applications. Unlike visible-light sensors, SWIR cameras can image through silicon, plastics, and other semitransparent materials. That’s really effective for ...

02/03/2026

Ensenso 3D for logistics applications
Previously we’ve written about Ensenso series members, like the B-Series for closeup, the C-Series for color, or the whole Ensenso family (B, C, N, S, X, and XR). Or you may have read 3D scanning overviews. 3D applications are myriad, from medicine, industrial, robotics, and more.

In this piece we focus on logistics, including bin picking and parts handling; conveyor object inspection and classification; (de-) palletizing; loading and unloading trucks.

Stereo 3D imaging is the enabling technology. IDS Imaging Ensenso 3D cameras and camera systems are built for industrial 3D imaging with a GigE interface for ease of setup. There are monochrome and color options, as well as hybrid/blended systems. Short-distance capabilities to a few millimeters. Long-distance systems with WD to 5 meters. Modular pre-housed systems. And ruggedized systems for harsh environments.
https://zurl.co/CDmsR

01/15/2026

AVT updates bring new Alvium features

Here are some cool new features. At least they’re cool if you already use AVT Alvium cameras and want to get even more out of them. Conversely the features may get your attention to give Alvium a look for your next application.

Liquid lens autofocus controls – great for logistics applications: fast focus change
Power saving standby mode – heat minimization for embedded designs
Improved recovery from over-temperature power savings mode – automated recovery
More GenICam features for V4L2 Video for Linux – great to have Linux options
Additional registers and controls – if some DRA is good, more is better

https://zurl.co/fVBdX

Here are some cool new features. At least they’re cool if you already use AVT Alvium cameras and want to get even more out of them. Conversely the features may get your attention to give Alvium a look for your next application. We call out five specific new features (or feature sets): … especial...

01/13/2026

Drone detection event-based cameras from Prophesee

Event-based cameras outperform frame-based approaches for many applications. In this piece, we focus on drone detection. Several short videos show how starkly event-based vs. frame-based paradigms perform.

Frame-based approaches struggle to track a drone moving in a visually complex environment, having to parse for drone shapes and orientations, occlusions, etc., even when most of the imagery is static.

Meanwhile, as seen in the event-based video, the new paradigm only looks for “what’s changed”, which amounts to showing “what’s moving?”. For drone detection, as well as other perimeter intrusion applications, vibration monitoring, etc., that’s ideal.

https://zurl.co/RPEqM