{"id":32451,"date":"2020-05-14T19:45:32","date_gmt":"2020-05-14T11:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=32451"},"modified":"2020-05-29T18:12:18","modified_gmt":"2020-05-29T10:12:18","slug":"raspberry-pi-camera-comparison-of-high-quality-camera-with-camera-module-v2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.seeedstudio.com\/blog\/2020\/05\/14\/raspberry-pi-camera-comparison-of-high-quality-camera-with-camera-module-v2\/","title":{"rendered":"Raspberry Pi Camera: Comparison of High Quality Camera with Camera Module V2"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Recently, The Raspberry Pi Foundation<\/a> just introduced their latest Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera<\/a> and two new mount lense<\/a>s for the camera. This is no doubt a good news for photographers. Now, I will introduce you to the basic information of HQ camera and compare it with other cameras suitable for Raspberry Pi. Should you upgrade your camera or not? After reading this blog, you will find an answer to it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to High-Quality(HQ) Camera<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Earlier before, the Raspberry Pi Foundation has officially released two cameras, the five-megapixel v1 version(OmniVision OV5647) in 2014 and the eight-megapixel v2 version(SONY IMX219) in 2016. However, the small size of the photosensitive elements of these two camera modules results in low signal-to-noise ratio(SNR) as well as poor sensitivity. Apart from that, the fixed focal length is also not suitable for mobile applications. A new product, a High-Quality camera(or “HQ camera” in short), come out. It is the latest release equipped with a higher-resolution HD camera that supports various lenses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The High-Quality Camera (HQ Camera for short) can capture higher-resolution images than the standard Camera Module. Unlike the latter, it doesn\u2019t have a lens already attached. Instead, it can be used with any standard C- or CS-mount lens; 6 mm and 16 mm lenses are available to purchase with the camera to help you get started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camera Module V2 VS HQ Camera<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Camera Module v2 is still available in the market to be purchased, the HQ Camera does not supersede it. Instead, it provides a different tradeoff between price, performance, and size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
ref. Module V2 VS HQ Camera<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/td>		Camera Module v1<\/a><\/td>Camera Module v2<\/a><\/td>HQ Camera<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Net price<\/td>$29.90<\/td>$29.95<\/td>$50<\/td><\/tr>
Size<\/td>Around 25 \u00d7 24 \u00d7 9 mm<\/td><\/td>38 x 38 x 18.4mm (excluding lens)<\/td><\/tr>
Weight<\/td>3g<\/td>3g<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Still resolution<\/strong><\/td>5 Megapixels<\/strong><\/td>8 Megapixels<\/strong><\/td>12.3 Megapixels<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Video modes<\/td>1080p30, 720p60 and 640 \u00d7 480p60\/90<\/td>1080p30, 720p60 and 640 \u00d7 480p60\/90<\/td>1080p30, 720p60 and 640 \u00d7 480p60\/90<\/td><\/tr>
Linux integration<\/td>V4L2 driver available<\/td>V4L2 driver available<\/td>V4L2 driver available<\/td><\/tr>
C programming API<\/td>OpenMAX IL and others available<\/td>OpenMAX IL and others available<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Sensor<\/td>OmniVision OV5647<\/td>Sony IMX219<\/a><\/td>Sony IMX477<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Sensor resolution<\/td>2592 \u00d7 1944 pixels<\/td>3280 \u00d7 2464 pixels<\/td>4056 x 3040 pixels<\/td><\/tr>
Sensor image area<\/strong><\/td>3.76 \u00d7 2.74 mm<\/strong><\/td>3.68 x 2.76 mm (4.6 mm diagonal)<\/strong><\/td>6.287mm x 4.712 mm (7.9mm diagonal)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Pixel size<\/td>1.4 \u00b5m \u00d7 1.4 \u00b5m<\/td>1.12 \u00b5m x 1.12 \u00b5m<\/td>1.55 \u00b5m x 1.55 \u00b5m<\/td><\/tr>
Focal length<\/td>3.60 mm +\/- 0.01<\/td>3.04 mm<\/td>Depends on lens<\/td><\/tr>
Horizontal field of view<\/td>53.50 +\/- 0.13 degrees<\/td>62.2 degrees<\/td>Depends on lens<\/td><\/tr>
Vertical field of view<\/td>41.41 +\/- 0.11 degrees<\/td>48.8 degrees<\/td>Depends on lens<\/td><\/tr>
Focal ratio (F-Stop)<\/td>2.9<\/td>2<\/td>Depends on lens<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Still Resolution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As you may be noticed, these three Raspberry Pi cameras are quite different in still resolution. But what exactly is still resolution? The digital cameras are usually measured in pixel, and these pixels are usually square and form a grid. A megapixel means one million pixels. For instance, for Camera Module v2<\/a> it has the still resolution for 8 Megapixel, it means this camera can produce images with 8 million total pixels. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photos with a large number of pixels obtain more detail but with large file size at the same time. When you want to enlarge or crop a photo, photos with a large number of pixels are very useful, because you will not lose the quality of the image during these operations. However, these photos required more storage space and take a longer time for transmission. For Raspberry Pi, you do not need to worry about the file size since you have an option to take photos at a lower resolution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To summarise,<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

still resolution: HQ Camera<\/a> > Camera Module v2<\/a> > Camera Module v1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

file size(default, can be modified): HQ Camera<\/a> > Camera Module v2<\/a> > Camera Module v1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

detail obtained(photo quality): HQ Camera<\/a> > Camera Module v2<\/a> > Camera Module v1<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Camera Sensor<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
SONY IMX219<\/strong><\/td>SONY IMX477<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
10-bit A\/D converter on chip<\/td>10-bit\/12-bit A\/D conversion on chip<\/td><\/tr>
Back-illuminated CMOS image sensor Exmor R<\/td>Back-illuminated and stacked CMOS image sensor<\/td><\/tr>
2-wire serial communication<\/td>2-wire serial communication<\/td><\/tr>
PLL on-chip (rectangular wave)<\/td>Two PLLs for independent clock generation for pixel control and data output interface<\/td><\/tr>
CSI2 serial data output (selection of 4lane\/2lane)<\/td>CSI-2 serial data output (MIPI 2lane\/4lane, Max. 2.1 Gbps\/lane, D-PHY spec. ver. 1.2 compliant)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>Built-in temperature sensor<\/td><\/tr>
Max. 30 frames\/s in all-pixel scan mode

180 frame\/s @720p with 2×2 analog (special) binning, 60 frame\/s @1080p with V-crop<\/td>		Full resolution @60 frame\/s (Normal), 4K2K @60 frame\/s (Normal), 1080p @240 frame\/s

Full resolution @40 frame\/s (12 bit Normal), Full resolution @30 frame\/s (DOL-HDR, 2 frame)<\/td><\/tr>
<\/td>Fast mode transition. (on the fly)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Sensor Image Area<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The sensor image area means the active pixels to be recorded. This is used as the film back size in software and calculations. This image area of digital cameras is various depending on the recording format selected. For these cameras, when the selected format is less than the maximum resolution of the camera(open gate), the image area will be “cropped” and physically smaller. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How it affects your photos? The point is that when using a camera with a smaller sensor, a wider lens is required to obtain the same image. Moreover, the wider lens has a greater depth-of-field, which means that the smaller sensor camera can also obtain a larger depth-of-field when taking the same picture as the full-frame camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, as a comparison to HQ Camera<\/a>, with Camera Module v2<\/a> you can only get a smaller image range, if you willing to get the same image, a wider lens is required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As Camera Module v2<\/a> has comparative low SNR and poor sensitivity, it is not suitable for taking photos that require high image quality. Also, the fixed focal length leads it not suitable for mobile applications. For this kind of camera, we could use it for day-to-day monitoring. For example: <\/p>\n\n\n\n