Machine Vision Sensor Review

Comparing sensor specs can be frustrating. FLIR's Camera Sensor Review makes it easy with performance data for 100+ mono and color camera sensors.

 

Today, you have more choice than ever when it comes to machine vision camera models. Having that many to choose from is great, but it can also make it harder to narrow down which one will work best for your application. Different manufacturers might use different metrics or leave out vital information making comparing cameras models across brands very difficult.

Using the EMVA1288 international standard, FLIR has independently tested 100+ machine vision mono and color camera sensor configurations across a wide range of specifications. Now you can easily see which cameras perform best for the specifications that matter to you.

As an added bonus, we help explain the difference in optical format, readout, pixel structure, technology type, lens compatibility, shutter functionality, sensor illumination, polarization, and much more.

Download the guide for free and make your machine vision camera selection a whole lot easier.

 

Compare dozens of machine vision camera sensors head to head

Trying to decide between a Sony IMX287 and IMX183? Our sensor review makes it simple to see exactly how they stack up for the specifications that mean the most to you. And the color-coding system makes it easy to immediately differentiate CMOS (global shutter), CMOS (rolling shutter), and CCD sensors.

Clear explanations of metrics like saturation capacity, temporal dark noise, and quantum efficiency help you know exactly what you're looking at allowing you to pick the perfect camera for your machine vision application.

Machine Vision Camera Sensor Comparison Chart Example

 

Make accurate comparisons using EMVA1288 standard metrics

Quantum Efficiency

Quantum efficiency (QE) is a measure of what percent of photons are converted to electrons at a specific wavelength by the sensor. QE is often used as an indicator for low light sensitivity.

Sensor review quantum efficiency comparison example showing RGB comparisons of Sony IMX250 and Sony IMX250MYR

Temporal Dark Noise (Read Noise)

The amount of noise (or grain) that appears when there is no signal (light). The lower a sensor's temporal dark noise, the cleaner the final image will look.

Absolute Sensitivity Threshold

Absolute sensitivity threshold (AST) is the lowest intensity signal that can be detected above the noise floor of a sensor. AST combines quantum efficiency and temporal dark noise to give you a very useful measure of the actual sensitivity of a sensor. If low-light performance is critical for your application, this is the metric to pay attention to.

The absolute sensitivity threshold is the point where the signal becomes distinguishable above the read noise

Signal to Noise Ratio

Ratio between the signal at saturation versus the noise at saturation. The higher the ratio, the greater amount of signal there will be relative to noise. A higher signal to noise ratio means better contrast, clarity, and low-light performance.

Saturation Capacity

The maximum amount of charge that a sensor's pixel can hold. The higher the saturation capacity, the wider the range of brightness that can be captured by a sensor.

At saturation, additional light or exposure time will not result in an increase in pixel brightness value

Dynamic Range

The ratio between the signal at saturation (maximum brightness) versus the minimum light intensity (minimum brightness) that the sensor can measure. A high dynamic range will enable a sensor to capture greater detail in dark shadows and bright highlights.

Gain

The number of electrons required to observe a change in a 16-bit greyscale. Sensors with higher gain can detect very small differences in brightness in low-light conditions.

See test results for more than 100 sensor models, configurations and settings

Machine Vision Mono Sensors

  • Sony IMX342 10GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX183 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX183 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX304 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX304 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX253 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX253 USB 3.1 Gen 1 MonoCMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX226 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX226 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX267 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX267 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX255 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX255 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX428 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX428 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX428 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX428 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX420 10GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX420 10GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX178 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX178 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX264 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX264 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter C-Mount
  • Sony IMX264 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX250 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter C-Mount
  • Sony IMX250 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX250 10GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX250MZR USB 3.1 Gen 1 Polarized CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX265 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX265 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX252 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX429 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX429 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX421 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX421 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX249 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX392 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX392 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX174 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX273 GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX273 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX273 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX273 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX287 PoE GigE Mono CCD Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX287 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CCD Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • CMOSIS CMV4000 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • CMOSIS CMV4000 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Near Infrared (NIR) CMOS Global Shutter
  • e2v EV76C570 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • ON-Semi PYTHON 1300 PoE GigE Mono CMOS Global Shutter
  • ON-Semi PYTHON 1300 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Mono CCD Global Shutter

Machine Vision Color Sensors

  • Sony ICX445 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CCD Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony ICX694 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CCD Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX174 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX178 PoE GigE Color CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX178 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX183 PoE GigE Color CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX183 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset)
  • Sony IMX226 PoE GigE Color CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset) CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX226 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Rolling Shutter (Global Reset) CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX249 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX250 10GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX250 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX250 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX250MYR USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX252 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX253 10GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX253 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX255 10GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX255 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX264 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX264 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX264 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX265 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX265 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX267 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX267 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX273 GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX273 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX273 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter Board-Level Mount
  • Sony IMX273 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX287 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX287 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter CS-Mount
  • Sony IMX304 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX304 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX342 10GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX392 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX392 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sony IMX420 10GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX420 10GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX421 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX421 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX428 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX428 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX428 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX428 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • Sony IMX429 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter Low Conversion Gain (LCG)
  • Sony IMX429 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter High Conversion Gain (HCG)
  • CMOSIS CMV4000 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • e2v EV76C570 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • On-Semi PYTHON 1300 PoE GigE Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • On-Semi PYTHON 1300 USB 3.1 Gen 1 Color CMOS Global Shutter
  • Sharp RJ32S3AA0DT PoE GigE Color CCD Global Shutter