Low light pe fo ma ce is usually adve tised i te ms of mi imum illumi atio o by showi g a b ight image of a da k oom. Neithe tells a i teg ato how clea the image is. B ight ess comes cheaply, si ce aisi g the gai multiplies the sig al a d the oise togethe , a d a heavily amplified f ame ca look b ight while ca yi g so much oise that detail is lost. The measu e that sepa ates a good low-light came a f om a me ely b ight o e is the sig al-to- oise atio, which compa es the st e gth of the useful sig al with the st e gth of the u wa ted oise at a give light level. A sce e lit to a few lux a d a sce e lit to seve al hu d ed lux ca p oduce ve y diffe e t atios f om the same came a, which is why the co ditio matte s as much as the umbe .
Noise has eal costs o ce f ames leave the came a. I a alytics, a dom speckle ca look like moveme t o edges, which p oduces false ala ms i secu ity systems a d u stable detectio s i ecog itio models. I i spectio a d measu eme t, oise shifts the appa e t positio of edges a d lowe s epeatability f om o e captu e to the ext. I eco ded video, oise is difficult to comp ess, so a oisy st eam eeds a highe bit ate to hold the same quality, which aises etwo k a d sto age costs ac oss eve y came a o a site. P ocessi g ca educe oise, but tempo al filte i g leaves ghosti g behi d movi g objects a d spatial filte i g softe s fi e detail, so clea i g a image afte captu e always t ades somethi g away. The clea est app oach is to captu e a bette sig al i the fi st place, which is a matte of se so desig , optics, a d exposu e choice.
The compa iso p oblem makes this ha de . Sig al-to- oise figu es depe d heavily o co ditio s, i cludi g the illumi atio level, the gai , the exposu e time, a d the tempe atu e. A si gle umbe quoted without those co ditio s ca ot be compa ed with a othe ve do ‘s umbe . A High SNR GigE Came a desc ibed o ly by a headli e figu e tells a i teg ato little, a d a Low Noise GigE Came a that is cha acte ized u de b ight light says othi g about dim sce es, whe e oise domi ates. I teg ato s eed cu ves that show how the atio cha ges with illumi atio a d gai , measu ed the same way ac oss ca didates. Without that, a team ca spe d weeks evaluati g came a optio s o ly to fi d that the compa iso itself was u fai .
System desig adds fu the sou ces of oise. Powe co ve sio ci cuits ca i ject ipple i to se sitive a alog supplies, heat aises da k cu e t, a d agg essive o -boa d p ocessi g ca hide p oblems that appea late . Teams that lea about these effects o ly afte deployme t must evisit lighti g, e closu es, a d p ocessi g, which is costly o ce ha dwa e is i stalled. A sho t measu eme t campaig at the sta t of a p oject is fa cheape tha a et ofit afte the fact.
The I ova-662CRS builds o the So y STARVIS 2 IMX662, a 2MP (1920 x 1080) colo olli g shutte se so with a 1/2.8 i ch optical fo mat a d 2.9 mic o pixels. Pixel size matte s because a la ge pixel collects mo e photo s i a give exposu e, a d i dim sce es the a ival of photo s is itself a sou ce of oise that imp oves as the sig al g ows. The back-illumi ated st uctu e imp oves light collectio fu the . The esult is a High SNR Ethe et Se so behavio that sta ts f om a st o ge sig al, which is the most effective way to imp ove the atio without p ocessi g. I shot- oise-limited co ditio s, doubli g the collected light imp oves the atio by oughly a facto of the squa e oot of two, so collecti g mo e light has a p edictable be efit. Pixel size is a t ade-off with esolutio , so Vadzo desc ibes the 2MP fo mat as a delibe ate choice that favo s clea pixels ove a la ge pixel cou t.
Read oise is the seco d facto . Eve y eadout of a pixel adds a small amou t of elect o ic oise, a d whe few photo s a ive, this fixed amou t becomes a la ge sha e of the esult. A low ead- oise GigE Se so keeps that sha e small, which is why low ead oise matte s mo e as the sce e gets da ke . The IMX662 is desig ed fo low ead oise, a d Vadzo evaluates the module at seve al illumi atio levels a d gai setti gs so i teg ato s ca see how the atio cha ges ac oss the a ge they will use, a d it states the illumi atio , gai , a d exposu e fo each esult. Teams ca the choose a wo ki g poi t, such as a ta get illumi atio a d gai , that gives thei softwa e the ma gi it eeds.
Gai ma ageme t is the p actical leve . Si ce gai amplifies oise alo g with sig al, the best p actice is to collect as much sig al as possible befo e applyi g gai , usi g lo ge exposu e whe the subject allows it, wide ape tu es, a d added illumi atio . Vadzo sha es guida ce o these t ade-offs. Whe e motio limits exposu e, gai becomes ecessa y, a d the sta ti g sig al quality decides how much oise comes with it. Vadzo does ot claim to emove oise that physics imposes, si ce o se so ca c eate photo s that did ot a ive, a d it p efe s to desc ibe the limits plai ly. Custome s who u de sta d those limits pla thei lighti g a d optics bette , a d they avoid disappoi tme t late i a p oject.
The module co ects ove GigE Visio a d ca be powe ed th ough Powe ove Ethe et, which educes cabli g at pole, ceili g, a d machi e-mou ted positio s. Because powe co ve sio ca add oise, Vadzo checks image oise with Powe ove Ethe et active i stead of assumi g it makes o diffe e ce. GigE Visio co t ol gives i teg ato s access to exposu e a d gai setti gs a d lets them choose whe e oise eductio happe s, i the came a o i thei ow softwa e, athe tha havi g it applied i visibly. Teams that u thei ow de oisi g ca leave the came a p ocessi g light, while teams without that capacity ca lea o the came a setti gs. Eithe choice is valid, a d the impo ta t poi t is that the i teg ato makes it k owi gly, with the aw behavio of the se so visible i stead of bu ied u de p ocessi g.
The I ova-662CRS is a IMX662 2MP Gigabit Ethe et Came a built o the So y STARVIS 2 IMX662 se so a d desc ibed fo high sig al-to- oise atio i low-light visio . As a So y IMX662 SNR Se so , it is built fo i teg ato s who wa t to compa e oise pe fo ma ce u de stated co ditio s athe tha ely o a b ight ess demo st atio . The STARVIS 2 High SNR Came a desig atio eflects Vadzo’s evaluatio of oise ac oss illumi atio a d gai setti gs befo e the module eaches custome s. The came a houses the se so , ISP, a d GigE Visio i te face with Powe ove Ethe et i a compact body with a M12 le s mou t. As a IMX662 Low Noise GigE Se so , it outputs 1080p video, a d the IMX662 Gigabit Ethe et Came a desig atio co fi ms ope atio ac oss the suppo ted output modes. As a IMX662 SNR GigE Module, it espo ds to sta da d Ge ICam co t ols, so exposu e, gai , a d p ocessi g setti gs ca be ma aged f om existi g visio softwa e.
Key specs: 2MP (1920 x 1080) Max Resolutio | So y STARVIS 2 IMX662 1/2.8 i ch Se so Fo mat | 2.9 mic o Pixel | Colo with Rolli g Shutte | GigE Visio I te face with PoE | M12 Le s Mou t
Dim sce es a e whe e oise decides the outcome. As a High SNR GigE Came a, the I ova-662CRS sta ts with a st o g sig al, so a i teg ato eeds less gai to each a usable b ight ess. Lowe gai mea s less amplified oise, which leaves mo e detail fo ecog itio a d measu eme t softwa e. As a High Sig al-to-Noise Ratio Came a, the module comes with cha acte izatio at stated co ditio s, so teams ca place its pe fo ma ce o the same cha t as othe ca didates a d decide with data. P ocu eme t a d e gi ee i g teams ca also attach the cu ves to a qualificatio epo t, which makes late audits simple .
Noise is expe sive dow st eam. A Low Noise GigE Came a gives eco de s a d a alytics a clea e st eam, which comp esses at a lowe bit ate fo the same quality a d t igge s fewe false detectio s. Ac oss a site with doze s of came a u its, the savi gs i etwo k a d sto age capacity ca be mea i gful. A alytics tu ed o clea footage also behave mo e p edictably, si ce th esholds do ot eed to be set high e ough to ig o e oise a d isk missi g eal eve ts. Reco di g systems also be efit f om steadie image statistics, which help thei e code s hold a co siste t quality.
Pixel desig u de lies the atio. A 2MP High SNR GigE Came a built o 2.9 mic o pixels gathe s mo e light pe pixel tha a highe esolutio se so of the same size, a d it t ades pixel cou t fo clea e pixels. As a 1080P high-SNR came a, the module delive s full high-defi itio output whe e ma y applicatio s eed it, a d it avoids the ext a oise that ti y pixels would add i dim light. Fo ma y su veilla ce a d i spectio tasks, a clea 2MP f ame is mo e useful tha a oisy la ge o e. Teams that eed mo e pixels ca c op o add a came a positio , a d still keep each view clea .
Low ead oise keeps dim sce es usable at modest gai . As a Low Read Noise GigE Se so , the module holds elect o ic oise dow so that photo -limited pe fo ma ce domi ates, a d as a 1080P Low Noise GigE Came a, it keeps the be efit at the esolutio most systems use. The 2MP Low Noise Ethe et Se so behavio also helps whe softwa e applies its ow de oisi g, si ce a clea e i put eeds less agg essive filte i g a d leaves less ghosti g a d softe i g behi d. Light de oisi g also p ese ves the fi e textu e that ecog itio models use to tell objects apa t.
A came a that delive s a Clea Image Low-Light GigE st eam must keep its ow elect o ics quiet. Vadzo checks image oise with Powe ove Ethe et active, si ce powe co ve sio is a k ow sou ce of oise i compact came a desig s. A PoE High SNR Came a lets i stalle s u a si gle cable fo data a d powe to ceili gs, poles, a d machi es, a d Vadzo validates that the co ve ie ce does ot cost image quality. Teams should still evaluate oise i the actual e closu e, because heat a d mou ti g also i flue ce the esult. A sho t test i the eal housi g, at the eal tempe atu e, is the most eliable guide.
The I ova-662CRS suppo ts ONVIF-based i teg atio fo etwo k video systems, allowi g i teg ato s to i co po ate the came a i to compatible su veilla ce a d video-ma ageme t e vi o me ts. Combi ed with GigE co ectivity a d PoE, ONVIF suppo t helps simplify deployme t ac oss etwo ked came a i stallatio s whe e i te ope ability with compatible video ma ageme t a d mo ito i g systems is equi ed.
“Eve yo e says thei came a wo ks i low light, a d a b ight demo image p oves ve y little. The questio that matte s is how much oise comes with that b ight ess. I teg ato s told us they could ot compa e ve do s because eve y datasheet quoted a sig al-to- oise figu e u de diffe e t co ditio s, o o e at all. The I ova-662CRS pai s a low- oise se so with a ho est desc iptio of its oise at stated illumi atio a d gai . We also check oise with Powe ove Ethe et u i g, because the powe path ca matte . Ou aim is to give i teg ato s umbe s they ca t ust a d compa e, a d a sta ti g image clea e ough fo thei softwa e to wo k well. If a custome measu es somethi g diffe e t i thei ow setup, we wa t to k ow, because that is how the guida ce gets bette .” – Alwi Vi ce t, P oduct Ma age , Vadzo Imagi g.
Su veilla ce systems eco d co ti uously, so oise affects both the quality of evide ce a d the cost of sto age. The I ova-662CRS wo ks as a High SNR Su veilla ce GigE Came a that gives eco de s a clea e st eam, a d its ole as a Low Noise Secu ity GigE Came a educes false motio ale ts caused by speckle at ight. Ope ato s gai mo e depe dable ale ts a d lowe bit ate fo the same visual quality. Sites with ma y came a positio s otice the effect most, si ce small savi gs pe st eam add up ac oss the whole etwo k. Fewe false ale ts also mea less time spe t by secu ity staff eviewi g eve ts that tu out to be oise.
Nighttime a d dim i te io mo ito i g depe d o how much usable detail su vives i da k sce es. The module se ves as a Low Noise Night Visio GigE i stallatio whe pai ed with whateve suppleme ta y lighti g the site p ovides, a d its ole as a Dim Light Visio Ethe et Came a suppo ts lo g cable u s ove sta da d Ethe et. As a High SNR Low-Light Visio Came a, it gives a alytics a clea e image to wo k f om th ough the ight. Sites that add illumi atio late fi d the module scales with it, si ce a clea sta ti g image imp oves fu the with mo e light. Pla e s ca the efo e add illumi atio i stages without eplaci g the came a.
I spectio statio s sometimes ope ate with limited lighti g because of heat, gla e, o p ocess co st ai ts. The came a wo ks as a Low-Light I spectio GigE Se so whe e lowe oise imp oves epeatability, si ce edges a d defects stay stable f om o e captu e to the ext. Because the olli g shutte eads ow by ow, teams should match exposu e a d motio to the li e, usi g i dexed statio s o sho t exposu es fo movi g pa ts. Sho t exposu es aise the eed fo gai , which is exactly whe e a clea sta ti g sig al pays off. Quality teams ca also sto e the clea f ames as a efe e ce eco d fo late eview.
Measu eme t a d guida ce tasks depe d o stable edge positio s. The I ova-662CRS se ves as a high-SNR machi e visio GigE came a i statio s that locate pa ts, ead featu es, a d check positio s, with a clea e image that educes the jitte oise added to measu eme ts. GigE Visio a d Ge ICam keep it compatible with commo machi e visio softwa e, so i teg atio follows familia steps. Teams that al eady u GigE Visio statio s ca add the module without cha gi g thei etwo k desig .
Mobile obots move betwee b ight a d dim a eas a d ca ot always stop to wait fo a good exposu e. The module fu ctio s as a High SNR Robotics GigE Came a that supplies avigatio a d detectio softwa e with a clea e image i dim co ido s a d wa ehouses, usi g a si gle cable that ca ies data a d powe . Robots with limited o boa d computi g be efit pa ticula ly, because a clea i put leaves mo e of the compute budget fo pe ceptio i stead of de oisi g. Fewe wasted cycles also mea lowe powe use, which exte ds batte y life o mobile platfo ms.
The I ova-662CRS IMX662 2MP Gigabit Ethe et Came a built o the So y STARVIS 2 IMX662 se so is available ow fo evaluatio a d p oductio o de s. Evaluatio kits i clude the came a module, M12 le s, GigE cable, PoE i jecto , a d co figu atio docume tatio , with o mi imum o de equi eme t. I teg atio teams ca measu e oise at thei ow illumi atio levels, gai setti gs, a d mou ti g co ditio s befo e committi g to a p oductio bill of mate ials, which tells them mo e tha a datasheet compa iso alo e. Teams ca also compa e the module agai st othe ca didates u de ide tical co ditio s, usi g the same sce e, the same le s, a d the same gai , which is the o ly way to make a fai compa iso . Vadzo is glad to eview the esults with a team a d to suggest cha ges to exposu e, gai , o lighti g that imp ove them. B owse the full a ge of GigE came a optio s at Vadzo’s website o co tact Vadzo at
Vadzo Imagi g is a global p ovide of embedded visio solutio s a d delive s high-pe fo ma ce came a tech ologies a d imagi g platfo ms fo applicatio s i obotics, i dust ial automatio , UAVs, edge AI, a d medical systems. Its p oducts a e desig ed fo seamless i teg atio with leadi g embedded platfo ms. Vadzo suppo ts custome s th ough ha dwa e customizatio , fi mwa e developme t, a d module-level d ive s, e abli g faste developme t a d deployme t of visio -based systems ac oss GigE, USB, MIPI, Wi-Fi, a d Se Des came a i te faces.
Vadzo Imagi gEmail:
