Camera Recommendation

1

Hi,

Is there any recommended good camera model to mount on uArm for computer vision purposes?

Thanks,
Yi

2

Hi Yi,

When choosing a camera you should consider the following:

  • Field of View (How wide your camera can see): You should try to get a camera with a 70 degree FOV. This isn’t too important, but it’s something to consider.
  • Autofocus: You generally do NOT want a camera with autofocus. This can mess up computer vision. You’ll want a camera that lets you manually twist the lense in front of the camera to focus it. Surprisingly, this usually means getting a cheaper camera.
  • Resolution: Get 640x480 camera. There’s no use in higher resolution, as UCS doesn’t use it, and it isn’t necessary for computer vision tasks.
  • Framerate: Higher is better. Something around 24 fps is optimal, since higher FPS won’t really help you in the end, since UCS will be doing vision processing slower than that, at probably 15 FPS (or slower if your computer is slow), so you might not need the super speedy FPS.
  • General camera specs / dynamic range: You’ll want a camera with good color and low motion blur. This means reading reviews on amazon usually.

Mounting: Do not mount your camera on the uArm. Instead, find a way to mount it over the uArm workspace. UCS is designed for this type of setup. Generally it’s better, since the camera is in a fixed location, and thus you can know a lot more about the environment, and plan accordingly in your software. When the camera is moving the math gets more complex.

Personal recommendations:
If you want the very best: Logitec C920, It’s a great camera for computer vision. Fast framerate, resolution, FOV, and more.

Convenient package: https://www.amazon.com/ELP-Support-Android-Windows-Surveillance/dp/B00VDSBH9G
This is a great camera, you can 3D print a mount for it or just screw it into an existing mount. It has manual focus, which is perfect. It’s 30 FPS, as well. It’s a bit pricey though.

Otherwise: Any USB webcam will work. There are tons of cameras for under $20 that would work (albiet, they would have motion blur and won’t be all that great).

1 Like
3

Nikon D5300 is a fantastic camera

4

Here is the reviews http://thedigitalcamera.net/nikon-d5300-vs-d5500-whats-the-difference/

5

No doubt Nikon has awesome cameras, although my impression is that a cheap camera should suffice.

Resolution: Get 640x480 camera. There’s no use in higher resolution, as UCS doesn’t use it, and it isn’t necessary for computer vision tasks.

I am still curious what you are building that could take advantage of nikon. @adair

6

This uArm project uses LifeCam Studio: Checkers Playing Robot Arm - YouTube

Features of this camera include autofocus, high frame rate, and it was mounted onto the uArm. Seems to contradict the advice above.

Which do you recommend for current use of uArm metal?