Still confused, whats the diff between these 2 cameras?

[Merlysys]

I asked about this recently but people answered a different question.
Whats the difference between these 2 cameras as far as specifications are concerned?

$22 camera http://www.ebay.ca/itm/191000343874
$30 camera http://www.ebay.ca/itm/281212355128

These are the specs for the more expensive one where the 'Lens holder' is mentioned while I didn't see that mentioned for the cheaper one.
So the cheaper one lacks a lens holder?
Is a CS lens of any use unless the lens on the more expensive camera is removed and placed on another camera?

Raspberry Pi HD Camera
High-Definition video camera for Raspberry Pi Model A or B.
Omnivision 5647 sensor in a fixed-focus module with replaceable Lense
Lens holder: M12x0.5 or CS Mount
5MPixel sensor
Integral IR filter
Still picture resolution: 2592 x 1944
Max video resolution: 1080p
Max frame rate: 30fps

Rpi 5mp cheaper.JPG (42.48 KiB) Viewed 2733 times

Rpi 5mp cheaper.JPG (42.48 KiB) Viewed 2733 times

[poing]

The small one is a rouge copy of the official camera. The larger more expensive one has a lensmount that enables you to changes lenses and comes with a longer (more tele) lens than the standard package.

Be advised that the larger one has the sensor separate from the lens and the sensor is just mounted with a sticky pad. This makes that the sensor is not mounted straight behind the lens and thus you can expect all sorts of sharpness issues where the focal plane is completely out of whack.

I'd recommend to just buy the official camera board.

[gordon77]

The small one is a rouge copy of the official camera. The larger more expensive one has a lensmount that enables you to changes lenses and comes with a longer (more tele) lens than the standard package.

Be advised that the larger one has the sensor separate from the lens and the sensor is just mounted with a sticky pad. This makes that the sensor is not mounted straight behind the lens and thus you can expect all sorts of sharpness issues where the focal plane is completely out of whack.

I'd recommend to just buy the official camera board.

The large one isn't the official camera either ?

[poing]

No, the board is much bigger.

[gsh]

No neither of those camera's is an official product.

If you want to buy a camera that supports the aims of the Raspberry Pi Foundation go buy one from somewhere other than Ebay

Gordon

[rleyden]

If you want to buy a camera that supports the aims of the Raspberry Pi Foundation go buy one from somewhere other than Ebay

Gordon

I'd like to support the foundation, to a point.
The camera through Newark costs $37 (including tax and shipping) or 68% more. I'd like to know the "profit" margin the foundation is making on the camera. How is it that a for-profit seller can do the reverse engineering, low volume manufacturing, free shipping, make a profit and then undercut the foundation. In other words, how much of that extra expense is a contribution?

[jbeale]

I'd like to support the foundation, to a point.
The camera through Newark costs $37 (including tax and shipping) or 68% more. I'd like to know the "profit" margin the foundation is making on the camera. How is it that a for-profit seller can do the reverse engineering, low volume manufacturing, free shipping, make a profit and then undercut the foundation. In other words, how much of that extra expense is a contribution?

You can start the with sales tax. I think the ebay seller is not charging you sales tax. If you live in the US, I think that legally you have to pay "use tax" for all out-of-state purchases not otherwise charged sales tax, along with your income tax return. You do remember to add that in, right? The minimum shipping costs are surprisingly high from the US vendors. I'm not sure who makes most of the money there, the shipper makes something but I do suspect the retailer is making some extra profit.

Anyway, my understanding is the foundation set the recommended retail price for the camera everywhere at US$25 (pre-tax/shipping) so anything above that is going somewhere else.

[mikronauts]

fyi,

Shipping from the US and Canada is expensive. You can go to usps.com and canadapost.ca to check rates.

Shipping from Asia and even the UK is FAR cheaper.

[rleyden]

Anyway, my understanding is the foundation set the recommended retail price for the camera everywhere at US$25 (pre-tax/shipping) so anything above that is going somewhere else.

Fair enough, sales tax and shipping aren't going to the foundation. That doesn't change the fact that you must pay those charges in order to "support" the foundation by buying through the official vendor.
As I said, I want to support the foundation. I'll take a guess and say that $3 of the $25 is syphoned off to foundation fund expenses unrelated to camera production. If I can buy an equivalent camera on Ebay for $15 less, I could make a $5 donation (tax deductable?) to the foundation. I would be ahead, the foundation would be ahead. Who loses? Maybe Newark, Sony, UPS? Do I want to support their goals at the expense of industrious entrepreneurs in China selling me lower cost products?

[wirelessmonk]

You are overlooking a potentially personally significant drawback to buying the knock-offs.
You will not receive, nor should you, direct support from the foundation. There are additional reasons the others are cheaper; poor assembly, off-spec parts, etc. If you buy your part and it does not perform as it should, either the focus is out of plane or it causes a short that fries the system (hypothetically) you have no recourse but the shady seller on eBay.
Now there are many helpful people on this forum, but the moment you identify you have knock off there will be a common refrain. "You should have purchased the licensed part."

[jamesh]

Anyway, my understanding is the foundation set the recommended retail price for the camera everywhere at US$25 (pre-tax/shipping) so anything above that is going somewhere else.

Fair enough, sales tax and shipping aren't going to the foundation. That doesn't change the fact that you must pay those charges in order to "support" the foundation by buying through the official vendor.
As I said, I want to support the foundation. I'll take a guess and say that $3 of the $25 is syphoned off to foundation fund expenses unrelated to camera production. If I can buy an equivalent camera on Ebay for $15 less, I could make a $5 donation (tax deductable?) to the foundation. I would be ahead, the foundation would be ahead. Who loses? Maybe Newark, Sony, UPS? Do I want to support their goals at the expense of industrious entrepreneurs in China selling me lower cost products?

Who loses? The Foundation, because your donation either won't be made, or would not be as much as the Foundation would make if you bought their camera. There is also the support you give to the distributors, RS and Farnell, who also make money on the device.

Of course, you can buy your camera wherever you want, just be wary of where the money actually goes (to support the Foundation and their suppliers, or not)

[recantha2]

I think the thing is here... Both those cameras are probably of lower quality (manufacturing quality and image quality), possibly much lower. For a few extra dollars/pounds you are a) getting a camera that is guaranteed to work with the Pi b) getting something that produces high quality images and video without focus or quality problems c) supporting the aims of the Foundation, which is after all the reason the Pi was made in the first place and d) not risking your money on eBay.