STICKY: Foundation (old) Camera Board information

[simplesi]

Here's a non high-res example of a time lapse shot through a window

I've seen some black cats in a coal cellar videos before but yours was the most boring one I've seen recently

But very nice once the sun rises

Simon

PS for others - skip first 54 secs

[jamesh]

Here's a non high-res example of a time lapse shot through a window

I've seen some black cats in a coal cellar videos before but yours was the most boring one I've seen recently

But very nice once the sun rises

Simon

PS for others - skip first 54 secs

Apart from those people getting undressed over the road...

Actually, that may have been my imagination.

[Perder]

Would love to see high rez, less compressed timelapse. if someone with the camera could put that together..?

[recantha2]

Time lapse is definitely an application for this camera. The shots it produces are of high quality.
Here's a non high-res example of a time lapse shot through a window
http://www.recantha.co.uk/blog/?p=3201

Apologies for the jaunty camera angle - the board was being held with some of those 'helping hands' things!

Nice timelapse! Might set up something like that at home for a laugh! What was the time gap between shots?

60 seconds - I didn't want to run out of storage space overnight

[recantha2]

Would love to see high rez, less compressed timelapse. if someone with the camera could put that together..?

I think I can manage that - will try and knock something up tonight.

[Perder]

Would love to see high rez, less compressed timelapse. if someone with the camera could put that together..?

I think I can manage that - will try and knock something up tonight.

awesome!
it doesn't have to be long, but different lighting conditions would be cool to see.

[bullen]

Looking forward to this, specially the lowres highspeed video!

One thing though, can you make the band narrower and slim so it can squeeze out from pibow case above the ethernet plug?

[jbeale]

I am almost sure those ribbon cables are stock items; not designed specifically for the R-Pi camera, so they are a fixed width. The best solution is probably to use a case with a slot, or add a slot yourself with a dremel tool, etc.

[recantha2]

Best case I've seen for the camera (and the one I use) is the SB Components one.
Review here: http://www.recantha.co.uk/blog/?p=1264
It's a sturdy, clip together non-rattle case with good slots for the GPIO and, most importantly, the camera cable.
And they're really cheap - you can get them for under £5.

[Watha]

I know that the camera lens is fixed focus and therefore not autofocus but is it manually adjustable? Images of the lens suggest that there are lugs on the lens barrel. Most of the CCTV modules I have have some means of rotating the lens to adjust the focus. I want to use it inside a nestbox so I need it to focus at about 10cm.

[M33P]

The lens assembly is held within a threaded carrier and the thread is epoxied. It took me a modest amount of work to scrape away the epoxy and, well, end up with this:

raspiguts2.jpg (59.97 KiB) Viewed 17979 times

If you unscrew the lens from the default position you can get a minimum ~6cm focal length. The FOV isn't spectacular though - about 30 degrees.

Bad news for the astrophotography crowd though - I think the IR filter is a bit more permanently attached. Once the modules are in general release I'll experiment with trying to remove it.

[gkreidl]

Things would be much simpler for many projects, if the lens thread
would not be fixed so hard (epoxied). One small spot should be enough to keep it fixated.
.

[SpringHalo]

The lens assembly is held within a threaded carrier and the thread is epoxied. It took me a modest amount of work to scrape away the epoxy and, well, end up with this:

raspiguts2.jpg

If you unscrew the lens from the default position you can get a minimum ~6cm focal length. The FOV isn't spectacular though - about 30 degrees.

Bad news for the astrophotography crowd though - I think the IR filter is a bit more permanently attached. Once the modules are in general release I'll experiment with trying to remove it.

What do you think about using a wide-angle lens attachment like what they have for iPhone cameras?
http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/ ... ne-lenses/

[gordon77]

The lens assembly is held within a threaded carrier and the thread is epoxied. It took me a modest amount of work to scrape away the epoxy and, well, end up with this:

raspiguts2.jpg

If you unscrew the lens from the default position you can get a minimum ~6cm focal length. The FOV isn't spectacular though - about 30 degrees.

Bad news for the astrophotography crowd though - I think the IR filter is a bit more permanently attached. Once the modules are in general release I'll experiment with trying to remove it.

That looks good and not that difficult

[Watha]

The lens assembly is held within a threaded carrier and the thread is epoxied. It took me a modest amount of work to scrape away the epoxy and, well, end up with this:

raspiguts2.jpg

If you unscrew the lens from the default position you can get a minimum ~6cm focal length. The FOV isn't spectacular though - about 30 degrees.

Bad news for the astrophotography crowd though - I think the IR filter is a bit more permanently attached. Once the modules are in general release I'll experiment with trying to remove it.

Thanks M33P.
For a nestbox I'll need it IR filter free to allow for non-invasive lighting. I wonder if one of my existing CCTV module lenses would fit the screwthread. Hmm..
I agree with gkreidl that only the minimum amount of adhesive should be used so that we're free to adapt it for our needs. Isn't that the Raspberry Pi way?

[jbeale]

Excellent work M33P, I think a lot of people wanted to see that photo! I believe this is a standard mobile phone camera module; does the Foundation have the ability to specify a custom process for it ("less glue")? If so, I agree that would be nice.

In case anyone is going to try removing the IR filter, here are some ideas (assuming it is bonded with a UV-cure adhesive, which is often used for optical assemblies): http://www.dymax.com/pdf/literature/lit ... ves_tb.pdf

http://www.raspberrypi.org/phpBB3/viewt ... 00#p318685
"Having spoken to the Omnivision people, getting it apart may be almost impossible."

No doubt some may take that as a challenge

[recantha2]

Bad news for the astrophotography crowd though - I think the IR filter is a bit more permanently attached. Once the modules are in general release I'll experiment with trying to remove it.

So it _does_ come apart. Great news for those who want to use it for macro. Let us know how you get on with the IR filter - it'd be nice to ramp up the low-light.

[jbeale]

One other caution: even if you manage to get the IR filter removed with no damage whatsoever, be aware that you will lose resolution when compared with the original, because IR wavelengths are longer (=more diffraction) and they also diffuse farther through the silicon sensor, than visible light does. This is especially true with sensors having supertiny 1.4 micron pixels, like this one.

[jamesh]

Nice job getting that apart M33P! Just a warning that according to Omnivision the IR filter will be almost/completely impossible to remove.

The Foundation has no influence over the manufacture of the device, so asking for less glue won't be possible (and if it was would probably double the price of the device). These things come off a production line producing millions - any change to that line is BIG money. Since the demand for less glue would be less than 1000 items over the lifetime of the device, it's not worth the effort.

[poing]

Great work M33P!!!

[sirkris]

M33P, once the epoxy is removed, does the lens rotate freely enough to imagine adding the ability to focus using a GPIO controlled motor?

If the lens assembly is removable, can we replace it with another assembly (without an IR filter)? If so, does anyone know if Omnivision standardize this part across multiple models?

[jbeale]

I believe the IR filter is not part of the lens. It is apparently bonded to the image sensor itself. I suspect that this module or something similar to it, is also available with an autofocus lens assembly, so somewhere out there- maybe even on ebay- is a compact solution for a software-adjustable focus.

For example, there is a A1x wiki page (you may know the Allwinner A10 and A13 ARM SoC chips used in tablets) at http://linux-sunxi.org/CSI which lists the OmniVision OV5647 as a supported camera device, and they show it as an autofocus module. I think the autofocus version uses a different connector so it is not plug-compatible, unfortunately.

[M33P]

M33P, once the epoxy is removed, does the lens rotate freely enough to imagine adding the ability to focus using a GPIO controlled motor?

Yes

Just a warning that according to Omnivision the IR filter will be almost/completely impossible to remove.

O Rly?

[insert owl here]

I will be able to get it apart but not without a significant chance of cracking the sensor itself. Or debonding the connections between the flexible ribbon and the chip. Thus I'm going to wait until they are available generally.

If anyone's insane enough to try, then I would suggest removing the lens and sanding the mounting tube down to the IR filter. I think it should then "pop" out as I think the mount is welded (ultrasonic? thermal?) to the back plate and has a lip upon which the filter rests.

I think the basic construction is this:

[pygmy_giant]

As breaking out the Pi's 2nd camera connector on future board revisions has been ruled out by the Foundation, I wonder whether it would be theoretically possible (with some jiggery pokery) to connect multiple cameras to the single connector on a Pi and switch it between them? This could allow for stereoscopic images or a cctv network....

Is there a set up routine that the camera and Pi have to go through and would the hardware spasm if the Pi was switched between cameras?

How many lines are in the ribbon cable? If switching is possible, could it be limited to a few lines with the others connected permenantly?

[gsh]

No it wouldn't work, those serial lines are seriously high speed so having something in parallel would be a problem, plus the CSI spec doesn't allow for it.

3D isn't likely to be possible for quite some time... I wouldn't say forever though...

Gordon