Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera with Interchangeable Lenses

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced a new camera board that would dramatically improve the photographic capabilities available to the popular DIY computer’s enthusiasts and hobbyists. It’s called the High Quality Camera, and it’s built around a 12.3-megapixel backside-illuminated Sony IMX477 sensor with 1.55-micron pixels.

This brand new 12.3-megapixel High-Quality Camera, available from 1^st May 2020 alongside a range of interchangeable lenses. It is available in INDIA to sell at robu.in and other authorized resellers of Raspberry Pi.

This new camera offers a higher resolution (12 megapixels instead of 8 megapixels) and improved low-light performance (approximately 50% greater area per pixel) compared to the existing Camera Module v2. The milled aluminium adjustable focus lens mount is designed to work with a variety of C- and CS-mount lenses and also includes an integrated tripod mount.

The RPI HQ camera is integrated with Sony IMX477 sensor great for projects where you want to see all the details (such as security cameras), or for ones where you want to use specialist lenses (such as wildlife or sky photography!)  It's compatible with all models of Raspberry Pi^* running the latest version of Raspbian.

The HQ Camera includes a circuit board with a 12.3MP Sony IMX477 back-illuminated sensor, an FPC cable for connecting to the Raspberry Pi Model B 1 through to 4, an aluminium lens mount with a tripod mount, a focus adjustment ring, and a C- to CS-mount adapter.

We expect that over time people will use quite a wide variety of lenses, but for starters, our Approved Resellers will be offering a couple of options: a 6mm CS‑mount lens at $25, and a very shiny 16mm C-mount lens priced at $50," said Raspberry Pi Foundation senior principal engineer, Simon Martin. 

Martin says the HQ Camera is designed to address several shortcomings in fixed-focus modules, chiefly that they can't be switched.  "Versatile though they are, there are limitations to mobile phone-type fixed-focus modules. The sensors themselves are relatively small, which translates into a lower signal-to-noise ratio and poorer low-light performance; and of course, there is no option to replace the lens assembly with a more expensive one, or one with different optical properties," said Martin.

Specifications:

Schematic:

Raspberry Pi has also released two lenses sold separately with this camera

1. 6mm Wide Angle Lens for Raspberry Pi HQ Camera

This lens is suitable for basic photography. It can also be used for macro photography because it can focus objects at very short distances.

The lens is a CS-mount device, so it has a short back focus and does not need the C-CS adapter that comes with the High-Quality Camera. Rotate the lens clockwise all the way into the back focus adjustment ring.

The back focus adjustment ring should be screwed in fully for the shortest possible back-focal length. Use the back focus lock screw to make sure it does not move out of this position when adjusting the aperture or focus.

2. 16mm Telephoto Lens for Raspberry Pi HQ Camera.

While the 16 mm lens provides a higher quality image than the 6 mm lens. It has a narrow-angle of view which is more suited to viewing distant objects. To adjust focus, hold the camera with the lens facing away from you. Turn the focus ring, labelled “NEAR FAR”, anti-clockwise to focus on a nearby object. Turn it clockwise to focus on a distant object. You may find you need to adjust the aperture again after this.

Software for the Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera

To use any of the official cameras with a Raspberry Pi we first need to enable the camera interface in the Raspberry Pi Configuration tool (sudo raspi-config)l. Then, after a reboot, we can start taking pictures.

This makes it perfect for industrial and consumer applications, from everything from simple old security cameras to machine vision.

The new HQ Camera is compatible with all models of Raspberry Pi computer from Raspberry Pi 1 Model B onwards, using the latest software release from www.raspberrypi.org.

Out of the box, Raspberry Pi HQ Camera Module has:

• Circuit board carrying a Sony IMX477 sensor
• FPC cable for connection to a Raspberry Pi computer
• Milled aluminium lens mount with integrated tripod mount
• Focus adjustment ring,
• And C- to CS-mount adapter.

Useful Links:

• Getting started guide
• Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera - product brief
• Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera mechanical drawing
• Example fitting instructions for a typical C-mount lens
• Example fitting instructions for a typical CS-mount lens
• Project: How to use the Raspberry Pi High-Quality camera on Ubuntu Core

Buying Links in India:

• Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera
• 6mm Wide Angle Lens for Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera
• 16mm Telephoto Lens for Raspberry Pi High-Quality Camera
• Raspberry Pi 4 Model-B with 4 GB RAM