M12 Lens vs CS vs C Mount Lens Compatibility Guide
Compare specs, adapters, sensor coverage. Engineering guide for machine vision. M12 lens (S-Mount) mount: M12×0.5mm thread. CS-mount: 12.5mm FFD. C...
M12 lenses
Optical Engineering & Camera Engineering Technical Blog
Insights on optical lens design, M12 lenses and C-mount lenses, lens selection, optical engineering calculations, and machine vision integration.
Embedded Vision Technical Articles
Click any article to read full optical engineering content and download specifications
cmos sensor
Camera CMOS Sensor Size Guide: Understanding Image Sensor Format Types
The sensor format size and pixel size of digital camera impacts many performance attributes of camera. The format type of a digital camera sensor i...
chief ray angle
Lens Chief Ray Angle and Mismatch
The chief ray angle (CRA) of a lens and the chief ray of a sensor affect image quality factors such as color shading and vignetting.
M12 lenses
What is an M12 lens
An M12 Lens / S-Mount lens is a miniature lens with 12mm diameter threads. Despite the small size, these lenses can outperform DSLR camera lenses.
how to clean a lens
How to Clean a Camera Lens
Ever wondered about the best practices to clean a lens or image sensor? Our optical engineering experts have put together this article to explain a...
Optical Engineering
Optics
Image Noise v2
Optical Engineering
Optics
High Dynamic Range
Optical Engineering
Optics
Motion Blur
Optical Engineering
Optics
Camera Exposure
Optics
Image Quality Summit
This post explores 12+ Image Quality Metrics and the impact on computer vision. The blog posts and video are from a talk that Max H gave during the...
Optics
Wide Angle Lenses and Fisheye Camera Lens Distortion
Optical distortion is a third order transverse aberration. The simple explanation is that distortion is the change in magnification (angular resolu...
Optics
Resolution 101
Even the experts interchangeably use the term "Resolution" when it actually refers to four different technical metrics. We ran across this misunder...
how to focus a lens
How to Focus an M12 (S‑Mount) or C‑Mount Lens: Engineer’s Setup Guide
If you've recently purchased one our M12 lenses or C-Mount lenses, the first step is to assemble your camera. We also offer camera module assembly ...
Optics
Raspberry Pi Video Conferencing
A few early users of our lenses are actively involved in the RPi community and mentioned the products in a thread. And many people were curious "we...
Optics
d750-vs-pro11-benchmark
Optics
Shutter Speed: HDR and Low Light
Shutter speed (or pixel integration timing) is a critical factor when defining the required low-light capabilities of a sensor/lens combination for...
Optical Design Tools & Engineering Resources
Interactive optical calculators and technical specifications for lens design and optical system integration
FOV-Rechner
Calculate optical field of view for any lens-sensor combination
DOF-Rechner
Determine optical depth of field for your application
EFL-Rechner
Calculate effective focal length requirements
M12 Objektivsucher
Search 200+ M12 optical lenses with specifications
M12 Optics List
Download Excel spreadsheet of M12 lens specifications
Optical Catalog
48-page lens catalog with MTF curves and optical data
Module Assembly
Camera module optical integration services
Ask Optical Engineers
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Common questions about optical engineering resources and lens design
What topics does the optical engineering technical blog cover?
Our technical blog covers M12 lens design and specifications, C-mount optical
engineering, lens selection methodology for machine vision, optical calculations
including field of view and depth of field, modulation transfer function (MTF) analysis,
sensor format compatibility and optical matching, chief ray angle considerations,
distortion modeling and correction, and camera module optical integration. All content
is written by US-based optical engineers with practical manufacturing experience and
peer-reviewed for technical accuracy.
How often is new optical engineering content published?
We publish new technical articles weekly, covering optical lens design principles,
detailed lens selection guides with optical calculations, optical engineering case
studies from real projects, and practical implementation tutorials with specifications.
All articles are peer-reviewed by experienced optical engineers to ensure technical
accuracy and practical applicability for embedded vision and machine vision
applications. Subscribe below to receive notifications of new optical engineering
content.
Are the optical engineering articles suitable for engineering
students?
Yes, our optical engineering content is structured for undergraduate to
professional-level engineers. Each article includes fundamental optical principles with
verified formulas, practical implementation guidance with actual lens specifications,
real-world application examples from industrial projects, links to interactive optical
calculators for hands-on learning, and downloadable resources including optical design
files. We maintain technical accuracy while avoiding unnecessary jargon, making content
accessible to optics students, vision system integrators, and engineers evaluating
optical components for machine vision applications.
Can I download optical specifications and design files from the blog?
Yes, relevant articles include downloadable optical resources such as M12 and C-mount
lens specification sheets with complete optical parameters, MTF curves and optical
performance data validated through testing, mechanical drawings and .STP CAD files for
optical system integration, field of view and depth of field calculation templates in
Excel, distortion coefficient data for optical correction algorithms, and sensor-lens
compatibility matrices. All downloadable content is provided in standard engineering
formats (PDF, Excel, STEP) for immediate use in optical design workflows and system
integration projects.
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