OmniVision OV9281 · 1.0MP 1/4" global-shutter CMOS image sensor
OV9281 Sensor Specifications & Compatible M12 and C-Mount Lenses
OV9281 is an OmniVision 1/4-inch global-shutter CMOS image sensor in the OmniPixel3-GS line, with NIR response for high-speed mono capture under IR light. It is widely used in Arducam and OEM global-shutter camera modules for Raspberry Pi and machine vision. It runs a 1280x800 monochrome array on 3 um pixels at 120 fps over MIPI CSI-2 or DVP. Commonlands matches M12 Lenses to its 4.53mm image circle and reports the calculated horizontal, vertical, and diagonal field of view.
OV9281 specifications
| Part number | OV9281 |
|---|---|
| Hersteller | OmniVision |
| Family | OmniPixel3-GS |
| Beschluss | 1280 × 800 (1,0 MP) |
| Optisches Format | 1/4" |
| Active area | 3.84 × 2.4 mm |
| Sensor diagonal | 4.53 mm |
| Pixelgröße | 3.0 µm |
| Verschluss | Weltweit |
| Maximale Bildrate | 120 fps |
| Schnittstelle | MIPI CSI-2 / DVP |
| Color / mono | Mono |
| NIR-Reaktion | Enhanced near-infrared |
Manufacturer datasheet: OmniVision OV9281 product page
Compatible Commonlands Lenses for the OV9281 with Calculated Field of View
Each field of view below is calculated for the OV9281 active area (3.84 × 2.4 mm) from Commonlands’ per-lens field-of-view data, which reflects each lens’s real distortion rather than a focal-length-only estimate. Alongside the horizontal, vertical, and diagonal field of view, each row lists the lens aperture (F#), distortion, ingress protection, total track length (TTL), and rated resolution, so you can shortlist on optics and mechanics in one pass. Coverage shows whether the lens image circle covers the 4.53 mm sensor diagonal. Only lenses that cover the full diagonal are listed. Run exact working-distance and object-size numbers through the field of view calculator.
Engineering picks for the OV9281
- Best ~30° HFoV: 7.2mm M12 Lens (CIL872) (7.2 mm, f/2.8). Why: the closest covering option to 30° horizontal, chosen for tight inspection framing and long read ranges. Field of view on the OV9281: 29.9° H × 18.9° V (34.9° diagonal). The image circle covers the full sensor (rectilinear estimate, computed 2026-07-02).
- Best ~60° HFoV: Low Distortion 3mm M12 Lens (CIL030) (3 mm, f/2.1). Why: the closest covering option to 60° horizontal, chosen for general-purpose machine-vision framing. Field of view on the OV9281: 65.2° H × 43.6° V (74.1° diagonal). The image circle covers the full sensor (rectilinear estimate, computed 2026-07-02).
- Lowest distortion: Low Distortion 4.4mm M12 Lens (CIL043) (4.4 mm, f/3.2). Why: measured -0.5% TV distortion, the flattest image among covering lenses. Field of view on the OV9281: 47.1° H × 30.5° V (54.5° diagonal). The image circle covers the full sensor (rectilinear estimate, computed 2026-07-02).
- Best low light: 8mm C-Mount Lens (CIL521) (8 mm, f/1.5). Why: the fastest covering aperture (f/1.5), which collects the most light per pixel. Field of view on the OV9281: 27° H × 17.1° V (31.6° diagonal). The image circle covers the full sensor (rectilinear estimate, computed 2026-07-02).
- Compact low-cost pick: Telephoto 16mm M12 Lens (CIL160) (16 mm, f/1.9). Why: the lowest-priced covering M12 barrel ($15). Field of view on the OV9281: 13.7° H × 8.6° V (16.1° diagonal). The image circle covers the full sensor (rectilinear estimate, computed 2026-07-02).
Browse the M12 Lens collection and the C-Mount Lens collection for the OV9281. Covering lenses below run from 1.8 mm to 100 mm focal length and produce 2.2° to 93.7° horizontal field of view on its active area.
| Commonlands Lens | Focal Length | Montage | F# | Horizontal FoV | Vertical FoV | Diagonal FoV | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Distortion 1.8mm M12 Lens (CIL018) | 1.8 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 93.7° | 67.4° | 103.1° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 2.2mm M12 Lens (CIL023) | 2.2 mm | M12 | f/2.2 | 82.2° | 57.2° | 91.7° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 2.6mm M12 Lens (CIL028) | 2.6 mm | M12 | f/2.6 | 72.9° | 49.6° | 82.1° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 2.7mm M12 Lens (CIL027) | 2.7 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 70.8° | 47.9° | 80° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 2.8mm M12 Lens (CIL093) | 2.8 mm | M12 | f/2.4 | 68.9° | 46.4° | 77.9° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 3mm M12 Lens (CIL030) | 3 mm | M12 | f/2.1 | 65.2° | 43.6° | 74.1° | Covers |
| 4mm C-Mount Lens (CIL529) | 4 mm | C-Mount | f/2.8 | 51.3° | 33.4° | 59° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 4.2mm M12 Lens (CIL042) | 4.2 mm | M12 | f/1.9 | 49.1° | 31.9° | 56.7° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 4.4mm M12 Lens (CIL043) | 4.4 mm | M12 | f/3.2 | 47.1° | 30.5° | 54.5° | Covers |
| 4.9mm C-Mount Lens (CIL505) | 4.9 mm | C-Mount | f/2.2 | 42.8° | 27.5° | 49.6° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 5.2mm M12 Lens (CIL052) | 5.2 mm | M12 | f/3.4 | 40.5° | 26° | 47.1° | Covers |
| 5.7mm M12 Lens (CIL857) | 5.7 mm | M12 | f/3 | 37.2° | 23.8° | 43.3° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 5.9mm M12 Lens (CIL059) | 5.9 mm | M12 | f/1.7 | 36.1° | 23° | 42° | Covers |
| 6mm M12 Lens (CIL061) | 6 mm | M12 | f/1.9 | 35.5° | 22.6° | 41.4° | Covers |
| Low Distortion 6.2mm M12 Lens (CIL062) | 6.2 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 34.4° | 21.9° | 40.1° | Covers |
| 7.2mm M12 Lens (CIL872) | 7.2 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 29.9° | 18.9° | 34.9° | Covers |
| 7.8mm M12 Lens (CIL078) | 7.8 mm | M12 | f/2 | 27.7° | 17.5° | 32.4° | Covers |
| 8mm C-Mount Lens (CIL521) | 8 mm | C-Mount | f/1.5 | 27° | 17.1° | 31.6° | Covers |
| 8.1mm M12 Lens (CIL083) | 8.1 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 26.7° | 16.9° | 31.2° | Covers |
| 8.2mm M12 Lens (CIL085) | 8.2 mm | M12 | f/3 | 26.4° | 16.7° | 30.9° | Covers |
| 8.5mm C-Mount Lens (CIL508) | 8.5 mm | C-Mount | f/2.4 | 25.5° | 16.1° | 29.8° | Covers |
| 9.1mm M12 Lens (CIL092) | 9.1 mm | M12 | f/2.6 | 23.8° | 15° | 28° | Covers |
| Telephoto 10.4mm M12 Lens (CIL104) | 10.4 mm | M12 | f/3.8 | 20.9° | 13.2° | 24.6° | Covers |
| Telephoto 12mm M12 Lens (CIL122) | 12 mm | M12 | f/2 | 18.2° | 11.4° | 21.4° | Covers |
| 12mm C-Mount Lens (CIL552) | 12 mm | C-Mount | f/2.8 | 18.2° | 11.4° | 21.4° | Covers |
| Telephoto 12.2mm M12 Lens (CIL120) | 12.2 mm | M12 | f/2.2 | 17.9° | 11.2° | 21° | Covers |
| Telephoto 12.5mm M12 Lens (CIL125) | 12.5 mm | M12 | f/2.4 | 17.5° | 11° | 20.5° | Covers |
| Telephoto 14.2mm M12 Lens (CIL142) | 14.2 mm | M12 | f/2.6 | 15.4° | 9.7° | 18.1° | Covers |
| Telephoto 16mm M12 Lens (CIL160) | 16 mm | M12 | f/1.9 | 13.7° | 8.6° | 16.1° | Covers |
| 16mm C-Mount Lens (CIL553) | 16 mm | C-Mount | f/2.8 | 13.7° | 8.6° | 16.1° | Covers |
| Telephoto 18mm M12 Lens (CIL178) | 18 mm | M12 | f/2 | 12.2° | 7.6° | 14.3° | Covers |
| Telephoto 19mm M12 Lens (CIL190) | 19 mm | M12 | f/2 | 11.5° | 7.2° | 13.6° | Covers |
| Telephoto 21.6mm M12 Lens (CIL121) | 21.6 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 10.2° | 6.4° | 12° | Covers |
| Telephoto 25mm M12 Lens (CIL250) | 25 mm | M12 | f/2 | 8.8° | 5.5° | 10.4° | Covers |
| 25mm C-Mount Lens (CIL554) | 25 mm | C-Mount | f/2.6 | 8.8° | 5.5° | 10.4° | Covers |
| Telephoto 35mm M12 Lens (CIL350) | 35 mm | M12 | f/2.4 | 6.3° | 3.9° | 7.4° | Covers |
| 35mm C-Mount Lens (CIL555) | 35 mm | C-Mount | f/2.6 | 6.3° | 3.9° | 7.4° | Covers |
| Telephoto 50mm M12 Lens (CIL051) | 50 mm | M12 | f/2.8 | 4.4° | 2.7° | 5.2° | Covers |
| 50mm C-Mount Lens (CIL556) | 50 mm | C-Mount | f/2.8 | 4.4° | 2.7° | 5.2° | Covers |
| Telephoto 75mm M12 Lens (CIL076) | 75 mm | M12 | f/3.4 | 2.9° | 1.8° | 3.5° | Covers |
| 75mm C-Mount Lens (CIL557) | 75 mm | C-Mount | f/3 | 2.9° | 1.8° | 3.5° | Covers |
| Telephoto 100mm M12 Lens (CIL100) | 100 mm | M12 | f/3.6 | 2.2° | 1.4° | 2.6° | Covers |
Covers in the table means the lens image circle is at least as large as the 4.53 mm sensor diagonal, so the corners are not cropped. Need a focal length or coverage that is not listed here? Ask our engineers to confirm a match.
How to choose a lens for the OV9281
Start from the field of view your application needs, then read across to the focal length that produces it on the OV9281. Confirm the lens image circle covers the 4.53 mm diagonal so the corners are not cropped, and check the lens resolution is rated for 1.0 MP or higher so it resolves the 3.0 µm pixels. For exact working-distance and object-size numbers, run the figures through the Commonlands field of view calculator.
Sourcing a camera module around the OV9281? Commonlands manufactures the M12 Lenses and C-Mount Lenses above and ships from San Diego, with same-day shipping on in-stock lenses ordered by 12 PM PST. We also design and build custom MIPI CSI-2 camera modules that integrate the lens, the OV9281 sensor, and the carrier board, available from 1,000 units per year, and assemble consigned OV9281 boards with Commonlands lenses in our San Diego ISO 6 cleanroom from 100 to 100,000 units per year. Talk to an applications engineer.
Related guides and tools
OV9281 lens and camera module FAQ
What lens fits the OV9281 sensor?
Commonlands M12 Lenses and C-Mount Lenses whose image circle covers the OV9281’s 4.53 mm diagonal fit the sensor. The table above lists each compatible lens with its calculated horizontal, vertical, and diagonal field of view on the OV9281 active area (3.84 × 2.4 mm).
What is the OV9281 sensor size?
The OV9281 is a 1/4" format sensor with a 3.84 × 2.4 mm active area and a 4.53 mm diagonal, built on 3.0 µm pixels at 1280x800 resolution.
Does Commonlands build a custom MIPI camera module for the OV9281?
Yes. Commonlands designs and builds custom MIPI CSI-2 camera modules that integrate the lens, the OV9281 sensor, and the carrier board, available from 1,000 units per year with active lens-to-sensor alignment and 100% MTF testing. Consigned assembly of your OV9281 boards with Commonlands lenses runs from 100 to 100,000 units per year in our San Diego ISO 6 cleanroom. Talk to an applications engineer to scope a module.
Match a lens to your OV9281 camera
Get an engineer-verified lens recommendation for your sensor, format, and field of view.
Contact Commonlands engineering