USB camera module for capturing a 6×6 inch area from less than 1 inch away
Asked 2/17/2022
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2 answers
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I need to capture video of a 6×6 in (15×15 cm) area at about 30 fps with the camera mounted under a glass plate. The subject will sit directly on the glass, and due to space constraints the lens needs to be very close to the plate, ideally under 1 in (2.5 cm) away. I’m fine with fisheye distortion and can correct it in post. Are there any off-the-shelf USB camera modules that can cover this field of view from that distance, or is there a better optical setup for this kind of project?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
4y ago
2 Answers
4
The camera and lens will have some depth themselves so you need even more vertical space under the glass plate. My suggestion would be to employ a folding mirror. Place a mirror under the glass plate at 45 degrees and then the camera is placed imaging parallel to the glass plate. This allows a long focal length which will make images easier to use and probably more in focus. You can make the vertical size even shallower with two cameras and two folding mirrors each imaging half the glass plate.
Originally by user60648. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user60648
4y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes, this is possible, but the optical layout matters as much as the camera module itself.
A very wide-angle or fisheye USB board camera can work for this kind of close setup; one community member specifically reported success with an SVPRO 2MP USB fisheye UVC camera module with a 180° lens.
That said, the bigger issue is physical depth: the camera and lens still need space under the glass, and extremely short working distances can be hard to focus and may produce difficult distortion. A more practical approach is to use a 45° folding mirror so the camera points sideways instead of straight up. That lets you use a longer effective lens distance, which should make focusing and image quality easier while keeping the vertical clearance shallow. If needed, two cameras and two mirrors could each cover half the glass area.
If you only need still images rather than video, a flatbed scanner is another USB-connected option for imaging subjects placed on glass.
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