Why can two cameras with the same quoted 2/3-inch sensor size and C-mount lens show a different field of view?
Asked 3/8/2012
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I tested two industrial cameras using the same C-mount lenses (12mm and 16mm) and a fixed target: a circle on paper. I moved each camera until the circle just touched the top and bottom of the frame. Even though both cameras are listed as having 2/3-inch sensors and use the same lens mount, one camera has to be about 0.5 inch closer than the other to get the same framing.
The cameras are Allied Vision Prosilica GX 1920 and Manta 504. I am reading the raw sensor output, so this is not a viewfinder issue.
I expected the framing to match because the quoted sensor format is the same and I am using the exact same lenses. What could explain the difference?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
2 Answers
1
The two cameras might have a different body thickness, and different positioning of their tripod mounts.
These can affect the actual physical location of the sensor, hence making the images different.
Originally by user6745. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user6745
14y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The most likely cause is that the sensors are not exactly the same active size, even if both are marketed as “2/3-inch.” That format name is only a class, and real sensor dimensions can differ slightly. A different active sensor area changes the field of view, so you must move the camera to match framing.
Because you are using the same lens, the lens projects the same image circle. If one sensor captures a slightly larger or smaller portion of that image, the framing changes.
A second possibility is measurement reference: if you measured from the camera body or tripod mount instead of the actual sensor plane, body design differences could make the camera appear to need a different distance.
A large sensor-plane offset is less likely, because a big shift would usually also create focus problems, including at infinity.
So in practice, don’t rely on the quoted “2/3-inch” format alone for mechanical design. Check the exact active sensor dimensions and the true sensor-plane position for each camera model.
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