Optimizing Camera Systems

How To - Prevent Flickering on Videos

Flicker of the the whole image or of lines is often caused by a non constant light source such as fluorescent lights or dimmed LEDs (e.g. low frequency PWD), in a combination with a short exposure time of the camera. more

• Using a long enough exposure time of the camera can help eliminate this issue
• Using a non flickering light source. Good choices are LEDs driven with a constant current power supply.
• If the light source cant be changed (e.g. because it is necessary as a stimulus) using non visual IR850nm constant current LEDs can be considered. The resulting image would be gray scale.

How To - Optimize Focus for a Camera Systems

There are several factors that influence if an object is perceived in focus or out of focus/blurry:

• Minimal Operating Distance: The object is too close to the lens. Increase the Working Distance
• Motion blur: Blurriness introduced by motion of the object or the camera. Reduce the exposure time
• Depth Of Field: If the object is outside the Depth of Field it is considered out of focus
• Focal shift Because of chromatic aberrations: Mixing different wavelengths of light for lighting (e.g. blue and IR850nm) can cause a shift of the focus.