Machine Vision Zoom Lenses

A machine vision zoom lens is a lens that can change its field of view while fitted to a machine vision camera, so the same camera can inspect a wide area and then examine a detail within it. This page discusses a changing view for machine vision cameras as a buyer requirement. Availability from Hangzhou Ai Ke Electronics Co., Ltd. is not established. Ask whether a suitable lens is available before ordering.

Machine vision zoom differs from CCTV zoom in what the change of view is for. In CCTV work, zoom serves an operator watching a scene. In machine vision work, zoom serves a decision: the picture must show enough detail for an inspection, measurement or reading to be made, and the zoom lets one camera serve objects or features of different sizes.

What a machine vision zoom lens does

In its wide setting, a machine vision zoom lens gives an overview of a work area or a product. In its narrow setting, it concentrates on a feature, a mark, a defect or a measurement point. Moving between those settings lets one camera station handle more than one inspection task, or handle products that vary in size.

That flexibility has a cost in complexity: the setup must be repeatable, so that the same zoom setting gives the same picture every time it is used. An inquiry should therefore ask how the zoom setting is fixed and repeated, not just whether zoom is available.

Where machine vision zoom lenses are used

Machine vision zoom lenses are used in inspection stations that handle more than one product size, in test benches where different features must be examined, and in automation settings where a camera must first locate an object and then examine it closely. They are also used where the working arrangement changes between batches and the camera view must change with it.

Where the product and the feature never change, a fixed lens may be simpler and more repeatable. The zoom page should not be read as a recommendation for every machine vision job; it is an option for jobs where the view genuinely needs to change.

What to confirm before ordering

Confirm how the zoom is operated and repeated for the exact lens concerned, and confirm that the zoom behaviour suits the buyer's machine vision camera and job. Confirm the model, specifications, minimum order quantity, lead time and price for the quantity required, and confirm compatibility, in writing, before ordering.

Documents should be confirmed at the same time. Certificates available upon request. No certificate detail is stated on this site.

Frequently asked questions

Is machine vision zoom the same as CCTV zoom?

The mechanism overlaps, but the purpose differs. Machine vision zoom serves an inspection or measurement decision; CCTV zoom serves an operator watching a scene.

Does zoom make a machine vision setup less repeatable?

It can, if the setting is not fixed and repeated reliably. Ask how the zoom setting is fixed and repeated for the exact lens offered.

When is a fixed lens better?

When the product and the feature never change, a fixed lens may be simpler and more repeatable. Describe the job and ask which suits it.

Related pages

• Machine Vision Lenses
• CCTV Zoom Lenses
• Varifocal Lenses
• Low Distortion Lenses