
New 8-megapixel camera board on sale at $25 - sohkamyung
https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/new-8-megapixel-camera-board-sale-25/
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doc_holliday
Awesome stuff.

I do wish they'd release a module without the bayer filter for monochrome
imaging.

Granted it is maybe quite a bit of work to rewrite parts of the ISP to suit a
relatively niche market of monochrome sensor...

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duskwuff
The color filter is much more closely integrated with the camera sensor than
the IR filter was. I don't know for sure, but I suspect it can't be removed
without risking damage to the sensor.

~~~
ncarlson
The extent of the risk depends on the sensor and board assembly. But removing
the CFA is not unthinkable[1].

[1] [https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/210686-moon-with-de-
bayer...](https://stargazerslounge.com/topic/210686-moon-with-de-bayered-
ps3-eye-cam/)

~~~
duskwuff
It can be done, yes, but it's a risky hack of an operation that literally
involves prying the cover off the camera with a knife and polishing away the
filter. It's not production-ready by any means.

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hugs
Maybe I missed it, but there's no mention of whether the focus is adjustable.
In the previous version, it was glued at the factory to a fixed focus and the
default was wrong for close-ups on objects. Sure, you could use pliers to
"break" the glue, but there was a non-zero risk of breaking the sensor. I
decided to go with a different, more adjustable-on-purpose camera, instead.

~~~
egeekuk
According to the RS Components page [0] it appears to be fixed focus.

[0] [http://uk.rs-
online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=raspberry...](http://uk.rs-
online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=raspberrypi)

~~~
hugs
Thanks. I did miss it. :) Newark/element14's product info page didn't have
that info when I checked on my mobile. (Edit: The info about fixed focus _is_
there on the desktop version of the page. The Product Overview section didn't
show up in the mobile version on my Nexus 5):
[https://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/rpi-8mp-camera-
board/ras...](https://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/rpi-8mp-camera-
board/raspberry-pi-camera-board-v2/dp/77Y6521?COM=superwidget-
link_RaspberryPiAccessories%20CMPNULL)

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mgamache
I would like to see a round cable version. I know this may not fit the design
ethos, but I've had projects that I really wanted to use the Pi+camera and
couldn't because of camera positioning (a 1m round cable would have worked) .

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tehbeard
You'd be better off getting a USB webcam for that, I don't imagine CSI (Camera
Serial Interface Type 2, the connection the camera modules use) works well
over long distances.

~~~
Kliment
Works fine for me with a 2m ribbon cable.

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neals
I've been looking into home security lately and with the more expensive
camera-kits (say $2k+)...

I've been wondering if a de-centralized raspberry-pi setup might be so much
better. And with 8mp I think I should start a POC, right?

~~~
maerek
There are a few projects out there [0][1] that make it fairly simple to set up
a motion detection capable solution with a simple USB webcam. I'm currently
waiting on a cheap infrared camera from China ($4!) for use with my Pi, but
I've done testing with an older Logitech HD camera and have had excellent
results.

[0] Motion:
[http://lavrsen.dk/foswiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome](http://lavrsen.dk/foswiki/bin/view/Motion/WebHome)

[1] MotionEye:
[https://github.com/ccrisan/motioneye](https://github.com/ccrisan/motioneye)

~~~
mangamadaiyan
If you don't mind, could you please post a link to the $4 IR camera?

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kabdib
Indeed. (I have a project that needs to distinguish between cats in the dark.
No kidding!)

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Raphmedia
A pet door?

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kabdib
Cat-specific food bowls :-)

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pov
I was researching this a few months ago, but gave up upon the cat facial
recognition. The best I could find for the raspberry pi was opencv haar
filters for humans, and that was just detecting if a face was present in the
video frame. I'm curious, how are you planning on doing cat facial detection
for this?

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awqrre
maybe he has a white cat and a black cat... but I would probably use RFID
chips in their collar.

~~~
kabdib
That's what I'm trying first. RFID range is an issue, however. The electronics
for this is easy, the problem is that I suck at carpentry.

The cats in question are pretty different (one black, one orange), so
discrimination in visible light is easy. Not sure about IR yet.

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patrickg_zill
Interesting is the 4K video mode and the 120fps and 180fps modes. I wonder to
what extent this will be usable/available on an Rpi.

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stegosaurus
Could anyone who has the previous version comment on light response?

I went out and bought a random webcam model from a local store for 7GBP as a
proof of concept so that I could start hacking on the code. 640x480, but that
doesn't matter too much for testing. It is completely unusable in most
lighting conditions. I wanted to point it out of the window to track wildlife.
Sunlight just overloads the sensor and you get white, low light and it's fully
black.

Is this something that requires higher cost equipment? I can't see how it
could be useful as an ipcam if outdoor lighting destroys it.

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agumonkey
Maybe it's possible to have a filtering lens or film to clamp the dynamic
range ?

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vittore
It is also seems to be an infra-red camera, so I ll be able to do pictures
like those with it
([http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/8539757](http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/8539757))
, not that artsy of course and make a timelapse.

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rincebrain
There's two models - one with an IR filter and one without. (Slightly
confusingly to me, the "NoIR" model is the one that can see IR, though I
suppose the pun was too tempting.)

~~~
vittore
I believe it means no IR filter, since that is how you get IR camera, by not
having IR filter in front of sensor.

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ausjke
Modules like this one have existed in surveillance industry for quite a while
but this is the one for the DIY community I guess, the price really should be
in the <$10 range though, otherwise it's fun to play with.

~~~
ncarlson
If you live in the US, you can walk into any GameStop and buy used PS3Eye
cameras for $8.99 + tax. They are an absolute steal.

~~~
ausjke
not really, ps3eye first is a USB camera, secondly, it's 640*480, which is
only 300K pixel.

~~~
ncarlson
The sensor is the same size though.

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pen2l
Small question if anyone might know: are the physical dimensions of this new
v2.0 camera board identical to the past ones? (e.g. version 1.3?). For the
most parts they _look_ identical.

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anc84
I _so_ hope that some day there will be a widely available wide angle version
or easy-to-plug-on lens of this.

Also an official multiplexer would rock so one could connect more than one
camera to the Pi.

~~~
benn_88
You can use two cameras with the compute module. See
[https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/real-time-depth-
perception-...](https://www.raspberrypi.org/blog/real-time-depth-perception-
with-the-compute-module/)

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calinet6
I've found several USB webcam boards that work great, and give more
flexibility when it comes to lens field of view and the like. The RPI is
fantastic for a standing webcam setup using the USB camera, see:
[http://www.trisweb.com/webcam](http://www.trisweb.com/webcam)

Does anyone have example photos from this new camera?

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kregasaurusrex
Is there a full datasheet available for it like there was for the OV7670 if we
want to perform more bitwise calculations with it?
[http://www.cutedigi.com/pub/sensor/Imaging/OV7670-Datasheet....](http://www.cutedigi.com/pub/sensor/Imaging/OV7670-Datasheet.pdf)

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ncarlson
The IoT camera module market seems to be underserved. Here's my feature
wishlist:

* A monochrome sensor option

* Better sensor documentation. Where are the quantum efficiency graphs?

* Larger sensors.

* Less emphasis on megapixels, more emphasis on efficiency.

* Exposure control in microseconds

* Binning

* C, CS, or F lens mount. Heck, I'd even accept a M12 mount, so long as the lens isn't _glued_ into place.

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benbojangles
Is there an Rpi adapter to allow hdmi in via CSI port? It would be cool to use
an action camera like a gopro

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nirav72
Not sure if this will work. But worth a try. Its $15

[https://www.tindie.com/products/freto/pi-camera-hdmi-
cable-e...](https://www.tindie.com/products/freto/pi-camera-hdmi-cable-e..).

~~~
benbojangles
Thanks for linking, but you're right I think that's only for extending a pi
cam. I'm looking at gopro hdmi out going to pi csi port. should be possible -
digital -digital imaging.

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_pmf_
You can get an old phone with an equivalent camera for 25 USD.

