Using Consumer Digital Camera for the Vision System

[RajGup]

I am evaluating, if I can use a consumer digital camera for the vision system. I wanted to see if anybody out there have done that in past? The other question is, do the consumer camera manufacturers provide the driver software in order to retrive the images directly from the camera to the computer ?

[BruceAmmons]

You would need a really, really good reason to use a consumer camera instead of a machine vision camera. The hassle you would go through to get drivers working and get everything else to work the way you want is not worth it. You may pay more for a machine vision camera, but it will work with a minimum amount of effort. Nowadays, the firewire cameras are cost effective and you can put together a system that doesn't cost much more than your consumer camera would.

Bruce

[Irene He]

I think your suggestion is right, using a firewire camera is much
straightforward. But some consumer cameras have advantages too because
of the very high resolution, especially the newer models of digital
still camera. If the cameras support PTP protocol, then I have a
LabVIEW driver for them. Check out more details at:
http://www.hytekautomation.com/Products/PTPCam.html
Irene He

Bruce Ammons wrote in message news:<50650000000500000061330100-1066448259000@exchange.ni.com>...
> You would need a really, really good reason to use a consumer camera
> instead of a machine vision camera. The hassle you would go through
> to get drivers working and get everything else to work the way you
> want is not worth it. You may pay more for a machine vision cam
era,
> but it will work with a minimum amount of effort. Nowadays, the
> firewire cameras are cost effective and you can put together a system
> that doesn't cost much more than your consumer camera would.
>
> Bruce