Specs to

know for
IMAGING
LENSES

SpecsApplication
to know fornotes
imaging lenses

Machine vision integrators are often faced with the task of selecting
the appropriate lens to optimize their vision systems performance.
Without understanding how to assess the optics, this can be overwhelming. Four basic parameters needed to specify the optics for
a machine vision system are field of view, resolution, working
distance and depth of field.

Field of VIew and Resolution

Sensor Size

Sensor

Camera

Working
Distance

Depth Of
Field

Field

Of Vie

Resolution

When specifying a machine vision system, many engineers think in terms of

magnification. Magnification however is a relative specification and depends
on the size of the image sensor and display device. For example, 50X magnification can refer to a system with a 5.3mm field of view with a 1/2 sensor and a
13 monitor or it can refer to a system with a 15.2mm field of view with a 1
sensor and 19 monitor. Both systems have the same magnification but differ
in all other specifications. Magnification has no real meaning in terms of field
of view or resolution.
Specifying field of view instead of magnification ensures that your vision system can inspect the entire region of interest and has the appropriate resolution.
Field of view is the size of the object you need to inspect or your region of interest.
Resolution of a system is the minimum distinguishable feature size of the
object under inspection. Generally, the smaller the field of view the better the
resolution. Resolution is determine by the modulation transfer function (MTF).
MTF qualifies the overall imaging performance of a component in terms of resolution and contrast. Knowing how accurately the lens transfers data from the
object onto the image sensor allows integrators to maximize the systems field
of view while maintaining appropriate resolution for the task at hand.

Working DIstance and Depth of field

AdDitional considerations
Specifying field of view, resolution, working distance and depth of field is often enough to choose an appropriate lens. But considering other factors as well including illumination integration, chip format, operator error and software development can reduce
setup costs and system downtime while optimizing reliability and repeatability. For more advance integration, other specifications
to consider are f/#, maximum sensor format, distortion, and zoom/focus features.
In an ideal lens design, the f/# is the limiting factor in system resolution. Common machine vision optics integrate an iris into
the design, allowing the user to adjust for varying light levels and to control the depth of field. Increasing the aperture size decreases the depth of field but will often increase the resolution of the lens. Decreasing the aperture size (stopping down the lens)
increases the depth of field but decreases the effective diffraction limit of the lens degrading the overall system performance. F/#,
resolution and depth of field are all interrelated.
Maximum image (sensor) format is the length of the diagonal of a common imaging chip that most closely matches the diameter of the image the lens will produce without vignetting. Some manufacturers specify the max image format as the largest

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Working distance is the distance from the front of the lens to the object under inspection. Sometimes mechanical constraints
can dictate difficult optical configurations. The longer the required working distance, the more difficult and costly it becomes to
maintain a small field of view. Often this is specified out of convenience. This increases cost and typically reduces the resolution
and light collection ability of the optics, unnecessarily degrading the systems overall imaging performance.
If three-dimensional objects are being imaged, depth of field must also be considered. Depth of field is a lens ability to maintain a desired resolution as the object is positioned closer and farther from the lens. Large depth of field can simplify mounting
constraints. Precision movement is not necessary to position the object at the nominal working distance of the lens. However, keep
in mind that although the lens will maintain resolution over the specified depth of field, it will not necessarily maintain magnification. This change in magnification can sometimes have adverse results for machine vision applications telecentric lenses elimate
this problem.

Specs to know for imaging lenses

diagonal the lens will cover while maintaining the specified resolution and distortion characteristics.
Distortion is an optical error that causes differences in magnification of the object at different points on the image. The information about the object is not lost, merely misplaced so distortion can be calculated out of the final image. Some integrators elect to
develop software to remove the distortion, rather than specifying optics that have inherently low distortion. This leads to increased
costs and time. Well-designed long focal length optics inherently minimize distortion and typically prove to be a more economical
long-term solution. If a system requires a large field of view at a short working distance, then a short focal lens is unavoidable and
a software solution may be the only reasonable fix.
Increased distortion can also arise when machine vision lenses are designed to be too modular. While features like focus knurls,
adjustable irises and zoom/focus provide flexibility, they can greatly increase design and manufacturing costs while limiting overall
performance. For OEM applications, custom optics designed for a specific field of view, resolution, working distance and depth of field
would eliminate problems. But long lead times and high design and manufacturing costs only make a custom solution practical for large
volume. For small volume requirements, risk can be minimized by selecting lenses with lockable focus, iris and zoom functions.

Conclusion
The more information a machine vision optics manufacturer can provide you about the lens for your system, the more likely your
project is to succeed. For simple inspection systems, choosing a lens with the proper field of view and working distance may be all
is needed. For more demanding applications, however, the choice of optics becomes critical to the systems success. Working with
a manufacturer capable of providing meaningful information and knowledgeable support removes the guess work from machine
vision system integrations.

common imaging lenses

Fixed Focal Length Lenses: Fixed focal length lenses are defined by a single angular field of view or focal length. They typically
have a minimum working distance with no maximum. Objects closer to the lens will appear larger than objects farther from the lens.
Lightweight, low-profile design commonly used in robotics and inspection applications.
Telecentric Lenses: With a conventional lens, an object that is closer to the lens (shorter working distance) will appear larger than
an object farther from the lens (longer working distance). Telecentric lenses lack this perspective or parallax error, thus making
telecentric lenses ideal for metrology and gauging applications. Telecentric lenses feature superior image quality and are offered in
magnifications ranging from 0.08X to 6X.
Zoom Lenses and Vari-Focal Lenses: Zoom lenses and vari-focal lenses both offer the flexibility of changing the focal length, or
angular field of view, of the lens. Zoom lenses will maintain focus as the focal length is modified (parfocal) while vari-focal lenses
require refocusing. Changing the focal length of the lens allows different fields of view to be imaged with minimal changes to the
overall system.

Available off-the-shelf

Silver Series
Telecentric Lenses

High Resolution
Large Format Lenses

Zoom Lenses

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101 East Gloucester Pike | Barrington, NJ USA 08007-1380 | 1-800-363-1992 | www.edmundoptics.com

COPYRIGHT 2008 EDMUND OPTICS, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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