Canon Announces M15P-CL Industrial Camera with Monochrome Sensor and Nikon F-Mount

[Mt Spokane Photography]

From the Canon Japan web site (translated)



With a low noise, high pixel CMOS sensor

• Newly developed, high-sensitivity CMOS sensor has been cultivated in the interchangeable lens camera EOS series, 15 million images with a monochrome megapixel CMOS sensor.
• Employing Canon proprietary noise reduction and control technology, increasing sensitivity to minimize noise amplification. And achieve low noise wide dynamic range in, in high contrast testing is possible. Allows accurate detection of defects such as fine scratches cannot be confirmed easily in the eyes of the people, thereby, even under low-contrast inspection environment, shades of white, black and high-definition or foreign objects.

A variety of features to contribute to improving inspection capabilities

• With various features to fully demonstrate the features of low noise lies in the Canon CMOS sensor and pixel. Other microscopic defects clearly reflect the highlight and expand certain parts can also be detected.
• Sensitivity settings is possible to improve sensitivity to gain 256 x analogue (1 ~ 16 x) to minimize noise amplification and digital gain (1 ~ 16 x) "low noise 256 x gain setting features" powered.
• With a contrast enhancement function possible intensity detecting the lower limit and upper limit you to more clearly reflect the fine scratches and foreign objects, such as a slight intensity differences between the.
• Cut up eight subject areas from the all-pixel area, read see multiple parts area segmentation features reduce amount of data and contribute to improving the processing capacity at the same time.
• By thinning out the add multiple pixel and averaging a "binning function" and pixel read out "vertical subsampling function detection sensitivity and s/n ratio *, improves the frame rate possible.

Specifications

Product name	M15P-CL
CCD image sensor	APS-C（22.41 x 14.92 mm ） made in CMOS (monochrome)
Number of effective pixels	4768 (H) x 3174 (V) 15 million image Prime
Pixel size	4.7 µg m × 4.7 µg m
Frame rate	5.9 fps (all pixel readout time)
Video output:	Base Configuration CameraLink (PoCL non-compatible)
Video output bits	8 / 10 / 12-bit, 2 Ttap, 48 MHz
Shutter mode	Rolling shutter
Shutter speed	106 µg s and 3.5 s (all pixel readout time)
Gain	Analogue: 1-16 x Digital gain: 1-16 x
Power supply	DC12V ± 20%
External dimensions	Approximately 70 mm (H) x 70 mm (W) x 100 mm (D) ※Including mounting Department
Mass	Approximately 500 g (excluding cap)

 

[AvTvM]

@neuro - you are right: it is an f-mount. I stand corrected.

Nevertheless this frankenstein canikon cam is really weird.

 

[Hardwire]

Anyone else understand just what this product is for?

 

[AvTvM]

Anyone else understand just what this product is for?

yep industrial camera for optical quality inspection in manufacturing of PV solar panels or LCDs or similar stuff.
And apparently there are only/more/better/cheaper (?) Nikon-F-mount lenses available for that field of application.

 

[slclick]

This is a QC production line and machining camera. Why can't the posters here get this?

 

[sagittariansrock]

Looks a lot like the little camera I have on one of my scopes, except it's boring Canon black instead of cool Zeiss blue…

Canon encourages you to look through it instead of at it

 

[thepancakeman]

This is a QC production line and machining camera. Why can't the posters here get this?

Maybe because some of us have never heard of a "QC production line and machining camera" and have no idea what it is?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Here is a drawing of the camera. Note: No big LCD on the rear because its intended to be operated remotely or even from a automated defect inspection computer.


That Control IP connector is the output.

 

[Loswr]

This is a QC production line and machining camera. Why can't the posters here get this?

+1

And in the end, when that Nikon lens is mounted on it, it'll become a Nikon camera

And apparently there are only/more/better/cheaper (?) Nikon-F-mount lenses available for that field of application.

Unlikely that it would ever have a Nikon-made lens mounted on it, although I suppose some production lines might use one of the Nikkor macro lenses. As pointed out above, the F-mount is an industry standard for machine vision systems. Edmunds Optics, Navitar, Kowa, and Fujinon are commonly used brands of lenses, but Schneider Optics and Tamron also make machine vision lenses. There's nothing 'weird' about Canon putting an F-mount on this camera - it's an industry standard, like the 1/4"-20 tripod socket on typical consumer cameras.

Many machine vision lenses are fixed focal length and fixed aperture, and there are generally locking screws on anything that can be changed (focus distance, aperture if variable). Some lenses optimized for IR imaging (which is probably why this is a monochrome sensor). They are usually all-metal construction for use in industrial environments.

Bottom line - this is not a consumer camera.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Neuro.
I think you hit the nail on the head, it's not a consumer camera, however many consumer level people on this forum have been confused by its appearance here on what I would guess is primarily a "consumer oriented" site, my only confusion was why it was posted here. I'm thinking with Canon now getting in to security and industrial imaging there ought to be a topic dedicated to announcements of this (non consumer) type product where we can avoid the confusion created here, and people who understand the implementation, strengths and limitations of this type of product can drool over them. ;D
Neat that Canon is innovating though.

Cheers Graham.

This is a QC production line and machining camera. Why can't the posters here get this?

+1

Bottom line - this is not a consumer camera.

 

[TexPhoto]

This is a QC production line and machining camera. Why can't the posters here get this?

Maybe because some of us have never heard of a "QC production line and machining camera" and have no idea what it is?

I had never heard of it, but now I am switching over. I am done with commercial/creative/sport photography and will now exclusively shoot production line and machining photography.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Hi Neuro.
I think you hit the nail on the head, it's not a consumer camera, however many consumer level people on this forum have been confused by its appearance here on what I would guess is primarily a "consumer oriented" site, my only confusion was why it was posted here. I'm thinking with Canon now getting in to security and industrial imaging there ought to be a topic dedicated to announcements of this (non consumer) type product where we can avoid the confusion created here, and people who understand the implementation, strengths and limitations of this type of product can drool over them. ;D
Neat that Canon is innovating though.

Cheers Graham.

This is a QC production line and machining camera. Why can't the posters here get this?

+1

Bottom line - this is not a consumer camera.

I think we are seeing it here because CR is broadening out bit by bit into a photography site. There are posts and forums for various brands of cameras, printers, computers, software, tablets, and even smart phones.

If nothing else, its good to learn new things, who knows, perhaps some day one of us might find that we need such a product, and knowing about them will be a help.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Mt Spokane.
I was meaning it should still be here, just under Commercial products. Like
EOS for Stills.
EOS for video.
Technical support.
Canon General.
Canon commercial.
I think this would have prevented the confusion and people like me could have a gander and know what we are looking at and those not familiar could learn or ignore.

Cheers Graham.

I'm thinking with Canon now getting in to security and industrial imaging there ought to be a topic dedicated to announcements of this (non consumer) type product.

Cheers Graham.



I think we are seeing it here because CR is broadening out bit by bit into a photography site. There are posts and forums for various brands of cameras, printers, computers, software, tablets, and even smart phones.

If nothing else, its good to learn new things, who knows, perhaps some day one of us might find that we need such a product, and knowing about them will be a help.

 

[TeT]

Bottom line - this is not a consumer camera.

I bet if you handed them out, about 1/2 the ppls posting in this forum would hook it up to their bird feeder with remote motion activation...

It is a digital camera afterall...

 

[IMG_0001]

Considering all the fuss about people confusing this for a consumer product, I guess a joke about Canon 'finally answering' the threat from the Leica Monochrom would not be adviseable, wouldn't it?

 

[Loswr]

Bottom line - this is not a consumer camera.

I bet if you handed them out, about 1/2 the ppls posting in this forum would hook it up to their bird feeder with remote motion activation...

It is a digital camera afterall...

Sure they would…assuming they have an MDR26 cable to connect it to their computer, a CameraLink-compatible framegrabber board in the computer to plug that cable into, control software, etc. I'd be surprised if more than a few people posting in this forum (there's at least one - me), much less half of them, have access to the necessary hardware to use a machine vison camera.

 

[Valvebounce]

Hi Neuro.
Not everyone has the correct hardware, but most of us have google, a soldering iron and ambition beyond our ability, I'm sure I could make a hybrid cable to connect this camera I've been given to my PC. : Of course there is no guarantee that smoke will not escape from one or the other or even both! ;D ;D

Cheers Graham.

Bottom line - this is not a consumer camera.

I bet if you handed them out, about 1/2 the ppls posting in this forum would hook it up to their bird feeder with remote motion activation...

It is a digital camera afterall...

Sure they would…assuming they have an MDR26 cable to connect it to their computer, a CameraLink-compatible framegrabber board in the computer to plug that cable into, control software, etc. I'd be surprised if more than a few people posting in this forum (there's at least one - me), much less half of them, have access to the necessary hardware to use a machine vison camera.

 

[danski0224]

So, when will you obtain one of these cameras and do some testing? Test the important stuff like DR...

Doesn't sound too portable, but I've seen skits where people lug desktop computers around on 2 wheel carts and set up in internet cafes (CRT monitors too). I suppose another cart and assistant would be needed for the back-up UPS, or a long extension cord.

;D

Sure they would…assuming they have an MDR26 cable to connect it to their computer, a CameraLink-compatible framegrabber board in the computer to plug that cable into, control software, etc. I'd be surprised if more than a few people posting in this forum (there's at least one - me), much less half of them, have access to the necessary hardware to use a machine vison camera.

 

[Loswr]

Doesn't sound too portable

It's not bad - there are ExpressCard/34 CameraLink framegrabbers that work with laptops.

So, when will you obtain one of these cameras...

Why bother? It's monochrome, so it'll get a big fat zero (maybe a 1?) for color depth...meaning the MP15-CL will get a far lower DxOMark Sensor Score than other Canon cameras, and those are already terrible compared to all other makers. Clearly, this camera is a non-starter from an IQ standpoint. :

 

[slclick]

I'm certain it will be in the iPhone 6