In digital image processing, standard lens mounts include two variants: C mount and CS mount. These lead to four possible combinations (refer to the image above), one of which is incompatible. Specifically, CS mount lenses cannot be used directly with C mount cameras.

If you need to attach a C mount lens to a CS mount camera, simply add a 5 mm extension ring between them. This approach also works if Step 3 requires an additional extension ring for very small working distances—just place it between the camera and the lens (similar to a grommet).

Notable Point

The Imaging Source exclusively produces CS mount cameras. Each camera comes with a pre-installed 5 mm extension ring.

Special Case: Wide-Angle Lenses

When dealing with very large objects or extremely short working distances, wide-angle lenses—which feature the smallest commercially available focal lengths—are often necessary. For instance:

  • Object width: 700 mm
  • Working distance: 500 mm
  • CCD format: 1/4" (width = 3.2 mm)

This scenario requires a lens with a focal length of just 2.3 mm, such as the Computar T 2314 FICS-3 (see table below).

Key Consideration

Computar wide-angle lenses are CS mount-only and therefore incompatible with C mount cameras. Additionally, their optical quality may not match that of standard “normal” lenses, which could affect image visualization or customer presentations if the lens performance is suboptimal.

To be continued…

Last Updated: 2025-09-05 02:08:13