The Arducam Lens Selector turns your imaging requirements into a matched shortlist of optics. Enter your working distance and target size to compute the field of view you actually need, match it against your sensor’s optical format, then compare real FOV and distortion before you commit to a design.
The selector below runs live: enter your working distance and target size, choose a sensor, and it ranks the lenses that actually fit — image circle, resolution, distortion and CRA included. Every result links straight through to the product page, and the shortlist exports for your BOM.
Type in how far the camera sits from your target and how large that target is. The selector back-computes the horizontal, vertical and diagonal FOV your application genuinely requires — so a robot cell at 800 mm and a face-verification gate at 0.5 m each land on the right optics from the first screen.
Choose a sensor — IMX477, IMX219, OS08A10 and the rest of the Arducam lineup — and the selector filters every lens by image circle versus sensor diagonal, supported optical format, mount family and resolution class. Lenses that would vignette or starve a 12 MP sensor never reach your shortlist.
Every change of working distance, sensor or lens redraws the FOV footprint and distortion signature in real time. Barrel and pincushion behavior is rendered against an ideal reference grid, so a “wide-angle” candidate that bends your measurement lines 1.2% is rejected on screen — not during bring-up.
Pin candidates into the compare tray and line up focal length, aperture, image circle, MOD, distortion and IR correction in one table. Differences that matter for your application are highlighted, and the final comparison exports with product links — ready to drop into a design review or BOM.
The same path the selector automates — laid out plainly, so you always know why a lens is on — or off — your shortlist.
Working distance, object size, sensor candidate, mount constraints on your carrier board.
Scene geometry becomes H/V/D field-of-view targets — with margins you control.
Lenses filtered by circle ≥ sensor diagonal, mount family and resolution class.
TV distortion against tolerance, minimum object distance against your staging.
Shortlist compared spec-by-spec, exported with product links for the BOM.
Already know the theory? The selector encodes the same reasoning explained in the Lens Selection Guide — optical formats, FOV, resolution, mounts and distortion — so the two pages always agree.
Run a selection nowThe selector is mount-agnostic. Whichever mechanical interface your design carries, matching follows the same optical logic — image circle first, thread second.
The default for board-level cameras: fisheye to telephoto in a few grams, ideal for dense multi-camera arrays.
Browse M12 lensesWhen an M12 barrel runs out of glass, M16 carries the longer telephoto designs with room for better correction.
M16 lenses QuotationThe compact industrial standard — and with a 5 mm C-to-CS ring, it accepts the entire C-mount catalog too.
Browse CS lensesDecades of industrial glass: manual focus, adjustable iris, zoom and low-distortion designs for measurement-grade work.
Browse C lenses| Mount | Thread | Flange distance | Image circle (typ.) | Adapters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M12 (S-Mount) | M12×0.5 | board-level, design-dependent | ≤ 1/1.8″ typical | M12-to-CS / C holders |
| M16 | M16 (verify pitch) | board-level, design-dependent | 1/2″ – 1/1.8″ typical | M16-to-CS / C holders |
| CS-Mount | 1″-32 TPI | 12.5 mm | up to 1/1.8″ | 5 mm ring accepts C lenses |
| C-Mount | 1″-32 TPI | 17.526 mm | up to 1″ | C-to-CS reduces flange by 5 mm |
Mechanical figures are industry-standard reference values; always confirm against the individual lens and camera datasheets before locking a design.
The selector sits in the middle of Arducam's optics ecosystem. If you want the physics behind a result — or the part itself — both are one click away.
Optical formats, aspect ratios, FOV, lens resolution, mounts and distortion explained from first principles — the theory this tool automates.
Open the guideM12, C-mount and CS-mount series, lens kits and the customization program — the full lineup the selector draws from.
Browse the catalogStart from the other end: pick the sensor and camera module first, then hand the result straight to the lens selector.
Pick a cameraOne-line definitions, consistent with the Lens Selection Guide.
When a catalog lens can't hit your FOV, distortion budget or IR requirement, Arducam's optics team takes the same parameters you just entered and turns them into a custom design — from modified stock barrels to fully custom optics.
Bring your working distance, sensor and tolerance budget — or simply export your selector shortlist and tell us what missed.
Start a custom optics requestNo — and any tool that claims otherwise should raise a flag. Selector results are theoretical values that assume a perfectly focused lens and a flat field of view. In practice, lens distortion, focus breathing and mechanical tolerances all affect the effective field of view. Treat results as a rigorous shortlist, then confirm the final choice against the lens datasheet and, for measurement applications, a bench check.
Currently, the lens selection toll involves M12-Mount Lenses. All four Arducam mount families — M12 (S-Mount), M16, CS-Mount and C-Mount — plus the adapters that bridge them will be supported in the later version. Sensor coverage follows the camera lineup, from 1/4″ IMX219-class sensors up to 1″ and larger formats on C-mount optics.
Yes. C and CS share the same 1″-32 thread; they differ only in flange distance — 17.526 mm versus 12.5 mm. A 5 mm C-to-CS spacer ring restores the correct working distance, and the selector accounts for the adapter automatically when matching.
Most often the image circle. A sensor upgrade usually means a larger diagonal, and a lens that comfortably covered a 1/2.3″ sensor may vignette on 1/1.8″. Resolution class and mount constraints can also filter results. The compare tray keeps previously matched lenses visible so you can see exactly which parameter pushed them out.
That's what the customization program is for. Export your selector inputs — working distance, object size, sensor, distortion tolerance — and the optics team will scope a custom or semi-custom design. Off-the-shelf coverage is wide, but not infinite, and we'd rather tell you that early.
Engineering notice. All FOV and distortion figures on this page — including those produced by the Lens Selector — are theoretical calculations assuming perfect focus and a flat field of view. Specifications, online details and drawings are subject to change without notice. For measurement- or safety-critical applications, verify final performance on your own hardware.
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