We all know that there is a CSI connector on the Raspberry Pi to facilitate the connections of a small camera to the processor, but how should we facilitate the small camera itself?
As a professional camera manufacturer and solution provider, Arducam has been obsessed with this question for the last 6 years, and came up with a lot of solutions. We have added lens mounts, switchable IR cut filter, multi-camera adapters, autofocus control to the camera board of OV5647 and IMX219, and also MIPI camera support to let you use other MIPI camera modules on the Raspberry Pi.
Is it a perfect time to take a good break now since we have already covered most use cases? I don’t think so. Arducam never settles down, and we want to push the cameras for Raspberry Pi to the extreme.
I am glad to introduce you to our newest PTZ camera for the Raspberry Pi. It’s real PTZ with servos for directional control and varifocal lens for optical zoom, and it supports autofocus and IR cut switch control.
Here is a short YouTube video to give you an idea of this nice little camera.
What Are PTZ Cameras
PTZ is an abbreviation for pan, tilt, and zoom and reflects the movement options of the camera, and a pan–tilt–zoom camera (PTZ camera) is a camera that is capable of remote directional and zoom control.
The Need for PTZ Cameras
A PTZ camera is not a still camera. Instead, it could move the camera and the lens, and that means a single camera can be used to monitor places that should be covered by multiple ones. You can save a lot of cost and time in purchasing and deploying the camera if a PTZ camera can handle the job. With its moveable lens, you will also be able to zoom the camera to see a specific area that you are interested in. To conclude, it’s “do more with less.”
PTZ Cameras Are Expensive, But the Raspberry Pi Ecosystem Is Not
A PTZ camera is usually expensive than the other surveillance cameras. This is what it looks like when you search PTZ camera on Amazon:
Arducam makes cameras, and we’ve made a lot of cost-effective ones for the Raspberry Pi. The whole idea about Raspberry Pi is “low-cost, high-performance … that people use to learn, solve problems and have fun. ” This is also the idea we are having here. It would be great if we can offer a cost-effective PTZ camera on the cost-effective Raspberry Pi.
Arducam R&D, Reliable Suppliers, and Informative Customers
Arducam has good relationships with both suppliers and customers.
On the one hand, Arducam works closely with all kinds of suppliers, especially those in optical lenses, to achieve better optical performance on our camera boards. The first time we got our hands on the newest varifocal lens from our supplier, we started to think that whether we could integrate this stuff with a raspberry pi camera project, and make a PTZ camera out of it.
On the other hand, we have a group of customers that really enjoy our product and services, and they will always give us new ideas on our products and push us to keep going forward until we surprise them with another new product. We’ve heard a lot of suggestions and proposals from our customers in this PTZ camera project, which really inspires our engineers. Without them, it would be much harder for us to present you with a PTZ camera for Raspberry Pi with optical zoom, autofocus control and switchable IR cut filter.
Possibilities
Although we have released this PTZ camera for Raspberry Pi as a new product, we still think that it’s more like a window to new possibilities. Customers will be able to make greater projects with this camera, such as adding image processing and recognition to the system so that the camera will be able to track and follow an object, and then zoom in to get the details.
Please let [email protected] know if you are interested in or have great ideas about this PTZ camera.
Regarding Arducam PTZ Pan Tilt Zoom Camera for Raspberry Pi , what are the dimensions of the camera module. Also can you provide a STEP file or a mechanical drawing of the camera module.
Where can I get this Camera?
Tell me about the servos and the mounts?
Are they included with the kit?
FYI:
http://bit.ly/arducam-ptz
As they say, their distributors sell it, but order details are hard to understand.
From what I’ve been able to see, the servos and mounts aren’t included. I don’t see any guidance for how to outfit this essential part of the PTZ rig. So I’d say, this is incomplete at this time. I’ll keep checking back – hoping this gets cleared up.
I cannot get my new, recently purchased PTZ camera module to work.
I assembled the module, then I made a basic initial test by just connecting the camera ribbon cable, leaving the other 6 jumper wires unconnected.
I assume that the camera can act like a standard RPI camera.
I used an RPI 4 board. The RPI cannot detect the camera. The problem is NOT the ribbon cable connection. Does the PTZ module have to be powered up via the jumper wires ?
Please help me get this PTZ camera to work.
One of our guys has contacted you about it, please check.
the diagram shown on https://www.arducam.com/docs/cameras-for-raspberry-pi/ptz-camera/hardware/ is wrong. The actual colours of the jumper cables are different to the colours shown on that web page !
Please check our emails.
I want to know if the zoom attachment is compatible with Sony IMX219-77 (8MP) camera for Jetson Nano?
What pin to use to power ptz
I’m pleased to see the control board step file placed at this URL.
https://www.arducam.com/docs/cameras-for-raspberry-pi/ptz-camera/hardware/
If possible, I would like to see a step file containing the imager board and the outline of the lens placed as well.