Thanks to modern image sensor technology, cameras that are capable of capturing images at fast speeds are now available in the market. The cameras also consume less power without compromising on the image quality and performance. A CMOS camera exhibits these characteristics. The device comprises of a CMOS sensor that enables it to capture images as soon as light hits an object. To understand how CMOS cameras work, it is important to understand what how a CMOS sensor works.
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What is a CMOS Sensor?
All CMOS cameras have an electronic chip, known as a CMOS sensor, for converting photons to electrons. The CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensor also helps in creating images in digital CCTV cameras, digital video cameras and digital cameras. You can also find the sensor in barcode readers, scanners and astronomical telescopes. CMOS sensors rely on a certain optical technology for them to detect objects better. The same optical technology helps to enhance radar images in meteorological settings, process satellite photographs and enhance machine vision for robots.
CMOS sensors are relatively cheap to produce and are less power-efficient. You can easily find them in low-cost consumer devices. The sensors don’t have any transistors in them but rely on electric power to gather light. The sensors also offer greater light sensitivity and lower image noise. One thing that stands out in them is their pixel array, which helps process light intensity data.
What is a CMOS Camera?
A CMOS camera is a digital camera that relies on the CMOS image sensor technology. Also known as Active Pixel Sensor (APS), the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) enables cameras to take images in the most efficient way. CMOS cameras are increasingly becoming popular in different fields because they’re easy to use. The cameras consist of pixel sections with a separate active amplifier and light sensor on each pixel.
The functioning parts of the CMOS sensor found in a single circuit help a camera user to capture real-time events and turn them to digital images. The camera’s sensor also consists of a digital controller and a flexible analog-to-digital converter to control its pixel sensors. The components allow for high image performance and low power consumption when a user takes images using a CMOS camera.
How a CMOS Camera Differs from a CCD Camera
Besides having cameras that use the CMOS technology on the market, we also have cameras (known as CCD cameras) that use the CCD technology. CCD is an abbreviation for Charged Coupling Devices. Thanks to the CCD technology, the camera features various pixel sections with circuits for creating a voltage signal of the captured object in analog form. Unlike CMOS sensors, CCD sensors have a color filter and a pixel array as its two key components.
The color filter on CCD sensors is for processing light that comes through the lens. The filter processes the light before it hits the pixel sensor array, which captures and convert the light into a voltage signal in the analogue form. Additional chips found on the sensor’s circuit board help to further process the light intensity data. Practitioners in industrial sectors prefer using the CCD cameras to achieve better image quality over the CMOS cameras. Note that people can use both cameras interchangeably to achieve different results.
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Are CMOS Cameras Costly?
The price of a CMOS camera depends on its intended use and the manufacturer. Note that the components used to make the camera differ in availability and efficiency. Before buying the camera, you need to decide on how you want it to help you or your company. For instance, if you want to buy a digital CCTV camera to provide surveillance to a commercial property, look for one with advanced features. Though it will cost you a fortune to purchase the device, you’ll reap several benefits from installing the device around your property.
Why Buy a CMOS Camera
Before CMOS cameras became popular, traditional digital cameras had CCD sensors for attaining distortion-free and noise-free images. The downside of the CCD sensors is that they consumed a lot of power and offered relatively slow processing speeds. The sensors also took time to detect an object since their analog-to-digital conversion processes took place outside the sensor.
When CMOS cameras hit the market, consumers began procuring them because of their low power consumption and fast processing speeds. The cameras are also ideal for domestic use because of how they are easy to use. Discussed below are the features that make CMOS cameras better than the CCD cameras.
Just like CCD cameras, CMOS cameras have pixel arrays for converting light photons into electrons as soon as they hit the pixel sensor. The good side of a CMOS camera is that each pixel selection in its pixel array turn electrons into a voltage signal hence its fast processing speeds. The camera’s sensor also consists of other chip components such as a digital controller, noise controller, built-in amplifier and an analogue-to-digital converter.
The Downside
The output conformity of a CMOS camera is low since each pixel takes part in converting the light photons to electrons. The output conformity of a CCD camera, on the other hand, is quite high making the camera ideal for capturing high-quality images. In a CCD camera, all pixels capture light to generate image uniformity. The CMOS camera can’t match the image quality of a CCD camera because its chip components (digital controller, noise controller, built-in amplifier and an analogue-to-digital converter) minimize the light capturing area. Unlike the CMOS camera, the CCD camera is perfect for use in industrial settings.
The Future of CMOS Cameras
As the Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology becomes popular, renowned camera manufacturers are beginning to produce cameras based on the technology. The manufacturers are relying on this technology to produce cameras that will improve customer satisfaction. The future of the CMOS technology seems bright judging by the advancements that modern CMOS cameras have. Both CMOS and CCD have interchangeable applications in domestic and industrial settings. Future CMOS cameras are likely to feature fast processing speeds, high-quality image production and high output conformity.
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