Friends working on industrial automation and machine vision projects have probably all run into the pitfalls of camera selection at some point: staring blankly at a string of alphanumeric model numbers, unable to tell the difference between CE, CA, and CH series, confused about when to use area-scan cameras versus line-scan cameras, and after tweaking parameters for ages, still ending up with less-than-ideal image quality.

As a leading brand in China’s industrial vision industry, Hikrobot’s camera product line boasts an exceptionally broad coverage and has become the preferred choice for numerous projects. Today, we’ll thoroughly break down the selection logic behind Hikrobot’s industrial area-scan cameras—from model naming and product positioning to technical comparisons and key specifications—in a single article that will help you master the entire selection process. Packed with valuable insights, we recommend bookmarking this article before diving in.

I. Deciphering Model Designations: Understand the Camera’s Core Specifications in 30 Seconds

The model numbers of Hikvision industrial cameras are not assigned randomly—each character segment corresponds to a key parameter. By mastering the naming convention, you can quickly determine the camera’s basic specifications without having to consult the manual.

The complete model can be disassembled into 8 parts, which from left to right are:

1. Product Category Prefix
   The leading “MV” is the unified identifier for Hikvision’s industrial vision product line; the second character, “C,” stands for the industrial camera category; and the third character distinguishes the camera form—A = area-scan industrial camera, L = line-scan industrial camera.

2. Product Series and Pixel Specifications
   The letters immediately following the category identifier represent the product’s positioning tier (such as A/S/H/E/U, etc.), and the numbers that follow directly correspond to the pixel level:

• 003 = 300,000 pixels | 013 = 1.3 million pixels

• 030 = 3 megapixels | 060 = 6 megapixels
  Line-array products are labeled by single-line resolution: 020 corresponds to 2K, 040 corresponds to 4K, and 080 corresponds to 8K.

1. Sensor manufacturer logo
   The two digits following the pixel segment indicate the original sensor manufacturer brand; chips from different brands have varying feature emphases.

• 10Sony chip, excellent imaging quality—perfect for scenes where image quality is paramount.

• 20Onsemi chips deliver outstanding frame-rate performance, making them ideal for high-speed detection.

• 30Aptina chips offer excellent cost control and are often used in cost-effective solutions.

• 40Awaiba, a chip dedicated to line-scan cameras

• 50Sharp, focusing on high cost-effectiveness.

• 60Kodak, optimized for high-resolution scenes

1. Interface and Color Types
   The characters at the end of the model number correspond to the communication interface and imaging color, respectively:

• Interface: G = GigE network port, U = USB3.0 interface

• Color: M = Black-and-white camera, C = Color camera
  The middle section is reserved for digits 0-9, used to distinguish product iterations and sub-version differences.

II. Product Line Positioning: How to Choose Based on Different Budgets and Scenarios?

Hikvision industrial cameras cover the entire range—from affordable entry-level models to high-end precision cameras. Each series has a clearly defined positioning, catering to different industries and application requirements, allowing you to select the right model based on your specific needs.

CE Series: Cost-Effective and Economical

The entry-level main series features pixel coverage ranging from 300,000 to 20 million pixels and primarily employs a rolling shutter exposure scheme. It emphasizes cost advantages under industrial-grade reliability, making it ideal for general-purpose automation production lines with limited budgets and standard inspection requirements—perfect as a high-cost-performance choice for large-scale deployment.

CA Series: Advanced General-Purpose

Targeting mid-to-high-end general-purpose applications, this series features an exceptionally dense resolution range that precisely meets a wide variety of specialized precision requirements. The series is equipped with two types of chips—Sony and Onsemi. The Sony version delivers outstanding image quality and is ideal for detailed inspection tasks. The Onsemi version boasts uniform pixel sizes at the same resolution level, allowing you to expand the field of view without adjusting the lens working distance, thus providing exceptional flexibility in project adaptation.

CH Series: High-End Flagship Model

A flagship series specially designed for high-precision, cutting-edge industries such as panel manufacturing, electronic semiconductors, and new energy. The interface supports all specifications—including GigE, USB 3.0, 10GigE, Camera Link, CoaXPress, and XoFLink—meeting the stringent requirements of high-speed, high-resolution, and big-data acquisition. It is the preferred choice for high-end precision inspection.

CS Series: Standard Performance Type

Equipped with a high-quality image sensor, it features a wide dynamic range and excellent signal-to-noise ratio, delivering solid imaging performance. At the same time, it boasts outstanding power consumption control and is fully compatible with machine vision standard protocols and the GenICam standard, enabling seamless integration with third-party vision software and maximizing versatility and adaptability.

CU Series: Inclusive and Stable

Adopting a low-power hardware platform, it delivers stable and reliable performance, making it suitable for widespread industrial applications. While keeping procurement costs under control, it also ensures long-term industrial-grade stability, making it ideal for large-scale visual inspection projects that are cost-sensitive and have basic requirements.

CL Series: Line-Scan Camera Series

Specifically designed for high-speed continuous inspection scenarios, it supports single-line resolutions ranging from 2K to 16K and is compatible with multiple high-speed data interfaces. It features a next-generation ISP and advanced algorithm processing technology, deeply optimized for the inspection of continuous workpieces such as PCBs, LCD panels, and metal coils.

III. Area Array vs. Line Array: How Should You Choose Between These Two Types of Cameras?

One of the most common questions from beginners is: When should I use a area-array sensor, and when should I use a line-array sensor? The fundamental difference between the two lies in their sensor architectures and imaging logic, which correspond to entirely different application scenarios. Let’s clarify the core differences once and for all.

1. Sensor Structure and Imaging Principle

• Line-scan camera: The image sensor consists of a linear structure—typically a single row (or a few rows)—and cannot capture an entire image in a single exposure. Instead, it relies on the relative motion between the object and the camera to scan and stitch together the image line by line, much like the working principle of a scanner.

• Area-array camera: The sensor is a two-dimensional array of pixels arranged in a rectangular pattern. It can capture a complete two-dimensional image in a single exposure, consistent with the imaging logic of everyday consumer cameras.

2. Different core performance indicators

• Line-scan camera frame rate: The number of lines scanned per second must precisely match the speed of the production line’s movement; otherwise, the image will appear stretched or compressed.

• Frame rate of a focal-plane camera: The number of complete images captured per second directly determines its ability to capture dynamic scenes.

3. Resolution and Applicable Scenarios

• Line-scan camera: Theoretical resolution in the direction of motion is virtually unlimited, and it boasts a high pixel density per line. It is particularly well-suited for detecting subtle defects in elongated, continuously moving workpieces, such as printed materials, textiles, metal coils, and PCB boards.

• Area-array camera: It has a fixed resolution and offers the advantage of acquiring a global field of view in a single shot. It is well-suited for applications requiring instantaneous imaging, such as static workpiece inspection, QR code recognition, robot localization, and traffic surveillance.

4. Deployment Cost and Complexity

• Line-scan cameras require a precise motion control platform, are difficult to install and debug, and have relatively high overall costs; they are primarily used in professional industrial inspection applications.

• Area-array cameras offer flexible deployment, are ready-to-use out of the box, feature simple system setup, and come in a wide price range—from low to high—giving you more options to choose from.

5. Light Adaptability

• Line-scan cameras allow exposure to be adjusted line by line, giving them stronger adaptability to dynamic lighting changes.

• Area-array cameras perform uniform exposure across the entire frame, making them prone to local overexposure or underexposure in scenes with uneven illumination.

To summarize simply: For continuously moving strip-shaped workpieces and applications requiring ultra-high detection accuracy, choose a line-scan sensor; for static or instantaneous snapshot applications that demand a broad field of view, choose a area-scan sensor.

IV. CCD vs. CMOS: How to Choose an Imaging Chip?

The imaging chip is the heart of a camera, and CCD and CMOS are two mainstream image-sensing technologies. Many people often get caught up in debating the pros and cons of these two technologies.

1. Signal reading method

• CCD: The charge signal needs to be transferred and output bit by bit under the control of a synchronous clock. This requires a clock circuit working in conjunction with multiple power supplies, resulting in a more complex circuit structure.

• CMOS: After photoelectric conversion, it directly generates a current signal, enabling on-site readout. It features simple logic and higher chip integration.

2. Read speed

CCD outputs data line by line and pixel by pixel, resulting in a relatively slow readout speed; CMOS, on the other hand, can acquire and read data simultaneously and even process image information in parallel, making its speed significantly higher than that of CCD.

3. Power Consumption and Power Supply

• CCDs typically require multiple power supplies and have relatively high overall power consumption.

• CMOS can operate on a single power supply and consumes only 1/8 to 1/10 the power of a CCD with the same specifications, offering significant energy-saving benefits.

4. Imaging quality

Traditionally, CCD technology has been considered more mature and offers advantages in terms of transparency, sharpness, and color reproduction; early CMOS sensors tended to have weaker noise control. However, with advancements in semiconductor technology, the imaging quality of high-end CMOS sensors has become fully competitive with that of conventional CCDs, and today CMOS has become the mainstream solution for industrial cameras.

5. Cost variance

CCD manufacturing costs are higher, resulting in generally higher camera prices; CMOS boasts high integration and lower mass-production costs, offering better cost-performance and thus driving the widespread adoption of industrial vision.

V. Core Parameters of Area-Scan Cameras: You Need to Understand Them to Adjust Properly

When selecting a camera and adjusting its settings, these metrics are crucial—understanding them is essential to unlocking the camera’s optimal performance.

Resolution

Refers to the pixel array size of a sensor, such as 640×480 or 2048×1536. Under the same conditions, the higher the resolution, the richer the image details and the higher the upper limit of detection accuracy. However, note that higher resolution is not always better—make sure it matches your detection accuracy requirements, field-of-view size, and backend processing power.

Signal-to-noise ratio

This refers to the ratio of the effective signal to the noise signal, measured in decibels (dB). The higher the signal-to-noise ratio, the fewer image artifacts there are, the cleaner the image quality, and the better the performance in low-light environments. For scenarios involving low-light detection, the signal-to-noise ratio is a more critical metric than resolution.

Dynamic range

The ability of a camera to simultaneously capture the darkest and brightest details is measured in decibels (dB). The greater the dynamic range, the richer the tonal gradation in the image, allowing it to preserve details in both highlight and shadow areas. This makes it particularly well-suited for inspection scenarios involving objects with significant lighting contrasts and high reflectivity.

Gain

The amplification factor for the image signal. Increasing the gain can brighten the image, but it also amplifies noise, leading to a degradation in image quality. In practical projects, we prioritize optimizing brightness by using supplemental lighting and adjusting the exposure time, and we try our best to avoid using excessively high gain settings.

Exposure time

The duration for which the sensor is exposed to light directly determines the amount of light entering the image. The longer the exposure, the brighter the image—but this also makes it easier for fast-moving objects to appear blurry. Conversely, the shorter the exposure, the better you can freeze motion; however, the image will become darker. It’s essential to strike a balance and fine-tune the settings based on the production line speed and lighting conditions.

White balance

The dedicated parameter for color cameras is used to correct color deviations under different light sources and restore the true colors of objects. It offers three modes: automatic, manual, and single-shot white balance. For industrial inspection, manual white balance is generally recommended to ensure batch consistency.

Shutter type

• Global shutter: All pixels are exposed simultaneously, ensuring that high-speed objects are captured without distortion. However, under strobe lighting, brightness inconsistencies between frames may easily occur.

• Shutter curtain: Exposes each line sequentially. It’s lower in cost and offers a higher frame rate at the same specifications. However, when shooting fast-moving objects, it may produce motion blur and distortion; under flickering light, it can result in alternating bright and dark stripes.

Final summary

Selecting an industrial camera is never about “choosing the most expensive one”—rather, it’s about “choosing the one that’s most suitable.” From understanding model designations and matching camera series to distinguishing between area-array and line-scan cameras, selecting the appropriate chip type, and fine-tuning parameters, every step requires a comprehensive assessment based on the project’s precision requirements, inspection speed, budget constraints, and on-site environmental conditions.

Hikrobot’s comprehensive product portfolio covers all application scenarios—from basic inspection to high-end precision applications—and is currently the mainstream choice for upgrading visual systems in intelligent manufacturing.