Point Grey has launched its high-performance and cost-effective Grasshopper2 GigE Vision digital camera series.
The first available Grasshopper2 GS2-GE models incorporate a Gigabit Ethernet digital interface and are based on mono and colour versions of the Sony ICX274, a 2 Megapixel CCD that runs at 30fps, and the ICX625, a 5 Megapixel CCD that runs at 15fps. The compact Grasshopper2 measures just 44 x 29 x 58mm in size, and offers new features such as opto-isolated GPIO for industrial triggering and strobe output, new multi-exposure trigger modes, and improved on-camera status monitoring.
Every Grasshopper2 GS2-GE camera is equipped with a 14-bit analogue-to-digital converter, 32MB frame buffer, 512KB non-volatile flash memory, and on-board temperature and power sensors to monitor camera status. Like all Point Grey cameras, every model provides automatic control of most camera properties, such as gain, exposure, and white balance; user configuration sets for defining custom power-up settings; and customisable region of interest and binning modes. Mechanical features of the Grasshopper2 GS2-GE include an industry-standard C-mount lens holder, removable optical window (monochrome models) or IR cut filter (colour models), and RJ-45 connector with screw locks.
The Grasshopper2 GS2-GE complies with the GigE Vision v1.2 specification, which allows it to be used with many third-party software packages. Existing Point Grey camera users will benefit from the seamless software integration that is available using the FlyCapture Software Development Kit (SDK). The FlyCapture SDK is compatible with Point Grey FireWire, USB 2.0, and GigE cameras using the same API, and includes support for 32- and 64-bit Windows and Linux.
