Toshiba Teli Compares CCD with CMOS

Test & Measurement World: Toshiba Teli, the manufacturer of cameras for machine visions shares its view on CCD and CMOS sensors strengths and weaknesses:

"Today, the major difference in usage between CMOS and CCD cameras for machine vision occurs in situations where light levels are very low. In those cases, you still need CCD sensor technology because it is more sensitive to light: The minimum sensitivity for CCD cameras is 1 lux, but for CMOS it’s 5 to 10 lux.

But if there’s sufficient illumination during inspection, CMOS camera performance is excellent. And that’s the case with the majority of machine-vision applications, since they are usually well lighted. Also, some applications that need a higher near-infrared response, like about 900 to 1000 nm, will require CCD cameras, because those cameras are more sensitive at a higher spectrum.

CMOS sensors are less expensive than their CCD counterparts. So, for some customers, if CMOS technology meets their sensitivity needs, that’s what they will use. But at least as important is the ability of CMOS cameras to increase frame rates by letting users choose a smaller, lower-resolution area within the image."