CS-Mount Lenses for Machine Vision Cameras

CS-mount lenses are a practical starting point for early stage vision prototypes, because CS is the native mount on common development cameras and the lenses drop straight on. Whether CS is right for your build depends on your sensor format, package envelope, focus and iris needs, budget, and the mount you plan to ship in production. Our lenses range from 2.5mm to 8mm EFL and include wide-angle and fisheye designs.

CS lenses are common in machine vision and surveillance/CCTV cameras, where package size is usually less constrained than in embedded M12 systems. We also offer many C-Mount lenses that cover sensor formats up to 1.2" for a wide range of image sensors.

These lenses thread onto a CS-mount camera such as the C/CS version of the Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera, which settles the mechanical half of the question. Before ordering, confirm the image circle covers your sensor diagonal, and check rear-element clearance in the camera throat, clearance around any sensor filter, the focus range you need, and how the lens performs in your wavelength band. For space constrained applications, we recommend considering an M12 lens with a CS mount adapter instead. Read our Lens Mount article to learn more about the difference between a CS and C Mount Lens.