Types of Small Camera Mounts | C-Mounts, CS-Mounts, M12 Mounts

An Overview of CCTV/CMOS Lens Mounts

S M12 Mount C Mount vs CS Mount

What is the difference between C and CS lens?

C-Mount vs. CS-Mount vs. S Mount

One of the first questions inevitably asked when designing vision systems is a variant of the following:
- Will my CS Mount Lens work with my C Camera Mount?
- Will my C Mount Lens work with my CS Camera Mount?
- What is the difference between a S Mount lens and a M12 lens?

If you've asked one of these questions, have run into an incompatibility, or just want to learn, you've found the right page! We've found that there are few simple answers to this frequently asked question and put together this brief summary. We can also help you check the compatibility of our lenses with your camera.

A Machine Vision Camera and CMOS/CCTV Lens Compatibility Table

Camera Mount Compatibility Table

Matching a lens type with mount type can be frustrating if you've purchased a lens and discovered that it cannot focus on your camera. If you are running into this problem, you're not alone! Check this lens mount compatibility chart to help you determine if you accidentally chose an incompatible lens for your camera.

C CS S Mount Lens Compatibility Table

For S-Mount or M12 Lenses, a mechanical comparison is needed between the lens, the lens mount, and the camera housing. The mechanical design for each M12 lens is different, as this mount type is not standardized.


Industrial machine vision manufacturers can use S-Mount when referencing M12x0.5 thread specifications. This is a result of using C / CS mount terminology for several decades. The S-Mount term is less accurate and does not specify a maximum/minor thread diameter tolerance. The term "M12 Lens" or M12x0.5 can include tolerances such as M12x0.5-6H or M12x0.5-6G, for example. The M12x0.5 specification is not included in ISO724, or common 3D modeling software, because the camera industry needed a smaller thread pitch to achieve accurate focusing.

Please note that this table assumes that your CS-mount or C-mount camera do not have artificial MBFL constraints. The Teledyne/FLIR/PointGrey Blackfly CS / C mount cameras are not compatible with all CS and C mount lenses unless the IR filter is removed.

The back focal length and diameters of M12 / S Mount lenses are frequently incompatible with CS and C Mount cameras, resulting in a lens-to-mount combination which cannot be focused. This incompatibility can also occur with other M12 lens mounts.

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Lens Focal Length Calculator. EFL Calculator.
Camera Angle of View Calculator. Camera AoV Calculator.
Camera Depth of Field Calculator. DoF Calculator.