301 High-Speed Imaging Technical Considerations

The very first thing anyone should look at when thinking about High Speed Imaging is what camera speed is necessary. Common questions to keep in mind are "How fast do I need?" and "How fast is too fast?" Click here to learn more about High-Speed Camera Frame Rates.

After speed is determined, the next item to be considered is the camera resolution of the image. If storage space is a concern, then the smallest resolution that works for the application should be chosen. If storage space is not an issue, than larger resolutions can be used. However, there will be a lot of wasted data generated from this practice. The idea of "more is better" is not always true when other variables are considered.

Now that the necessary speed and resolution choices have been made for the application, the next choice will be between the type of high-speed camera and type of control interface required. The speed and resolution choices will determine a range of cameras, but also the type of interface plays a role in this choice. If the user needs large amounts of storage space, then a desktop system with a RAID array would be the best choice. However, if portability is an issue and storage space is not, then a laptop (check out our accessories section for laptop accessories) would be fine for most applications. The control interface is a function of how much data is being transferred from the camera at once, and how important it is to have that data in an archive instead of on CDs.

The final consideration is compatibility. We have tested all of our high-speed cameras with different types of hardware to determine compatibility. This ensures that any integrated turnkey system we sell is guaranteed to work correctly. If the user wants to integrate a system on their own, we can suggest the hardware to use. However, this could lead to problematic situations.

In summary:

• Know your application - the biggest and best is not always required
• Know how you want to interface with your system
  • Storage requirements
  • Portability
  • Speed
• Make sure all parts of the solution will be compatible.

Need help determining your high-speed imaging technical considerations?

Continue to High-Speed University 302- Using High-Speed Video in 3rd Party Applications