The joy of technology means that we expect things to be done quickly yet we refuse to let quality take a back seat. Digital technology has let us tap into amazing speed joined with astonishing performance. No where can we see this more than in electronics; specifically, digital cameras. High speed digital cameras were expressly designed for admanced professional and industrial use. Confused? Let me explain this in a bit more detail.

High speed digital cameras are basically designed to capture very fast images. They are prominently used in industrial and scientific applications where a process of their function is moving or changing rapidly. These high speed digital cameras have the ability to operate both in color and monochrome mode.

Monochrome photos are in either total black and white or a combination of both which will give you a grayscale photo. When taking color photos these cameras operate on the RGB method which generates a range of colors. RGB, or red, green, blue senses the red, green and blue components and then conjoins these components to form an extensive spectrum of colors.

High speed digital cameras are defined by a variety of unique features. These features include horizontal resolution, maximum frame rate and shutter speed. When I say horizontal resolution I am talking about the highest amount of individual photo elements that can be distinguished in one scanning line. This is an essential feature for characterizing correct horizontal video resolution for image aspect ratio. Horizontal resolution is also used to specify the resolution in the biggest circle which can fit in a rectangular image. For example, an 800×600 image would be specified as 600 horizontal lines.

Maximum frame rate refers to the maximum number of photos that can be taken in the specific time period. The time period is usually counted in seconds. Shutter speed refers to how much light will be let in during exposure. This can be set across a wide range, depending upon the subject and light conditions.

When it comes to high speed cameras you have two basic choices: CCD and CMOS. CCD is short for charge coupled devices and is made up of a light sensitive silicon chip. As light hits the CCD the silicon chip begins converting the light into electrons. The chip then carries these electrons across the chip where they are read at one corner of the array. With the help of an analog-to-digital converter, the amount of electrons at each photo site is measured and then they are converted into the binary form.

The CMOS refers to the complimentary metal oxide semiconductor. This technology is also used to convert light into electrons. A CMOS employs numerous transistors at every pixel to move and amplify the charge via traditional wires. The signals of CMOS don’t require conversion into digital form as they are already digital. The CMOS image sensors consume low power as they operate at lower voltages than the CCDs.

As with other digital cameras users can choose between Ethernet, RS232, DeviceNet, CANbus, USB, SCSI, modem and wireless for digital output. Megapixel choices can vary from 8 bits to 16 bits. Even the color output can vary from composite, RGB or S-Video.

Some of the prominent physical features for the high speed digital cameras include radiation hardened, underwater rated, outdoor rated, goose neck, board mount, pan or tilt and remote head.

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