OPTOWL FL-CC-5MX Series High-Resolution Machine Vision Lenses for 2/3" Sensors – 3.45 µm

The OPTOWL FL-CC-5MX lens series, originally developed by RICOH, consists of high-performance industrial machine vision lenses for 2/3" sensors with a pixel size of 3.45 µm or larger. The series belongs to the Exceeding 5 Megapixel Lenses category and is designed for applications where high optical resolution, minimal distortion and consistent image quality across the entire sensor area are important. Thanks to their compact and robust construction, these lenses are suitable for industrial inspection and measurement systems.

The lenses provide an optical resolution of up to 147 lp/mm from the image centre to the edges and are designed to maintain high contrast throughout the entire field of view. They also feature a floating focus mechanism that reduces changes in optical aberrations at different working distances. This makes the series suitable for precision inspection, dimensional measurement, pattern recognition and positioning at both short and longer working distances.

The series consists of five lenses with focal lengths of 8 mm, 12 mm, 16 mm, 25 mm and 35 mm. All versions support 2/3" sensors, feature a standard C-mount and have a minimum object distance of just 100 mm. Depending on the model, the aperture range extends from F1.8, F2.0 or F2.4 to F16.

High resolution across the entire image

The optical design of the OPTOWL FL-CC-5MX series is optimised for industrial cameras with a pixel pitch of 3.45 µm. With an optical resolving power of up to 147 lp/mm, fine structures, small product details and sharp transitions can be captured with high contrast. The manufacturer specifies performance according to the JIIA S-Rank criteria, which evaluate resolution not only at the image centre but across the entire image field. This is important for inspections where details near the sensor edges must also be reliably detected.

The high optical resolution makes the series suitable for applications such as inspecting electronic components, printed circuit boards, semiconductors, mechanical parts and precise product positioning. Actual image quality depends on the sensor used, aperture setting and working distance. For applications where the entire image field is used for measurement, the combination of high resolution and limited contrast reduction towards the image edges offers significant advantages.

Extremely low distortion for accurate measurements

An important feature of the FL-CC-5MX series is its extremely low optical distortion of less than 0.1% for the 12 mm, 16 mm, 25 mm and 35 mm versions. This allows the geometry of the captured object to be reproduced with very little distortion. These lenses are particularly suitable for industrial dimensional inspection, accurate positioning and applications where the dimensions or contours of components are determined from camera images. The 8 mm wide-angle version is excluded from this distortion specification and should be evaluated separately for precision measurement applications.

The lenses also feature a floating focus mechanism. This design changes the spacing between certain optical groups during focusing, reducing aberrations at different object distances. It helps maintain high image quality even at short working distances. All five lenses can focus from a minimum object distance of 100 mm, making them suitable for close-up inspection of small components without necessarily requiring extension rings.

Compact industrial design

Despite their high optical resolution, all lenses in the OPTOWL FL-CC-5MX series feature a compact Ø33 mm housing. The overall length ranges from 43 mm for the 8 mm version to 65.5 mm for the 35 mm version. This makes the lenses easy to combine with industrial C-mount cameras and suitable for integration into machines and inspection systems where mounting space is limited.

The optical design limits light fall-off towards the edges of the sensor. The catalogue shows that light distribution at maximum aperture varies with focal length and improves considerably when the aperture is stopped down, for example to F4.0. This allows an appropriate balance between light transmission, depth of field and uniform image brightness to be selected during system integration. The series is therefore suitable for inspection applications where the entire field of view is used.

The focus and iris settings can be mechanically secured using locking screws. This prevents unwanted adjustments caused by vibration or during operation in industrial environments. All models feature a standard C-mount and a 30.5 mm filter thread. The combination of high resolution, floating focus, low distortion and mechanical stability makes the FL-CC-5MX series suitable for both new machine vision systems and the replacement of existing lenses.

Key features

• Designed for industrial high-resolution machine vision cameras

• Suitable for 2/3" CCD and CMOS sensors

• Minimum pixel pitch of 3.45 µm at 30% contrast at the image edge

• Optical resolution up to 147 lp/mm

• High image sharpness and contrast across the entire field of view

• JIIA S-Rank optical performance according to manufacturer specifications

• Extremely low optical distortion of less than 0.1%, except for the 8 mm version

• Floating focus mechanism to reduce aberrations at different working distances

• Minimum object distance of 100 mm for all models

• Limited vignetting and improved light distribution when stopping down the aperture

• Aperture range from F1.8, F2.0 or F2.4 to F16, depending on the model

• Manually adjustable focus and iris

• Locking screws for focus and iris

• Compact industrial Ø33 mm housing

• Standard C-mount and 30.5 mm filter thread

• Focal lengths: 8, 12, 16, 25 and 35 mm