January 9, 2014 – Richmond, BC, Canada – Point Grey, a world-leading designer and manufacturer of innovative, high-performance digital cameras, today announced the addition of a new 2.3 megapixel global shutter CMOS model to its Grasshopper3 family of USB3 Vision cameras.

The Grasshopper3 GS3-U3-23S6M-C model uses the monochrome IMX174, Sony’s ground-breaking new global shutter CMOS sensor for the machine vision market. The fast and extremely sensitive IMX174 is a 1/1.2" Exmor® CMOS that offers an image resolution of 1920x1200 and frame rates up to 162 FPS. Global shutter CMOS technology allows images of fast-moving objects to be captured without the motion distortion characterized by rolling shutter sensors, and without the smear inherent with CCDs. The IMX174 supports many features required for industrial and scientific applications, such as high-speed triggering and region of interest (ROI) functionality. The ROI feature allows users to select smaller HD 1080p or 720p image sizes that run at faster frame rates.

To achieve optimal imaging performance, Sony’s special “analog memory” perfectly stores and shields the light collected in the photodiode. This technology minimizes common global shutter CMOS artifacts such as fixed pattern noise and dramatically lowers read noise levels to just 7 electrons (e-). The IMX174 sensor further boasts saturation (full well) capacity of 32,000 electrons (e-), dynamic range of 73 dB, and peak quantum efficiency of 76% at 525 nm.

“We’re very excited about the performance we are seeing, which is unheard of among today’s global shutter CMOS sensors,” says Michael Gibbons, Director of Sales and Marketing at Point Grey. “Combining these two innovations – the Sony IMX174 and Point Grey’s Grasshopper3 – brings several practical advantages to users. For example, the sensitivity of the sensor helps keep shutter times short, which reduces motion blur and can help reduce the amount of costly and power-hungry lighting that’s required. The camera’s USB 3.0 interface is also well-suited to handling the significant data rates generated by the sensor, which are well over 360 MByte/s, and is much more cost effective than other high-speed digital interfaces. Overall this new Grasshopper3 model is an ideal mix of speed, resolution, imaging performance, and cost.”

The GS3-U3-23C6M-C (1/1.2-inch 2.3 MP CMOS 162 FPS) is list priced at $1,295/€945 and is available to order now from Point Grey, its network of distributors, and the online store (for North American, Australian, and EU customers). A color version (GS3-U3-23C6C-C) is expected to be released later this year.

For more information and to watch the video, visit http://www.ptgrey.com/exmorGS