Which camera and lens would you recommend?

[andya (Andy Amada)]

I am new to Laser Engraving. I just purchased an Ortur engraver. I would like to order a camera, but need your help. Here is my situation. I would like to also purchase Ortur’s Enclosure. The only problem is that it is only 12.3" tall. The platform is 400mm square, but I will probably just be engraving small images, so I may only use 1/3rd of that space. I noticed on this page > Using a Camera - LightBurn Software Documentation
Lightburn shows a table of Camera selections.

which hopefully I uploaded correctly. It appears that the only choice is the 5mp-160 which only needs 8.75".
Any thoughts? is there a problem with such a wide angle lens?
Thank you for your suggestions,
Andy

[Rick (Technical Evangelist)]

This dialog is built into LightBurn and can be found under the ‘Help’ menu. The image you post is just an example (and from an old version).

Enter your information where it says ‘Machine Size’ to see the choices recommended for that setup.

I also suggest you search this forum ( upper-right at the top of each page) for “Ortur Camera Setup” to find many additional posts covering this topic in detail.

[andya (Andy Amada)]

Hi Rick,

Thanks for the info, but at this point in my getting into laser engraving, I just want to make sure that a 12” high enclosure is not too short to work with your cameras.

I just received the engraver today and I want to be very cautious by getting an enclosure before operating the laser.

Once I have the engraver set up. I will purchase your software and will use the software, as you have indicated, to inform me which camera to purchase.

Si the question comes down to whether or not the 12” tall enclosure will work with your cameras. It did appear from the sample chart that it would work with 160 degree lens. I just thought it would be best to double check before buying the Ortur enclosure.

Thank you,
Andy

[Rick (Technical Evangelist)]

I plugged 400mm x 400mm into the camera choice helper, which presents the following:

I see 2 options that would work within a 12" range.

The location of mounting is the key, so does this enclosure have a lid? Provide a picture or link to the enclosure design you are considering, and we can offer a bit more direct feedback.

[andya (Andy Amada)]

Hi Rick,
Thank you so much for your help. I am attaching 4 images - front view with lid open, top view with an arrow where I expect the camera would be located (on the inside, of course!) a diagram that appears to show that the center (right behind the hinge) and another diagram showing the top view. As you will see, there appears to be some hole, but I would think I could go over it or next to it. I’m not sure what that circle representss.

is available for mounting the camera.
Thank you, Andy

[andya (Andy Amada)]

I forgot to attach this last image.

[Rick (Technical Evangelist)]

While I think your assumption seems reasonable, I can not confirm Ortur’s intent here, best to ask them. I would also ask these nice folks if they have a camera recommendation to best fit that enclosure.

You can mount elsewhere too, as we share in our documentation here: Using a Camera - LightBurn Software Documentation

Additionally, I might suggest waiting to have the enclosure, so you can choose the best mounting location for your needs and measure that distance yourself.

[andya (Andy Amada)]

Hi Rick,
Excellent suggestion on asking Ortur about a camera recommendation, but after doing my research I prefer your software, and therefore it makes sense to have your camera. But I will ask them anyway to see what they say. But after seeing these images and my assumption, can you please tell me which camera/lens or cameras you believe would work with this 12 inch high enclosure. I believe I have to first get the enclosure before I can choose the best mounting and camera setup. Otherwise I have nothing to measure.
Thank you,
Andy

[DMH (Dan Harrier)]

Did this get resolved? I also have the Ortur enclosure, and am ready to buy a camera.