Which Camera to use?

[conwaysanta (craig imboden)]

I have the exact laser as (lightburn oz)

Which camera should I be purchasing from laserburn ??? Would it be 1/8 cam???

2.7 for the 160 degree lens
1.8 for the 140 degree lens
1.5 for the 120 degree lens
1.4 for the 90 or 80 degree lens
0.825 for the 60 degree lens

So, for example, for my 700 x 500 mm laser, using the 140 degree lens I would divide 700 by 1.8, giving me 389 mm above the bed, minimum, to see the whole thing.

[Rick (Technical Evangelist)]

Have a look at this:

Camera distance

Hi All, Out of interest, have you guys done any tests on distances that lightburn may work with a camera? For example, my workspace has low ceilings and with the K40 on a desk, there’s only 1 metre distance from the ceiling to the the bed of the k40 - i therefore had an idea to mount the camera (which is the ELP 170 fish) to the ceiling directly above. before i go bodging something together, just thought i’d ask the question if anyones tried it.

You can also search for additional “camera” post to help you decide.

[Rick (Technical Evangelist)]

For a 700mm bed, the 160 degree lens needs to be a minimum of 700 / 2.7 mm above the bed, or about 260mm, to see the whole bed. Remember there will always be a bit of image loss due to the processing that happens, so leave a little extra space. I have a 700x500 red/black, and with the lid up, the 140 degree camera works very well.

Also helpful read:

Which LightBurn camera should I choose?

The official LightBurn Camera is a 5 megapixel (2592 x 1944) USB camera, designed to work equally well on Windows or Mac systems. It is available with a 60, 80, 90, 120, 140 or 160 degree lens. Visual guide courtesy of @Starla [Capture] In order to figure out which one is best for your laser its best to think about how you are going to mount it. The different lenses give you the option of mounting it at different heights from the cutting bed while still being able to see the whole bed. I…

[conwaysanta (craig imboden)]

Oh ok, I understand now…the degree of lens is different depending on the height the camera will be mounted!

[Doug (Doug Fisher)]

This is a common question for a very commonly used laser. This thread is a good read with excellent example pictures toward the end of the thread:

Camera distance

For the red/black, the 140 seems like a good choice for lid mount. It’s got enough extra room to allow some flexibility. For the red/black 700mm x 500mm, here are the images from 3 different cameras mounted in the lid: 160 degree: [View-160] . 140 degree: [View-140] . and 120 degree (note this is fuzzy because I didn’t take the sticker off the lens): [View-120] . The 120 cuts it pretty close, while the 160 captures too much extra around the bed.

[Rick (Technical Evangelist)]

As I posted above.

[fred_dot_u (fred ungewitter)]

Those are very useful photos. I have a red/black clone (I think) with the 700x500 bed and the 120 looks great despite the fuzzyness. A good reference. I had been waiting for the 90 degree lens to be available, but these photos make me wonder if it would have been too tight to be useful.

[Doug (Doug Fisher)]

I was thinking a 120 too, but after the subsequent posts by Oz, he convinced me their 140 was going to be the best compromise.

I am still in search of downloadable camera holder/mount designs while I wait for my 140 to arrive. I would like to get mine built while I wait.

[daddycreswell (Josh Creswell)]

Well I have finally decided to order the camera, I have a red and black 700x500, the distance from my bed to the lid is 25 inches or 635mm. I am guess the 140 degree one is the best option for me as well. But one question I have, that I haven’t seen asked. Does this have anything to do how high or low you have your bed set to? Just something I wondered…

[daddycreswell (Josh Creswell)]

So the 140 is the best option for the red and black 700 x 500 mounted inside the lid?

[LightBurn (Oz)]

No, as long as the top of the material is set to the same distance from the laser head - that’s the important part. If you were to change lenses to a longer / shorter focal length you’d need to re-do the camera alignment part (but not the lens part).

And yes, if you have a red/black 700x500, the 140 is probably the best option. The 120 is a little close.

[daddycreswell (Josh Creswell)]

Good deal… I just wondered about the need part. I’ll order the 140…