Help with camera selection

Canadian camera manufacturer Point Grey has launched a “Camera Selector Tool” on their website. I applaud the thinking behind this; it’s difficult to figure out which is the best camera for a given application, but I have my doubts about the way this tool has been executed.

The deficiency I observe is that the selection options are all based around camera specifications – model of sensor, type of interface and so on. Now many of us care little about the sensor employed; we just need the camera to work in our application.

What I suggest is needed is a camera guide that takes as inputs details of the task to be performed – field of view and resolution needed, velocity of target and so on – and then outputs a list of cameras that might do the job.

As far as I know, such a “smart” guide doesn’t exist, so perhaps this is an opportunity for some handy programmer to make a name for him or herself.

Incidentally, National Instruments do have their “Camera Advisor,” but that suffers the same weakness of being product rather than application oriented.

Opportunity is knocking.