Lens Mounts

Description

Lens Mounts:

While you may choose an ArduCAM camera board bundled with a standard lens/mount, or prefer a stock lens glued onto the sensor, selecting a camera with just a standard Lens Mount (CS or M12) expands your lens options significantly – see our complete selection of Camera Lenses. However, you must choose the correct lens mount height to work with your lens – not all lenses will focus properly with all lens mounts. For example, the LS-40180 and LS-81600 will not work with any of the metal lens mounts; you must use the 6 mm high plastic lens mount that is supplied with those lenses.

Metal Lens Mounts:

Use CS Metal Lens Mount (U0893) or M12 Metal Lens Mount (U0756) to replace an existing Lens Mount (plastic or metal, CS or M12, short, medium, or tall, on an ArduCAM Camera Module). The quality of these metal lens mounts is far superior to the plastic mounts that are provided with many camera boards and lenses. There are five heights available for the M12 Metal Lens Mounts: 7 mm, 10 mm, 13 mm 14.5 mm, and 16.5 mm, and one height available for the CS Metal Lens Mounts: 12.25 mm. All of these heights are approximate, and do not include the thickness of the provided light seal.

Plastic Lens Mounts:

Use specialized plastic lens mounts (20 mm or 22 mm pitch) to replace an existing Lens Mount (18 mm plastic or 20 mm metal, CS or M12, short, medium, or tall, on an ArduCAM Camera Module). There are three pitches (distance between mount holes) and several heights available.

Motorized IR Cut Lens Mounts:

Use CS (U3128) or M12 (U3129) Motorized IR Cut Lens Mounts to switch between daylight and IR light photography, under software control. There are two heights available for the M12 IR Cut Lens Mounts: 8.5 mm and 12.5 mm; the CS IR Cut Lens Mounts are 12.25 mm high. As with the Metal Lens Mounts, not all lenses will focus properly with all lens mounts.

Notes: the CS version of this device will not fit properly on the ArduCAM 8.0 MP IMX219 Raspberry Pi Camera Modules. Both CS and M12 versions of the IR Cut Motorized Lens Mounts require external power. An external power connector is provided on some, but not all, ArduCAM camera boards.

Lens Mount Adapters:

The CS Lens Mount to M12 Lens adapter (UB0225) screws into your CS lens mount, and your M12 lens screws into the adapter.

Note: This combination is equivalent to a 14mm M12 lens mount, which is quite high.

Securing the Lens in the Lens Mount:

There are three mechanisms for fixing the lens in place so it doesn’t move, each with their own particular advantages and disadvantages.

Thread Compound:

The first mechanism is a thread compound, such as damping grease (such as NyoGel). The obvious disadvantage to the liquids and pastes is you may get the product on the optics. However, if you are careful, the advantages are that it works on both plastic and metal lens mounts, it can be temporary or semi-permanent (it is subject to environmental effects – vibration, thermal degradation, etc.), and is probably the easiest to use when adjusting the focus. Another option in this category is a threadlocker (such as Loctite). This option is more permanent for metal lens mounts, but may melt your plastic lens mounts – so proceed at your own risk.

Locking Ring:

The second mechanism is a locking ring (also called a jam nut). This is a thin, flat nut that is snugged up on the lens threads to the top of the lens mount. It can be finicky to set the focus and takes up some space (at least the thickness of the nut) between the top of the mount and the bottom of the flange on the lens. But, it won’t cause the lens to deflect and won’t damage the lens threads.

Set Screw:

The third mechanism is a set screw. This is a screw that is tightened into the side of the lens mount and applies pressure to the threads on the side of the lens. This only works with metal mounts, may damage the lens threads, and may cause the lens to deflect slightly, possibly affecting the image. However, it doesn’t take additional space on the lens body as the jam nut does.

Lens/Mount Compatibility:

The following lists of lens mounts and lenses provide some guidance as to which lens mounts can be used with which lenses, based on the fixing mechanism. A thread compound and a set screw have the same limitations – typically sufficient threads in contact between the lens and the mount. In addition to sufficient threads, a jam nut also requires a few millimeters space between the top of the lens mount and the bottom of the lens flange; this is the space in which the jam nut will sit.

Table 1: Lens / Mounts

If you don’t see your lens, either it hasn’t been tested or won’t work with one of these metal mounts (e.g. LS-40180 and LS-81600 require 6 mm mounts) – please contact us for more information.

Package Includes:

• Metal Lens Mounts
  • Selected Metal Lens Mount (qty 1)
  • Light seal (qty 1)
  • Mounting screws (qty 2)
  • Lens set screw (qty 1)
• Plastic Lens Mounts
  • Selected Plastic Lens Mount (qty 1)
  • Mounting screws (qty 2)
• IR Cut Lens Mounts
  • Selected IR Cut Lens Mount (qty 1)
  • Mounting screws (qty 2)