Further research on camera lenses and image quality indicated that another detail of the lens specification was relevant –  the “lens image circle” needs to be slightly larger than the sensor diagonal to avoid dark corners in the image.

Click to access Application%20Note%20Image%20Circle%20Tolerance%20copy.pdf

I am therefore noting the sensor size in my Action Camera Comparison Chart, to ensure that any new lens has a sufficient image circle for the sensor.

As the options for cameras with non-wide angle lenses is very limited, and as the lenses on the action cameras are completely removable once they have been released from their fixed focus, I decided to look for replacement lenses, rather than entire cameras with narrower fields of view. The lenses for action cameras, FPV drone cameras, and many CCTV cameras generally use the M12 thread size.

Original lenses taken from action cameras

Two new lenses, sold as 90º FOV

Continue reading →