Tamron announces release of LWIR (Long-Wavelength Infrared) 3X Zoom Lens with a standard screw-in mount and featuring F/1.0 fast aperture throughout the entire focal length range.
Tamron , a specialized manufacturers of optics and one of the leading companies in the security/surveillance equipment industry, announces release of LWIR (Long-Wavelength Infrared) 3X Zoom Lens with a standard screw-in mount and featuring F/1.0 fast aperture throughout the entire focal length range.
Since 2010, Tamron has been pursuing development of LWIR (long-wavelength infrared) camera lenses for security/surveillance applications. These lenses incorporate technologies accumulated in the photo and CCTV/IP camera lens designs, and have been developed into an optimized security lens for the LWIR camera system. The model SD006 zoom lens, which covers the range from 35 mm to the maximum 105 mm, demonstrates unparalleled performance with a fast aperture of F/1.0. The lens provides uniform and flat-field image quality from the center to the edge at all focus distances and focal length positions, which is a major advantage for surveillance installations.
Now, Tamron announces the release of a derivative to SD006, the Model LQZ3X3510V (35 – 100 mm F/1.0) with a standard screw-in mount, and image quality optimized for VGA/QVGA resolution. The new product is recommended for an extensive array of security systems, and will highlight the advantages of the LWIR lens for a variety of new applications.
Main features:
1. Substantial improvement in the LWIR light transmittance, and reduced gain noise under adverse surveillance conditions
The new LWIR lens with a constant F/1.0 aperture consists of 4-group/4-lens elements. With a proprietary optical design, Tamron has successfully realized 3X zoom while reducing the number of elements. Germanium has been deployed to raise the infrared light transmittance. This enables crisp and clear image reproduction even under a harsh surveillance condition in which a thermal profile of the scene has minimal contrast, and effectively prevents image degradation due to the gain noise.
2. Introduction of a general-use lens mount and a communication-protocol conversion board.
The new lens comes with a M34 P0.5 screw-in mount, which is widely adopted in LWIR cameras. For the lens control, the asynchronous serial communication protocol is supported by a communication-protocol conversion board. The new lens can be used for versatile applications by virtue of these two features.
3. Notable improvement in the accuracy of the camera's motion detection feature by compensating for undesirable vibrations, by VC mechanism.
Tamron's proprietary VC (Vibration Compensation) mechanism, widely renowned in photographic interchangeable lenses, has been optimized for specific vibration frequency range and designed for high durability. In surveillance applications the cameras are often installed on a pole-like structure. The VC mechanism has been designed and optimized based on the in-depth analysis of the principal vibration frequencies for a fixed -pole installation. To meet the high durability requirements of 24-hour surveillance, a new construction was employed with a superior 3-ball, 3-coil drive components. These technologies minimize false alarms caused by the camera vibration which is perceived as objects in motion, thus substantially improve the accuracy for intrusion monitoring.
4. Lens integration made simpler with automatic FB (Flange Back Focal Distance) adjustment
This is a new innovative feature that incorporates software to adjust the FB position, such that it minimizes any zoom focus drift after lens integration. The FB adjustment can be easily performed in 3 simple steps using the FB adjustment GUI software.
5. Active athermal mechanism that adjusts the back focal distance in response to changes in ambient temperature
High-transmittance Germanium is used for the new high-sensitivity LWIR lens. Germanium is sensitive to changes in ambient temperature and this may cause a drift in the focus distance. For this reason, athermal mechanism is adopted in many of the LWIR lenses to compensate for such drift. Tamron's new LWIR zoom lens is equipped with a new active athermal mechanism that compensates for the focus drift at all focusing distances by built-in thermo couplers and the control software. This new innovative feature ensures high-quality image capture under harsh surveillance environments undergoing large fluctuations in temperature.
6. Quick focus operation achieved by electric drive zoom and focus
LWIR lenses are frequently used for their detection capabilities, a key feature in many intrusion protection systems. Such a system requires the zoom and focus adjustments to be smooth and fast. The Internal Focus system with stepping motor drive mechanism provides the best solution. Combining these technologies ensures smooth, high-speed, and high-accuracy zoom and focus performance.