© 2016 Thorlabs Scientific Imaging18
DCx Camera Functional Description and SDK Manual
2 Camera Basics
This chapter explains the basics of DCx Camera technology.
Operating modes
Image display modes
Sensor
Reading out partial images
Digitizing images
Camera parameters
Firmware and camera start-up
Digital inputs/outputs
USB interface
2.1 Operating Modes
DCx Cameras support the following operating modes:
Freerun mode
Trigger mode
Standby
2.1.1 Freerun Mode
In freerun mode, the camera sensor captures one image after another at the set frame rate.
Exposure and readout/transfer of the image data are performed in parallel. This allows the
maximum camera frame rate to be achieved. The frame rate and the exposure time can be set
separately. The captured images can be transferred one by one or continuously to the PC. If trigger
mode is active, you need to disable it before activating freerun mode.
Note
Note on the schematic diagrams: These illustrations show a schematic view of the image capture
sequence. The sensor exposure and readout times and the transmission times depend on the
camera model and settings. The pre-processing time depends on the API functions you are using
(e.g. color conversion, edge enhancement).
For more information on flash timing see the Digital In-/Output (Trigger/Flash) chapter.
Continuous mode (live mode)
Images are captured and transferred continuously. You can use the DCxCamera flash outputs.