M12 Lenses (S-Mount Lenses)

M12 lenses are small, versatile lenses commonly used in machine vision and industrial automation applications.

M12 Lenses (S-Mount Lenses)

M12 lenses are small, versatile lenses commonly used in machine vision and industrial automation applications.
M12 Lenses (S-Mount Lenses)

With a large selection of brands and options available, you’re sure to find the right M12 diameter board mount lens for your requirements here.

M12 Diameter Board Mount Lenses

An M12 lens is a miniature, screw mount lens with M12 diameter threads, commonly called a “board mount” or “S-mount” lenses. M12 lenses typically have a fixed aperture, and are screwed and are focused by screwing them into the mount and locking them in place – usually with a bead of UV-cured glue. Similar miniature lenses are available in M10, M8, and M6 diameter thread sizes, but M12 lenses are the most commonly used size, since their image circle provides good coverage for a wide variety of image sensors.

M12 Lens Applications

M12 lenses are useful for a wide variety of applications where a rugged, lightweight camera is desirable. Their compact size also makes it easy to integrate into a variety of devices, which makes them an excellent choice for applications such as compact sports cameras and IoT devices.

M12 lenses are used in a variety of applications, including machine vision systems for robotics, embedded vision systems, streaming cams for content creators, automotive systems including back-up cameras, and surveillance cameras.

M12 Lens Types and Usage

M12 lenses are also designed to be extremely versatile, with a wide range of focal lengths and aperture options available. M12 lenses are available in a variety of focal lengths from fisheye lenses through telephoto lenses, and with special optics optimized for SWIR (short-wave infrared), and ToF (Time-of-Flight) image sensors.

M12 Lenses for Your Project

M12 lenses are high-quality, affordable, and versatile, and are a great choice for a wide variety of vision systems.

M12 lenses are typically affixed to the image sensor component board with a standard M12 lens mount, which is why they are sometimes called “board mount lenses”. Camera systems that use board mount lenses are generally less complex and expensive to manufacture than camera systems that use other lens mount technologies. However, the lens mount needs to be accurately aligned with the image sensor to ensure that the image circle is in focus over the entire sensor surface.

M12 lenses also need to be matched to the sensor size and desired working distance of the camera system you are developing.

If you are looking for the right lens for your project, a good place to start your selection process is with our whitepaper “How to Choose the Right Lens”. This paper is a great way started in selecting the right M12 lens for your image sensor. Download this whitepaper to learn how to select the right lens to get the best results for your chosen image sensor.

Select M12 Lenses with the Table Below

Mount

Image Circle [mm]

Resolution [MP]

Focal length [mm]

Aperture

Field of View Horizontal [°]

Sensor Size [inch/mm]

Learn More About Optics

Do you need help choosing the right product?