99% of people who buy camera modules will ignore this!
October 21, 2023
When we buy a camera, we usually give priority to common functions and parameters such as resolution, whether it has a microphone, and whether it is driver-free. However, we often don’t pay much attention to it, or we don’t know the specific difference, which is the "horizontal viewing angle (HFOV)". )".
The horizontal angle of view of the camera can be roughly understood as the width of our field of view, which also represents the width of the picture. The viewing angle of a general camera ranges from 60° to 120° (for reference, the horizontal viewing angle of our combined eyes is about 120°).
Since the lens image is a rectangle, the viewing angle is divided into three types: horizontal viewing angle, vertical viewing angle and diagonal viewing angle. The horizontal viewing angle is the focus we need to pay attention to. Since some manufacturers only label the diagonal viewing angle, we choose When purchasing, be sure to pay attention to the parameters of the horizontal viewing angle. The angles below also refer to the horizontal viewing angle.
Not much to say, now the "familiar" words such as online classes and video conferencing have brought us back to the computer. I believe many people have felt it: the width of the pictures produced by different cameras is different, and the gap is huge. Let’s briefly talk about the comparison and selection of different camera angles of view (the following content, except for the multi-person meeting pictures, was shot under the same conditions about one meter away from the camera):
1: First of all, it is the built-in computer and some external cameras. Since their horizontal viewing angle is generally 60°, the other party can basically only see a single person, and it is not easy to frame the entire upper body. Unless under some extreme circumstances, it will not be possible. Make this type of camera your first choice.
Angle demonstration:
Demonstration of the computer’s built-in camera: it can basically only frame the head to the shoulders, and there is not much room for movement on both sides.
2: It is a camera with a horizontal viewing angle of about 90°. You can see a larger blank space, the picture is obviously wider, you can see the environment on both sides, and there is no pressure to select characters. It is more suitable for us to interact with teachers in online classes. Used in scenarios such as live product display, small family video communication, etc., the elements displayed on the screen are richer, which will bring a better video experience.
Angle demonstration:
The picture below is a demonstration of (auto focus +90°), with a wider viewing range:
Therefore, when we choose a camera, in addition to caring about basic conditions such as resolution and image quality, we should also consider our actual application scenarios and take the camera's perspective into consideration to bring a better video experience.