Arducam Pivistation 5 is an all-in-one Raspberry Pi 5 camera kit that aims to provide a turnkey hardware and software solution to quickly get started with computer vision applications and offered with a choice of camera sensors designed for various applications.
The system looks like a Raspberry Pi 5 SBC housed in the official case fitted with a camera. Three models are available, namely the “Hawkeye” featuring a high-resolution 64MP autofocus camera, the “Darksee” with an 8MP camera sensor with ultra low-light sensitivity, and the “Klarity” with a 20MP camera with fixed focus and a large 1-inch sensor.
Pivistation 5 specifications
| Product | Pivistation 5 - Hawkeye | Pivistation 5 - Darksee | Pivistation 5 - Klarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| SBC | Raspberry Pi 5 4GB | Raspberry Pi 5 4GB | Raspberry Pi 5 4GB |
| SKU# | B0513 | B0504 | B0502 |
| Image Sensor | SONY 1/1.7" | SONY IMX678 | SONY IMX283 |
| Still Resolution | 64 MP | 8 MP | 20 MP |
| Color Filter Type | Color | Color | Color |
| Shutter Type | Rolling shutter | Rolling shutter | Rolling shutter |
| Optical Size | 1/1.7-inch | 1/1.8-inch | 1-inch |
| Output Format | JPEG/YUV/RGB/RAW10 | RAW10 | RAW10 |
| Pixel Size | 0.8 μm×0.8 μm | 2 × 2 μm | 2.4 µm x 2.4 µm |
| Sensor Active Area | 9152(H) × 6944(V) | 3856(H) × 2180(V) | 5496(H)×3672(V) |
| Frame Rate | 1080p30, 720p60 and 640×480p60/90 | 3840×2160 @ 15fps, 1080p60, 720p90 | 5472×3648 @ 6fps, 3840×2160 @ 8fps,2732×1538 @ 25fps, 1080p50, 720p120fps |
| Lens Mount | Stock lens | M16 Mount | C Mount |
| Focus Type | PDAF + CDAF | Manual Focus | Manual Focus |
| FOV | 84°(D) | 100°(D) × 88°(H) × 72(V) | 60°(D)×49°(H)×38°(V) |
| F.NO | F1.8 | F1.0±10% | F1.4-16 |
| E.F.L | 5.1mm | 5.1±5% | 16mm |
| Default Focus Range | 8cm-∞ | 4m-∞ | 5m-∞ |
| IR Sensitivity | Integral IR-cut Filter, visible light only | Integral IR-cut Filter, visible light only | Integral IR-cut Filter, visible light only |
| Operating Voltage | 5 V +/- 5% | 5 V +/- 5% | 5 V +/- 5% |
| Operating Temp. | 0°C to 70°C | 0°C to 70°C | 0°C to 70°C |
| Power Requirements | 7.5W | 7.5W | 7.5W |
| Camera Board Size | 24×25mm | 38×38mm | 38×38mm |
| Key Features | Dual mode Auto focus (PDAF + CDAF) 64MP resolution | Ultra-high sensitivity Low-light performance Low noise Improved sensitivity in near-infrared (NIR) region | 20MP resolution Higher clarity and sharpness with 1-inch image sensor Good balance between speed, resolution and sensitivity |
All the cameras above rely on a rolling shutter, but the company is also working on the upcoming Arducam Pivistation 5 Swift model that includes a global shutter for robotics applications.
Besides the pre-assembled hardware, the Arducam Pivistation 5 family aims to quicken the development process with pre-installed software typically used for computer vision applications including opencv-python, libopencv-dev (C++ version), libcamera, rpicam-apps, TensorFlow (Python), PyTorch, camera-streamer, and Arducam camera server.
You could probably reproduce such setup yourself relatively easily within a couple of days, but if you prefer getting a system that works out-of-the-box and focus on your application development instead of setting up systems, then the Pivistation 5 could be interesting.
Arducam has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter with a lowly $5,000 funding target that’s been surpassed within a few hours. Pledges start at $139 for the Pivistation 5 Haweye, $179 for the Darksee, and $239 for the Klarity. They all include a Raspberry Pi 5, camera, and enclosure, and those are Early bird prices with a 30 to 40 percent discount over the expected retail price. Shipping adds about $35 and it’s not a fully global campaign with the company only shipping to North America, Europe, and a few countries in Asia and Oceania. Backers should expect their package to ship around August 2024 if everything goes according to plans.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Looking at the Kickstarter page, it looks like the prices you have listed are for the early bird (with an even bigger discount)—the regular kickstarter prices are $139 / $209 / $279. Not a bad deal for the sensors and lenses provided (and the fact it’s all put together), but the deal is a little less appealing unless you really need ‘pre-assembled kit that works out of the box’ with the final prices of $199 / $299 / $399. I know Will Whang’s done some work with the IMX283 that’s used in the ‘Klarity’ camera, he seems to have liked… Read more »
rpi5 does not even have any AI accelerator builtin, run all the heavy duty stuff for video AI analysis on CPU could be quite intensive.