Raspberry Pi Ltd. has launched a $50 “High Quality Camera” for the Raspberry Pi. The 12.3-megapixel, HD camera ships with optional 6mm CS-mount ($25) and 16mm C-mount ($50) lenses.

Raspberry Pi Ltd. has sold 1.7 million units of its circa 2016, 8-megapixel v2 Raspberry Pi Camera after discontinuing its original 5-megapixel camera. Raspberry Pi has now launched a $50 High Quality Camera that jumps to 12.3-megapixels and supports any C or CS mount lens attachment.

Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera
(click images to enlarge)

The Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera is equipped with a 12.3-megapixel, 7.9mm (Type 1/2.3) Sony IMX477 sensor. The lens has a 1.55μm × 1.55μm pixel size — twice that of the 8MP camera’s Sony IMX219 sensor — and supports 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution. Output is available in RAW12/10/8 and COMP8 formats.


Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera with 6mm (left) and 16mm lenses
(click images to enlarge)

The Sony IMX477 sensor provides back illumination for improved sensitivity and offers improved signal-to-noise ratio and low-light performance compared to fixed-focus lenses. Since the camera already integrates an IR cut filter, there are no plans to create a separate low-light PiNoIR model, which is available for the 8MP model.


Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera with lenses and cable (left) and detail view
(click images to enlarge)

The camera has a back-focus adjustment ring and C-CS lens adapter and supports any off-the-shelf C- and CS-mount lens. Initially, there are two officially supported lenses: a 6mm CS mount lens priced at $25 and a 16mm C-mount for $50.

The Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera ships with a 1/4”-20 tripod mount and a 200mm (7.87-inch) ribbon cable that connects to the Raspberry Pi’s MIPI-CSI interface. (The detail view above suggests the tripod mount and lens adapter are optional, but they appear to be standard.) An Official Raspberry Pi Camera Guide can be downloaded as a PDF.

 
Further information

The Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera is available for $50 at multiple venues. There are also optional 6mm CS-mount ($25) and 16mm C-mount ($50) lenses. More information may be found in the High Quality Camera announcement and product/shopping page. The earlier 8MP camera fixed-focus camera continues to sell for $25 to $30, depending on the venue.