Raspberry Pi Camera Module - Pi NoIR

This 5mp IR (Infrared) camera module is capable of 1080p video and still images and connects directly to your Raspberry Pi. Similar to the non-IR version Raspberry Pi Camera, connect the included ribbon cable to the CSI (Camera Serial Interface) port on your Raspberry Pi, boot up the latest version of Raspbian and you are good to go!

At 25mm x 20mm x 9mm and weighing a little over 3 grams this board is pretty small which makes it perfect for mobile or other small applications that require you to see in near dark. The sensor has a native resolution of 5 megapixels with a fixed focus lens on board. The camera is capable of 2592 x 1944 pixel static images and also supports 1080p30, 720p60 and 640x480p60/90 video.

Note: This module is only capable of taking pictures and video, not sound.

Raspberry Pi Camera Module - Pi NoIR Product Help and Resources

Core Skill: Electrical Prototyping

If it requires power, you need to know how much, what all the pins do, and how to hook it up. You may need to reference datasheets, schematics, and know the ins and outs of electronics.

1 Electrical Prototyping

Skill Level: Noob - You don't need to reference a datasheet, but you will need to know basic power requirements.
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Comments

Looking for answers to technical questions?

We welcome your comments and suggestions below. However, if you are looking for solutions to technical questions please see our Technical Assistance page.

  • Member #484945 / about 8 years ago / 2

    For anyone looking for filter out visible light - try to find a Rosco gel swatchbook. It includes absorption graphs for every color, and you could make ten filters out of just the tiny piece of gel in the swatchbook. The included blue filter looks like R68 or R80 (which are approx $9 for a 24x36" sheet.)

  • Member #186098 / about 8 years ago / 1

    I'm trying to find actual technical information on this part. I'm seeing if I can get it hooked up to an Intel Edison, but am having a hard time finding the technical docs on the electrical properties, pinout, and protocol for this board. Does anyone know where that info is hidden?

  • Member #488149 / about 10 years ago / 2

    Is it possible to connect two cameras to one RaspberryPi, i.e. one for Visible and one for IR simultaneously?

    • Member #569528 / about 10 years ago / 1

      not possible via the connector, but possible (and not recommended) using a usb camera... according to this post: http://www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=50142

  • Blanketboyjo / about 10 years ago / 2

    Noob question but, you can put a longer ribbon cable on this to extend it right?

    • JerZ / about 10 years ago / 1

      Yes, looks like a 15-pin FFC, but I can't tell if it's .8mm or 1mm pitch from the picture. My best guess by eyeballing the ruler is 1mm pitch, but somebody might be able to confirm one way or the other.

      • JerZ / about 10 years ago / 2

        http://www.ebay.com/itm/Type-B-FFC-Flexible-Flat-Cable-15Pins-1mm-pitch-Rpi-extender-cable-500mm-1pcs-/151205520477?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item23348d245d

        1mm pitch it is ;)

  • wsanders / about 9 years ago / 1

    Will the camera take decent pictures in bright sunlight without a neutral-density filter?

  • Member #149642 / about 9 years ago / 1

    Can this camera run at 320x240 resolution?Did any one try.Because I want to use opencv on the Pi and the algos work better at 320x240 rather than at 640x480 or higher resolution.

  • Member #11532 / about 10 years ago / 1

    Is there any pinout information or datasheet(s) for this camera? I'd like to use it in a non RasPi application.

  • owens-bill / about 10 years ago / 1

    One thing you could do with this is take interesting photos of plants: http://store.publiclab.org/collections/diy-infrared-photography/products/infragram-diy-filter-pack

  • Earlz / about 10 years ago / 1

    Just to be clear, this is still capable of seeing non-infrared light as well, right?

  • bbotany / about 10 years ago / 1

    "NoIR" meaning "black", not "NoIR" meaning "No InfraRed". For any other confused shoppers out there who have missed either their morning cup of tea or their lesson on the names of colours in French. (Took me a couple of readings to figure it out this morning.)

    • I believe it is a play on words, the board is black (Noir) and the IR filter has been removed (No Infrared). Rob goes into it a little more detail in the Product Video.

      • koolatron / about 10 years ago / 2

        It’s also a play on a popular radio show segment from A Prairie Home Companion, called Guy Noir. At least, I hope it’s that and not the fact that I listen to too much NPR.

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Noir

      • CVBruce / about 10 years ago / 1

        NoIR, No Infrared, means that the Infrared BLOCKING filter as not been installed. This means that the NoIR camera will register MORE infrared light than the normal Raspberry Pi camera. This will effect the color rendition, giving a magenta cast to pictures, because the blue filter is good at transmitting blue, blocking green and red, but not so good at blocking infrared.

        • dbc / about 10 years ago / 1

          So for an application where I'm only interested in the IR, is there a cheap filter I can use in front to block visible light?

          • lnventor / about 10 years ago / 2

            Black developed film negatives work excellently - I tested a piece of Kodak film on a Perkin Elmer spectrometer and it passed everything over 730nm (near-infrared, what you're looking for) with a transmittance of close to 97%, while blocking everything below 690nm completely. It's super cheap too.

            Keep in mind the white balance on the camera may be thrown off, causing all NIR to appear purple.

            • BT / about 10 years ago * / 1

              Make sure it's a dye-based negative. The little silver grains in silver based film (Tri-X, T-Max) will block infrared. Generally, if it's negative film, and it's developed using the C-41 process you're good to go.

            • Smonson / about 10 years ago / 1

              Modern film negatives can be made from polyester or cellulose acetate. I know polyester film stock is transparent to infra-red light but acetate might not be. You can detect polyester film stock by viewing it in between two polarising filters and it should have an iridescent effect. All the Ilford film I've ever used has been acetate-based.

            • Applicable Robotics / about 10 years ago / 1

              This could be a basic question, but I will ask it anyway. Exactly what is black developed film negative and how would I make it? Or did you mean developed black and white film? I would use a R-72 as mentioned below, but I imagine that connecting it to the pi cam could be difficult. Thanks.

              • lnventor / about 10 years ago / 1

                Go to CVS, buy a disposable camera, take some photos of the dark and some photos of really bright light, get them developed, and pick the darkest one out of the negative reel and cut it to size.

          • What I did was, cut a circle of clear plastic out of a blister pack and color it black with a sharpie marker. Did this on my IR-adapted CVS camcorder, back in the day. Works a treat!

          • CF / about 10 years ago / 1

            It would be easier to just get this one instead. It comes with the filter installed.

            • Kamiquasi / about 10 years ago / 1

              But that's the opposite of what dbc wants :)

              If one wants to block most visible light and let (near)-IR through, an infrared photography filter is what's needed. I picked up a cheap R72 one at 52mm several years ago for my SONY (which has a Nightshot mode that flips the IR blocking filter out of the way), but 20mm ones and others often used for security cameras can be had for around $10. There's probably cheaper avenues if you get only the glass (or plastic as the case may be) without the threaded filter holders.

              • CF / about 10 years ago / 1

                Sorry, I just caught that! I have seen some red plexiglass that's dark enough to block almost all the visible out while looking like clear plastic to IR. That might be a cheap route to go .

                • lnventor / about 10 years ago / 1

                  I've actually tried red plexiglass (and red glass) in a spectrometer and they always pass above 600nm... not too infrared. Black film negatives are better.

Customer Reviews

4 out of 5

Based on 1 ratings:

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Great overall performance

In good conditions, it produces a high quality output; but in less than ideal situations, it still have a pretty good image. Also has a very good sensitivity: using the 'night' input mode, it is able to generate a decent image even in extremely low light conditions.