Among other things, the size of the pixel directly effects the sensitivity of the camera, as well as the % of the surface area of the pixel that can integrate photons of light "fill factor". A HAN IMB-1050FT camera with a 9.9-micron square pixel will tend to be more sensitive than a HAN IMB-1040FT camera with a 7.4-micron pixel.

Like most things in science, nothing is ever perfect. A CCD sensor is incapable of converting incident light exactly into an output signal. The variation from the expected output signal is referred to as noise. Noise is dependent upon such things as sensor and component quality, camera electronics design, temperature, and external interference. Signal-to-Noise Ratio is usually stated in decibels (dB). The formula for calculating Signal-to-Noise in dB is SNR = 20X log (Signal/Noise) Increasing gain does not increase SNR, because it increases both the signal and the noise.

Historically, industrial digital cameras have been integrated to a computer through a frame grabber board. The board must have a driver and a configuration file for the specific camera. The previous standard for this connection was LVDS. Recently, a new standard, Camera Link, has evolved. A more recent development is the integration of high-resolution digital cameras with desktop or laptop computer using either the FireWire or USB 2.0 connection. Now GigE has been added as another protocol that does not require a frame grabber.

The shutter speed is used to eliminate blur in recorded images. Blur is a function of movement of an object through the field of view during exposure, and movement of the camera usually by vibration. One of the advantages of digital imaging for repetitive events is that trial and error may be used to quickly select an appropriate shutter speed. Camera shutters are either mechanical or electrical. Just about all digital cameras now employ electronic shuttering

Various formulas are used for specific types of motion depending on whether the motion is linear or cyclic or a combination. However, a rule of thumb is that the recording rate should be 3 to 10 times the cycle count or there should be 3 to 10 images of the event of interest.

Sample rate is the number or frequency of images taken, usually measured in images per second. Standard NTSC video is 30 frames (60 fields) per second. Shutter speed is the duration of exposure for the image, usually measured in hundredths or thousandths of a second. A high shutter speed does not equal a high sample rate! Most consumer camcorders offer high- speed shutter capability for their 30 frame per second record rates. It is possible to have 30 samples each taken at 1/2,000 of a second exposure rate. For example, if on a high-speed packaging line one package fills the field of view and if 60 packages move through the field of view in one second, the standard camera will only record, "see," every second package.