We are using the Microsoft LifeCam HD-3000 for image recognition on our robot. In order to aim at the goal, it would be very helpful to know the horizontal and vertical view angles of the camera.
I looked up the specifications online and found that it has a 68.5 diagonal view angle and its aspect ratio is 16:9 widescreen. Is there any way to covert the diagonal view angle into a horizontal or vertical view angle?
Thanks.
I believe it is a 60 degree horizontal angle, and a 68.5 degree diagonal angle.
You can use this link to figure out the numbers (it’s a table, so its kinda okay).
The values work out to:
Horizontal - 61
Vertical - 34.3
though this may be a little off because I used the 70 degree row (68.5 should be pretty close, though).
If you want to measure this directly, there are a couple approaches. NI IMAQ has a calibration operation that uses a page of polka dots held in front of the camera to characterize the camera/lens distortions, field of view, etc.
A low-tech approach is to use a yard stick and a tape measure. Hold the yardstick in front of the camera, parallel to the camera sensor/lens. Move it back and forth until it goes from edge to edge. Use a tape measure to get the distance from the camera focal point to the yardstick. Some cameras have a small mark where the focal point is inside the camera, but you can use the distance to the lens or perhaps the center of the camera.
Now draw out a picture showing how the triangle 18" wide and distance away will give you the half-angle of your FOV.
Greg McKaskle