14 DAY TRIAL // Canon Japan has just launched the M15P-CL, a monochrome industrial camera with 15MP, compatible with a Nikon F mount. Apparently, Canon decided to adopt this particular mount because it holds the largest share in the industrial camera market.
The new Canon has a low noise CMOS sensor and should become available somewhere towards the end of March. It also boasts compatibility the Camera Link Interface, that allows high-speed transfer of files and is no stranger to industrial shooters of this sort.
Canon quietly introduced the camera on March 19, but the official announcement almost went by unnoticed, probably because this is not a camera aimed at regular DSLR users, but has been built with industrial purposes in mind. Hence, the product will not be making an appearance in a store near you, anytime soon (via CanonWatch).
The Canon M15P-CL boasts a monochromatic sensor, which basically means it can capture photos only in black and white. As we mentioned above, the sensor powering this new DSLR is an APS-C model with 15-megapixel. Canon says the noise levels are kept to minimum across a very wide dynamic range.
The 15MP sensor is also capable of providing a high contrast, so it will be able to pick up scratches or matter that can’t be seen by the naked eye. The M15P-CL capture up to 5.9 frames per second at maximum resolution.
Perhaps you’ll consider an oddity that this Canon camera comes with Nikon F-mount lenses, but this shouldn't come as a shock, as Canon is quite new to this market, while Nikon isn't.
The latter has a wide portfolio of industrial lenses, so Canon decided it would be a better idea to take advantage of an already proven worthy technology.
Canon also provides some information about market trends in the industrial camera business. In the press release, they stated the total world market for image input camera inspection of equipment has been estimated at $0.18 / €0.12 billion, so Canon is looking to carve out a niche for itself here too. For the time being, however, it is employing Nikon’s help.
If you were wondering what industrial photography is all about, the camera has been designed to satisfy the need for extreme accuracy. While conventional inspection procedures usually rely on the human eye, some really rigorous processes necessitate more accurate means, like high-resolution detection of matter invisible to the naked eye.