The Basler a2A1920-160uc is an ace 2 R series industrial area scan camera built around the 1/2.3" Sony Pregius IMX392 global shutter CMOS sensor, delivering 1920 x 1200 (2.3 MP) color images at up to 160 fps. It connects over USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed, 5 Gbit/s) and conforms to the USB3 Vision and GenICam standards, with 8/10/12-bit pixel depth. The compact C-mount housing measures roughly 36.3 x 29 x 29 mm, is bus-powered over USB at about 3.1 W, and provides opto-coupled and GPIO I/O lines via an M8 6-pin connector. It is rated IP30 with an operating temperature range of -10 to 60 C.
The Basler ace 2 R a2A1920-160uc is built around a 1/2.3-inch Sony Pregius IMX392 (IMX392LQR-C) global shutter CMOS sensor, delivering 1920 x 1200 px (2.3 MP) color frames at up to 160 fps. The global shutter is the defining trait here: every pixel is exposed simultaneously, so fast-moving parts on a conveyor or under a robot are captured without the skew and smear that a rolling-shutter sensor would introduce. With 3.45 um square pixels on a 1/2.3-inch format (6.6 x 4.1 mm, roughly 7.9 mm diagonal), this is a moderate-resolution sensor that prioritizes speed and motion fidelity over raw pixel count, which is exactly the profile inspection and guidance tasks need when the line keeps moving.
Connectivity is USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (5 Gbit/s) conforming to USB3 Vision v1.0 and GenICam, with selectable 8/10/12-bit pixel depth. USB3 Vision gives you plug-and-play bandwidth for a single 2.3 MP camera at full frame rate over short cable runs, and the camera is bus-powered at about 3.1 W from the 5 VDC USB supply, so there is no separate power brick to route. The compact box housing is roughly 36.3 x 29 x 29 mm at 85 g with a C-mount, making it easy to integrate into tight stations, on robot end effectors, or in multi-camera arrays where space and cabling weight matter. Opto-coupled and GPIO I/O lines are broken out on an M8 6-pin connector for hardware trigger-in and strobe/flash-out.
Because the IMX392 is a color sensor with a Bayer filter, this model suits work where chromatic information carries meaning: print and label color verification, fruit or produce grading, colored-component presence checks, and color-coded part sorting. For a 2.3 MP field at 160 fps the camera is genuinely fast, so success depends on light. Pair it with strong, well-collimated illumination and drive lighting in strobe mode synchronized to the camera's trigger and flash outputs to freeze motion and keep exposure times short. On the optics side, select a C-mount lens with an image circle that covers the 1/2.3-inch format and resolves the 3.45 um pixel pitch; a lens that under-resolves the pixel will waste the sensor's detail.
Best for
High-speed defect and surface inspection on moving conveyors where the global shutter eliminates motion distortion at 160 fps
Color-dependent checks such as print/label color verification, produce grading, and colored-component presence or sorting using the Bayer color sensor
Code and label traceability reading (1D/2D codes, OCR/OCV) on fast-indexing packaging lines
Robot and pick-place guidance on the end effector, where the 85 g compact bus-powered housing minimizes payload and cabling
Dimensional and packaging inspection stations needing crisp 1920 x 1200 frames synchronized to a hardware trigger
Selection notes
At 2.3 MP the sensor is speed-oriented, not high-resolution; if your task needs fine feature measurement over a large field of view, verify the pixels-per-feature budget or step up to a higher-MP model before designing in
Running 160 fps over USB3 Vision keeps exposure windows short, so plan for high-intensity strobed lighting wired to the camera's M8 opto/GPIO trigger and flash lines rather than relying on continuous illumination
USB 3.0 is best for short cable runs at the station; for long distances or many synchronized cameras over one network, a GigE or CoaxPress camera may suit the topology better
The color Bayer sensor reduces effective spatial resolution and light sensitivity versus a mono variant; if the application is purely geometric or low-light, a monochrome version is usually the better choice
Match the C-mount lens to the 1/2.3-inch (6.6 x 4.1 mm, ~7.9 mm diagonal) format and the 3.45 um pixel pitch so the optics resolve the sensor; confirm the IP30 rating and -10 to 60 C operating range fit the enclosure environment
Specifications: General
Brand
Basler
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
2.3 MP
Horizontal resolution
1920 x 1200 px
Mono / color
Color
Sensor manufacturer
Sony Pregius
Sensor model
Sony IMX392 (IMX392LQR-C)
Shutter
Global shutter
Sensor size
1/2.3" (6.6 x 4.1 mm, ~7.9 mm diagonal)
Pixel size
3.45 x 3.45 um
Specifications: Performance
FPS
160 fps
Specifications: Interface
Interface
USB 3.0 (USB3 Vision, 5 Gbit/s SuperSpeed)
Protocols
USB3 Vision v1.0, GenICam
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
Power over USB (5 VDC)
Power consumption
3.1 W
Supply voltage
5 VDC
Specifications: Environment
IP rating
IP30
Operating temperature
-10 to 60 °C
Specifications: Mechanical
Dimensions
36.3 x 29 x 29 mm
Weight
85 g
Housing material
Box
Applications this camera is commonly selected for. Open one to see the full recommended hardware and approach.
Matched automatically by: lens mount fits the camera mount · lens image circle covers the camera sensor — this camera: C-mount · 1/2.3" (6.6 x 4.1 mm, ~7.9 mm diagonal) sensor.
By category
All 237C-mount lenses 172Telecentric lenses 62F-mount / large-format lenses 3
By brand
All 237Omron / Sentech 74iRAYPLE 66Basler 65Datalogic / Datasensing 32
Get a first image quickly with the pylon Viewer, then move into the pylon SDK for your application. These cameras are GenICam/GenTL-compliant, so any compliant vision software can drive them as well.
Download and install the pylon Camera Software Suite for your OS from Basler. This provides the pylon Viewer, the GenTL transport-layer producers and the pylon SDK (C/C++/.NET/Python). On Windows the installer adds the needed drivers; on Linux follow the included setup notes for USB and network permissions.
2. Connect the camera and check the link
Cable the camera to its matching interface: GigE Vision to a GigE port (use a quality cable and, ideally, a dedicated NIC with jumbo frames enabled), USB3 Vision to a USB 3.x port with the supplied cable, or CoaXPress to the frame grabber. Provide power where required (PoE, USB bus power, or PoCXP). Open the pylon Viewer and confirm the camera appears in the device list; for GigE, make sure the camera and NIC are on the same subnet.
3. Grab a first image and set exposure, gain and pixel format
Select the camera in the pylon Viewer and start a continuous grab. Adjust exposure time and gain until the image is well exposed (avoid clipped highlights), set the pixel format (e.g. Mono8 or a Bayer/RGB format), and focus the lens. Use a test pattern if the lens or scene is not ready yet.
4. Configure triggering and acquisition
Decide between free-run and triggered acquisition. For synchronized capture, set the trigger source (software or a hardware line on the I/O connector), trigger mode and any debounce or exposure mode, then verify timing. Note the parameter names you change in the Viewer feature tree, as you will reuse them in code.
5. Move to the SDK or a GenICam-compliant library
Recreate your settings in code with the pylon SDK (C, C++, .NET or Python) to open the device, apply the same features and pull frames into your pipeline; pylon vTools and pylon AI can add processing blocks. Because the cameras are GenICam/GenTL standard, third-party vision libraries work too. Once the image stream is stable, you can route frames to a deep-learning inspection such as Rosepetal for automated defect detection.
Frequently asked questions
It uses a 1/2.3-inch Sony Pregius IMX392 (IMX392LQR-C) global shutter CMOS sensor with 3.45 x 3.45 um pixels, delivering distortion-free capture of fast-moving objects.
It produces 1920 x 1200 px (2.3 MP) color images at up to 160 fps, with selectable 8/10/12-bit pixel depth.
It connects over USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (5 Gbit/s) conforming to USB3 Vision v1.0 and GenICam, and is bus-powered at about 3.1 W from the 5 VDC USB supply, so no separate power source is needed.
This is the color (uc) variant; it carries a Bayer color filter, making it suited to tasks where color information matters, such as label verification and produce grading.
It has a C-mount in a compact box housing of roughly 36.3 x 29 x 29 mm at 85 g, is rated IP30 for -10 to 60 C operation, and provides opto-coupled and GPIO I/O for trigger and strobe on an M8 6-pin connector.
