The Basler a2A1920-51gmBAS is an ace 2 Basic series industrial area scan camera built around the 1/2.3" Sony IMX392 global shutter CMOS sensor (3.45 µm pixels) with a native resolution of 1920 x 1200 px (2.3 MP) and a maximum frame rate of 51 fps. It uses a Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) interface compliant with GigE Vision 2.0 and GenICam, with a C-mount and 8/10/12-bit monochrome pixel output. The camera is powered via PoE or 12-24 VDC and is housed in a 55.5 x 29 x 29 mm box with an IP30 rating, weighing under 100 g.
The Basler ace 2 a2A1920-51gm is a compact GigE area scan camera built around the 1/2.3-inch Sony IMX392, a Pregius global shutter CMOS sensor with 3.45 um pixels delivering 1920 x 1200 px (2.3 MP) monochrome images at up to 51 fps. The global shutter is the defining trait here: every pixel is exposed simultaneously, so fast-moving parts on a conveyor or an indexing fixture are captured without the skew and smear that a rolling shutter would introduce. Paired with the modest 2.3 MP resolution, this makes the camera a clean fit for inline tasks where motion is present but extreme pixel density is not the priority, such as presence/absence checks, print and label reading, and dimensional gauging on continuously moving product.
The Gigabit Ethernet interface, compliant with GigE Vision 2.0 and GenICam, is the practical backbone of this camera. GigE supports long cable runs and standard switched-network topologies, which suits distributed lines and multi-camera cells far better than the short tethers of USB3. At 2.3 MP and 51 fps the data load sits comfortably within GigE bandwidth, so you generally get full frame rate without the link saturation you would hit on a high-resolution sensor over the same interface. Power-over-Ethernet support means a single cable can carry both data and the camera's 4.2 W power budget, simplifying wiring; alternatively it accepts 12-24 VDC when PoE is not available. The 8/10/12-bit monochrome output gives you bit-depth headroom for contrast-sensitive inspection and grayscale measurement.
Mechanically and optically the camera is built for tight, permanent installs. It uses a C-mount, the workhorse lens standard, and the small 1/2.3-inch optical format (6.6 x 4.1 mm, 7.77 mm diagonal) means common, affordable C-mount lenses will cover the sensor; just confirm the lens resolves the 3.45 um pixel pitch. The body measures 55.5 x 29 x 29 mm and weighs about 100 g, so it drops easily onto robot end-effectors and compact gantries. The IP30 rating signals a body-only enclosure with no liquid protection, so it expects a control cabinet or a protective housing in wet or washdown environments. Operating range is -10 to 60 C. Because it is monochrome with a global shutter, it pairs naturally with strobed or continuous LED lighting and an external hardware trigger to freeze motion and lock exposure to part arrival.
Best for
Inline label, date-code and print inspection (OCR/OCV) on moving packaging where global shutter prevents motion blur
Presence/absence and assembly verification in electronics and automotive cells running at line speed
Dimensional measurement and edge gauging of parts on a continuously indexing conveyor
Multi-camera inspection and sortation stations distributed over GigE/PoE from a central PC
Robot-guided pick and surface inspection where the roughly 100 g body mounts on a moving end-effector
Selection notes
Confirm a C-mount lens that covers the 1/2.3-inch format (7.77 mm diagonal) and resolves the 3.45 um pixels; an under-resolving lens will waste the sensor's sharpness.
Plan the host side: GigE Vision 2.0 wants a dedicated NIC (ideally with jumbo frames) per camera or an adequately provisioned managed switch to sustain 51 fps.
Decide power early: PoE collapses wiring to one cable, but if you use 12-24 VDC you must route a separate supply and budget the 4.2 W draw.
The IP30 body offers no dust/liquid sealing, so specify an enclosure for food-beverage, pharma washdown or dusty environments.
This is a monochrome sensor, so for any color-dependent sort or grade you will need a color model or wavelength-specific lighting and filters instead; mono maximizes contrast and light sensitivity for grayscale tasks.
Provision an external hardware trigger and strobed lighting to synchronize exposure with part arrival and exploit the global shutter on fast lines.
Specifications: General
Brand
Basler
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
2.3 MP
Horizontal resolution
1920 x 1200 px
Mono / color
Monochrome
Sensor manufacturer
Sony (IMX392, Pregius global shutter)
Sensor model
Sony IMX392
Shutter
Global shutter
Sensor size
1/2.3" (6.6 mm x 4.1 mm, 7.77 mm diagonal)
Pixel size
3.45 µm x 3.45 µm
Specifications: Performance
FPS
51 fps
Specifications: Interface
Interface
GigE (Gigabit Ethernet, GigE Vision 2.0, PoE)
Protocols
GigE Vision 2.0, GenICam
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
PoE or 12-24 VDC
Power consumption
4.2 W
Specifications: Environment
IP rating
IP30
Operating temperature
-10 to 60 °C
Specifications: Mechanical
Dimensions
55.5 x 29 x 29 mm
Weight
100 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 mm x 4.1 mm, 7.77 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 global shutter. The Sony IMX392 Pregius CMOS sensor exposes all pixels simultaneously, so moving parts are captured without the skew or smear a rolling shutter would produce, which is why it suits inline inspection of product in motion.
Native resolution is 1920 x 1200 px (2.3 MP) and the maximum frame rate is 51 fps. The monochrome output is available at 8, 10 or 12-bit depth.
It connects over Gigabit Ethernet (GigE), compliant with GigE Vision 2.0 and GenICam. It can be powered via PoE over the same Ethernet cable or by 12-24 VDC, with a consumption of 4.2 W.
It has a C-mount and a 1/2.3-inch sensor (6.6 x 4.1 mm, 7.77 mm diagonal) with 3.45 um pixels. Choose a C-mount lens that covers that optical format and resolves the pixel pitch.
It is monochrome, which maximizes contrast and light sensitivity for grayscale measurement and code reading. The housing is an IP30 box (55.5 x 29 x 29 mm, about 100 g) rated -10 to 60 C, so it needs an additional enclosure for dusty or wet environments.
