The Basler ace 2 a2A4504-42cm is a high-resolution industrial area scan camera built on the 1.1-inch Sony IMX541 global shutter CMOS sensor, delivering 4504 x 4504 px (20.2 MP) monochrome images at up to 42 fps over a single-link CoaXPress CXP-12 interface. It uses 2.74 µm square pixels, supports GenICam and CoaXPress 2.0, and is powered via Power over CoaXPress (PoCXP) at 24 VDC, consuming about 3.8 W. The camera ships in a compact 29 x 29 mm C-mount housing rated IP30 and supports 8/10/12-bit output.
The Basler ace 2 a2A4504-42cm is a high-resolution area scan camera built on the 1.1-inch Sony IMX541 global shutter CMOS sensor, delivering a square 4504 x 4504 px frame (20.2 MP) in monochrome. The square format is the practical headline here: a 12.34 mm x 12.34 mm active area with 2.74 um square pixels gives an installer equal vertical and horizontal coverage, which suits inspecting square or near-square parts (wafers, panels, trays, printed sheets) without wasting sensor real estate the way a 4:3 or 16:9 frame would. With 2.74 um pixels, the spatial sampling is fine, so for a given field of view you resolve very small features; conversely, lenses must actually resolve down to that pixel pitch, so a high-MP-rated lens is mandatory to extract the full 20 MP.
The global shutter is the decisive functional spec for moving lines. Every pixel is exposed simultaneously, so parts moving on a conveyor or indexing under the camera are captured without the skew and smear a rolling shutter would introduce. Paired with the up to 42.6 fps throughput (quoted at CXP-12, 8-bit, full resolution), the camera can freeze and inspect parts at meaningful line rates while still delivering the full 20.2 MP each frame. The 8/10/12-bit output noted in the summary lets the installer trade bit depth for bandwidth and frame rate: 8-bit for maximum speed, 10/12-bit when subtle grayscale gradients (faint surface defects, low-contrast print) need to be preserved for the inspection algorithm.
The interface is single-link CoaXPress CXP-12, which is what makes 20 MP at 42 fps deliverable in the first place: a single coax link carries both data and power, and it is powered by Power over CoaXPress (PoCXP) at 24 VDC so one cable handles data, control and power back to the frame grabber. The camera draws about 3.8 W and uses GenICam with CoaXPress 2.0, so it drops into any standard CXP frame-grabber and GenICam-compliant software stack. Physically it is a compact 29 x 29 mm C-mount box weighing 76 g, rated IP30 for clean indoor cabinets and enclosures, and rated for -10 to 50 C operation. The C-mount plus 17.5 mm sensor diagonal means the installer needs a C-mount lens with an image circle that covers the 1.1-inch format, not a smaller 1/1.8 or 2/3 lens that would vignette this sensor.
Best for
High-resolution surface and defect inspection of square or large flat parts (panels, printed sheets, trays) where the 4504 x 4504 square frame maps efficiently onto the part
Semiconductor and electronics inspection (wafers, substrates, PCBs) needing fine 2.74 um sampling and clean monochrome contrast
Dimensional measurement and metrology on moving or indexed parts, where the global shutter prevents geometric distortion that would corrupt edge positions
Industrial OCR/OCV and code traceability reading on fast lines, using the 42.6 fps throughput and global shutter to freeze characters and codes without smear
CoaXPress-based stations needing a single-cable run carrying data, control and power over PoCXP back to a frame grabber
Selection notes
This is a CoaXPress CXP-12 camera, not GigE or USB3: budget for a CXP frame grabber and proper coax cabling. There is no onboard host networking; the link terminates at the grabber and PoCXP supplies the 24 VDC, so plan the cabinet and cable run around the grabber location.
Specify a C-mount lens whose image circle covers the 1.1-inch (17.5 mm diagonal) format and is rated for 20+ MP; an undersized or low-resolution lens will vignette or fail to resolve the 2.74 um pixels, throwing away the resolution you paid for.
This is a monochrome sensor. It is ideal for grayscale defect, measurement and code reading, but it cannot distinguish color. Where color discrimination matters, this model is the wrong choice; where it does not, mono gives better light sensitivity and contrast.
The 42.6 fps figure is for 8-bit at full resolution over CXP-12. Choosing 10- or 12-bit output for finer grayscale will reduce achievable frame rate; size lighting and exposure together so you are not forced into long integration times that cap line speed.
IP30 rating means clean indoor or enclosed use only; it offers no protection against water or fine dust ingress, so wet, washdown or heavy-particulate environments require an external enclosure. Confirm the -10 to 50 C operating window covers the installation.
Specifications: General
Brand
Basler
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
20.2 MP
Horizontal resolution
4504 x 4504 px
Mono / color
Monochrome
Sensor manufacturer
Sony (IMX541)
Sensor model
Sony IMX541 (IMX541-AAMJ-C)
Shutter
Global shutter
Sensor size
12.34 mm x 12.34 mm (1.1", 17.5 mm diagonal)
Pixel size
2.74 µm x 2.74 µm
Specifications: Performance
FPS
42.6 fps (CXP-12, 8-bit, full resolution)
Specifications: Interface
Interface
CoaXPress (CXP-12), single link
Protocols
GenICam, CoaXPress 2.0
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
24 VDC via PoCXP
Power consumption
3.8 W
Specifications: Environment
IP rating
IP30
Operating temperature
-10 to 50 °C
Specifications: Mechanical
Dimensions
29 x 29 mm
Weight
76 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 · 12.34 mm x 12.34 mm (1.1", 17.5 mm diagonal) sensor.
By category
All 67C-mount lenses 43Telecentric lenses 24
By brand
All 67Basler 34iRAYPLE 23Omron / Sentech 8Datalogic / Datasensing 2
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 delivers 20.2 MP at 4504 x 4504 px using the 1.1-inch Sony IMX541 global shutter CMOS sensor, with 2.74 um square pixels over a 12.34 mm x 12.34 mm active area (17.5 mm diagonal).
It is a global shutter, so all pixels are exposed at the same instant. Parts moving on a conveyor or indexing under the camera are captured without the skew or smear a rolling shutter would produce, which is essential for accurate measurement and code reading on motion.
A single-link CoaXPress CXP-12 interface to a CXP frame grabber, powered over the same cable via Power over CoaXPress (PoCXP) at 24 VDC. It uses GenICam and CoaXPress 2.0 and draws about 3.8 W.
Up to 42.6 fps at full 4504 x 4504 resolution in 8-bit over CXP-12. It also supports 10- and 12-bit output for finer grayscale, which trades some frame rate for bit depth.
It is a C-mount camera and requires a C-mount lens with an image circle covering the 1.1-inch format and rated for the high pixel count. The sensor is monochrome, optimized for grayscale inspection, measurement and code reading rather than color discrimination.
