The a2A4508-20uc is part of Basler's ace 2 USB3 lineup and uses a Gpixel GMAX2518 progressive-scan global shutter CMOS sensor with a resolution of 4508 x 4096 pixels (18.4 MP) and 2.5 x 2.5 um pixels on a 1-inch optical format. It delivers approximately 20 fps over a USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s nominal) interface and is powered directly through the USB bus at roughly 3.7 W typical. The camera ships in a compact C-mount box housing (42.8 x 29 x 29 mm, ~85 g) rated IP30 and conforms to the USB3 Vision and GenICam standards. It is offered in BAS (Basic) and PRO feature variants.
The Basler ace 2 a2A4508-20uc pairs a Gpixel GMAX2518 progressive-scan global shutter CMOS sensor with 18.4 MP resolution (4508 x 4096 px) on a 1-inch optical format (11.27 x 10.24 mm). The global shutter is the defining trait here: every pixel is exposed and read simultaneously, so fast-moving parts on a conveyor or an indexing table are captured without the slanting or smearing a rolling shutter would introduce. That makes this camera a natural fit for triggered, motion-coupled inspection rather than static bench work, and the 18.4 MP count gives you the pixel density to resolve fine surface defects, small printed characters, or tight dimensional tolerances across a wide field of view in a single grab. With 2.5 x 2.5 um pixels, the sensor packs that resolution into a compact die, so this is a camera that rewards good optics and adequate light to actually exploit the small pixel pitch.
The camera connects over USB 3.0 at a nominal 5 Gbit/s and reaches approximately 20 fps at full resolution, conforming to the USB3 Vision and GenICam standards so it drops into pylon and most standard machine-vision software stacks. USB 3.0 keeps the cabling and integration simple for a single-camera station within a few meters of the host PC, and the camera draws power directly from the bus at roughly 3.7 W typical (5 VDC), eliminating a separate power supply. The trade-off versus GigE or CoaXPress is cable length and multi-camera scaling, so for distributed or long-run installations you will want to plan around active USB cabling or repeaters. The C-mount keeps the lens ecosystem broad, but because this is a 1-inch sensor with a small 2.5 um pixel, you should specify a lens with sufficient resolving power and an image circle that covers the full 1-inch format to avoid corner softness or vignetting.
Mechanically this is a compact box-housing camera (42.8 x 29 x 29 mm, ~85 g) rated IP30, which means it is built for enclosed cabinets and protected machine interiors rather than washdown or heavily contaminated environments. The operating range of -10 to 60 C covers typical factory-floor conditions. As a color model it carries a Bayer color filter array, so it suits applications where color is part of the decision (print verification, color-coded parts, packaging) but costs you some effective spatial resolution and light sensitivity compared with a monochrome equivalent. Combined with the global shutter, the practical recipe is straightforward: pair it with a hardware trigger and a strobed or sufficiently bright continuous light so you can use short exposures, freeze motion, and feed the small pixels enough photons to keep noise down. The camera is offered in BAS (Basic) and PRO feature variants, so match the variant to the feature set your application needs.
Best for
High-resolution surface and defect inspection of moving parts on a conveyor or indexing line, where the 18.4 MP global shutter freezes motion without distortion
Industrial OCR/OCV and print verification where color cues matter and fine characters must be resolved across a wide field of view
Dimensional measurement and gauging that needs dense pixel coverage of a large part in a single area-scan capture
Packaging and label inspection where color-coded artwork, fill levels, or print quality are the pass/fail criteria
Compact single-camera vision stations inside a cabinet or machine enclosure that benefit from bus-powered USB 3.0 simplicity
Selection notes
Verify your lens covers the full 1-inch image circle and resolves the 2.5 um pixel pitch; an undersized or low-resolution lens will throw away the camera's resolution advantage at the corners
Plan the USB 3.0 link for short runs (a few meters); for longer distances or multi-camera setups budget for active cabling or repeaters, or reconsider a GigE or CoaXPress model
At ~20 fps and 18.4 MP the data rate is high for USB 3.0, so confirm host controller bandwidth and consider ROI or binning if you need higher effective frame rates
The IP30 rating means this camera needs a protective enclosure for dusty, wet, or washdown areas; it is intended for clean, controlled installations
Because it is a color (Bayer) sensor, switch to a monochrome variant if your task only needs grayscale contrast and you want maximum resolution and light efficiency
Pair with a hardware trigger and adequate strobed or continuous lighting so short exposures keep moving parts sharp and the small pixels receive enough light
Choose between the BAS (Basic) and PRO feature variants based on the in-camera feature set your application requires
Specifications: General
Brand
Basler
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
18.4 MP
Horizontal resolution
4508 x 4096 px
Mono / color
Color
Sensor manufacturer
Gpixel
Sensor model
Gpixel GMAX2518
Shutter
Global shutter
Sensor size
1" (11.27 x 10.24 mm)
Pixel size
2.5 x 2.5 um
Specifications: Performance
FPS
~20 fps
Specifications: Interface
Interface
USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s nominal)
Protocols
USB3 Vision, GenICam
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
Via USB 3.0 (~3.7 W typ.)
Power consumption
3.7 W
Supply voltage
5 VDC
Specifications: Environment
IP rating
IP30
Operating temperature
-10 to 60 °C
Specifications: Mechanical
Housing material
Box
Dimensions
42.8 x 29 x 29 mm
Weight
85 g
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" (11.27 x 10.24 mm) sensor.
By category
All 90C-mount lenses 66Telecentric lenses 24
By brand
All 90Basler 34iRAYPLE 26Omron / Sentech 24Datalogic / Datasensing 6
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 (Gpixel GMAX2518 progressive-scan CMOS sensor), so all pixels are exposed simultaneously and moving parts are captured without the geometric distortion or smear of a rolling shutter.
It provides 18.4 MP (4508 x 4096 pixels) at approximately 20 fps over its USB 3.0 interface.
It is a color camera, making it suitable for tasks where color is part of the inspection decision, such as print and packaging verification.
It uses a USB 3.0 interface (5 Gbit/s nominal) and is powered directly through the USB bus at about 3.7 W typical (5 VDC), with no separate power supply needed.
It has a C-mount and a 1-inch optical format sensor (11.27 x 10.24 mm) with 2.5 x 2.5 um pixels, so the lens should cover the full 1-inch image circle.
It is rated IP30 in a compact box housing and rated for -10 to 60 C, so it is intended for clean, protected installations and would need an additional enclosure for dusty or wet areas.
