The Basler ace acA1920-40um/uc is a compact industrial area scan camera based on the 1/1.2" Sony IMX249 Pregius global shutter CMOS sensor with 1920 x 1200 (2.3 MP) resolution and 5.86 µm square pixels. It runs at 41 fps over a USB 3.0 (SuperSpeed, 5 Gbit/s) interface and is USB3 Vision and GenICam compliant. The camera uses a C-mount, is powered directly via the USB 3.0 bus (~2.5 W typical), and offers 10/12-bit pixel depth. The acA1920-40um is the monochrome variant and the acA1920-40uc is the color variant; both share an IP30 housing of 29.3 x 29 x 29 mm weighing under 80 g.
Brand
Basler
Camera type
Area scan
Interface
USB 3.0 (USB3 Vision, SuperSpeed 5 Gbit/s)
Resolution
2.3 MP
Horizontal resolution
1920 x 1200 px
Mono / color
Mono (acA1920-40um) / Color (acA1920-40uc)
Sensor manufacturer
Sony Pregius
Sensor model
Sony IMX249 (mono: IMX249LLJ-C / color: IMX249LQJ-C)
The Basler ace acA1920-40um/uc is built around Sony's 1/1.2" IMX249 Pregius CMOS sensor, a 2.3 MP device delivering 1920 x 1200 pixels with true global shutter readout. The global shutter is the headline characteristic for an installer: every pixel is exposed simultaneously, so parts moving on a conveyor, rotating fixtures or fast indexing stages image without the slanted or smeared geometry a rolling shutter would introduce. Combined with comparatively large 5.86 x 5.86 micron square pixels, the sensor offers good signal-to-noise in modest light, which makes it forgiving to integrate and tolerant of shorter exposures when freezing motion. The 13.3 mm sensor diagonal is a mainstream format that pairs cleanly with affordable C-mount optics.
On the data side the camera runs at 41 fps over a USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (5 Gbit/s) link and is USB3 Vision and GenICam compliant, so it drops into pylon or any third-party USB3 Vision stack without custom drivers. The single USB 3.0 cable carries both data and power (5 VDC bus power, roughly 2.5 to 2.7 W typical), eliminating a separate power supply or PoE injector and keeping cabling to one connector per camera. That simplicity suits benchtop rigs, single-station inspection cells and any layout where the PC sits within USB 3.0 cable reach of the camera. 10/12-bit pixel depth gives extra tonal headroom for grayscale-critical tasks such as surface grading or contrast-limited defect detection beyond the standard 8-bit output.
Mechanically this is a compact ace housing: 29.3 x 29 x 29 mm, under 80 g, IP30, rated 0 to 50 C, with a standard C-mount. The small footprint and light weight make it easy to mount on robot end-effectors, gantries or tight inspection stations. The 2.3 MP resolution at 41 fps positions it as a versatile general-purpose workhorse rather than a high-resolution or ultra-high-speed specialist. Choose the acA1920-40um (mono) when you want maximum sensitivity and sharpness for measurement, code reading and defect work, or the acA1920-40uc (color) when print, label, assembly color-coding or cosmetic color verification matters. For motion-stopping reliability the global shutter pairs naturally with a strobed light and a hardware trigger so exposure and illumination coincide on each moving part.
Best for
Defect and surface inspection on moving lines where the global shutter freezes parts without distortion at 2.3 MP
OCR/OCV and code traceability reading on packaging and labels, using the mono variant for crisp high-contrast character and 1D/2D code capture
Dimensional measurement and gauging tasks that benefit from global-shutter geometric fidelity and 10/12-bit grayscale depth
Compact single-station or end-of-arm inspection cells where one USB 3.0 cable for data and power keeps the rig simple
Color verification of print, labels and assembly coding using the acA1920-40uc color variant
Selection notes
Confirm your inspection PC has a dedicated USB 3.0 (5 Gbit/s) host port near the camera; USB 3.0 cable length is limited, so for long runs or multi-camera stations a GigE/CoaxPress family or active USB extension may be more practical.
Choose mono (acA1920-40um) for sensitivity, sharpness, measurement and code reading; choose color (acA1920-40uc) only where color information is actually required, since the color filter array reduces effective resolution and light throughput.
Size the C-mount lens to the 1/1.2" (13.3 mm diagonal) format and the 5.86 micron pixel pitch; a lens resolving the sensor and a focal length matched to your working distance and field of view are needed to realize the full 1920 x 1200 detail.
Plan illumination and triggering together: the global shutter is designed to work with hardware trigger plus strobed lighting so exposure and the flash coincide on each moving part, which also lets you shorten exposure to freeze motion.
Budget for thermal and bus-power headroom: the camera draws roughly 2.5 to 2.7 W over the USB bus and is rated 0 to 50 C, IP30, so it needs a clean enclosure environment rather than a washdown or high-particulate zone.
Specifications: General
Brand
Basler
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
2.3 MP
Horizontal resolution
1920 x 1200 px
Mono / color
Mono (acA1920-40um) / Color (acA1920-40uc)
Sensor manufacturer
Sony Pregius
Sensor model
Sony IMX249 (mono: IMX249LLJ-C / color: IMX249LQJ-C)
Shutter
Global shutter
Sensor size
1/1.2" (13.3 mm diagonal)
Pixel size
5.86 x 5.86 µm
Specifications: Performance
FPS
41 fps
Specifications: Interface
Interface
USB 3.0 (USB3 Vision, SuperSpeed 5 Gbit/s)
Protocols
USB3 Vision, GenICam
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
Via USB 3.0 (5 VDC), ~2.5 W typ.
Power consumption
2.7 W
Specifications: Environment
Operating temperature
0 to 50 °C
Specifications: Mechanical
Dimensions
29.3 x 29 x 29 mm
Weight
80 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 · 1/1.2" (13.3 mm diagonal) 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 true global shutter. The IMX249 Pregius CMOS sensor exposes all pixels simultaneously, so fast-moving parts are captured without the skew or smear typical of rolling-shutter sensors.
The sensor is 2.3 MP at 1920 x 1200 pixels and the camera runs at 41 fps over its USB 3.0 interface.
It connects over USB 3.0 (USB3 Vision, SuperSpeed 5 Gbit/s) and is GenICam compliant. The single USB 3.0 cable supplies both data and power (5 VDC bus power, about 2.5 to 2.7 W typical), so no separate power supply is required.
It has a C-mount and a 1/1.2" sensor (13.3 mm diagonal) with 5.86 x 5.86 micron pixels, so select C-mount optics rated for that image circle and pixel pitch.
The acA1920-40um is the monochrome version (IMX249LLJ-C) and the acA1920-40uc is the color version (IMX249LQJ-C). Both share the same 2.3 MP resolution, 41 fps, global shutter, USB 3.0 interface and compact 29.3 x 29 x 29 mm, sub-80 g, IP30 housing.
