The STC-MBS163POE (mono) and STC-MCS163POE (color) deliver 1,440 x 1,088 pixels (1.6 MP) at up to 70.7 fps using the Sony Pregius IMX273 global-shutter CMOS sensor with 3.45 µm pixels. They use a single RJ45 1000BASE-T interface compliant with GigE Vision 2.1 and powered via IEEE 802.3af PoE (Class 2), with an alternative +10.8 to +26.4 Vdc external supply. Power draw is 4.7 W or less over PoE (3.7 W or less external), and the C-mount housing measures 29 x 29 x 53 mm at approximately 65 g. Both support PTP (IEEE 1588), chunk/event data, ROI, 2x binning/decimation, defective-pixel correction, and auto exposure/gain.
Brand
Omron / Sentech
Camera type
Area scan
Interface
GigE Vision (1000BASE-T, PoE)
Protocols
GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam
Resolution
1.6 MP (1,440 x 1,088)
Horizontal resolution
1,440 px (H) x 1,088 px (V)
Mono / color
Monochrome (STC-MBS163POE) / Color (STC-MCS163POE)
The STC-MBS163POE (monochrome) and its color sibling STC-MCS163POE are compact area-scan cameras built on the 1/2.9" Sony Pregius IMX273 global-shutter CMOS sensor, delivering 1,440 x 1,088 pixels (1.6 MP) at up to 70.7 fps in 8-bit. The defining choice here is the global shutter: every pixel is exposed simultaneously, so parts moving on a conveyor, indexing dial, or robot end-effector are captured without the skew or smear that a rolling shutter would introduce. That makes this camera a natural fit for triggered, motion-present inspection rather than slow benchtop work where a rolling-shutter sensor might suffice. At 1.6 MP the resolution is modest by modern standards, which keeps data rates low and frame rates high, but it sets a real ceiling on field of view versus detail: you get roughly a 1.4k-wide image, so for fine-feature inspection you concentrate that resolution onto a small FoV rather than trying to cover a wide scene.
The 3.45 µm pixels on the IMX273 are typical of the Pregius family and balance sensitivity against well capacity; combined with the global shutter and 70.7 fps ceiling, the camera can freeze fast events when paired with a short exposure and a strobed light. Because exposure shrinks as line speed rises, lighting becomes the gating factor in practice: a strobe or high-output continuous illuminator synchronized to the camera trigger lets you keep exposures short enough to stop motion while still filling the sensor's wells. The camera supports auto exposure/gain, ROI windowing, 2x binning/decimation, and defective-pixel correction, so you can trade resolution for speed or sensitivity, and chunk/event data plus PTP (IEEE 1588) timestamping allow precise correlation of frames with line position in multi-camera or motion-coordinated setups.
Connectivity is deliberately simple: a single RJ45 carries GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam over 1000BASE-T and, on the same cable, IEEE 802.3af Class 2 PoE that powers the camera (4.7 W or less; 3.7 W or less on the +10.8 to +26.4 Vdc external input). That one-cable approach simplifies cabinet wiring and slip-ring or drag-chain routing for cameras mounted away from the controller. Optically it is a C-mount camera in a 29 x 29 x 53 mm aluminium housing at about 65 g, so it drops into standard machine-vision lens, filter, and bracket ecosystems and is light enough for robot-mounted or gantry use. The 0 to +39 °C ambient rating is on the narrow side, so in warm enclosures or near process heat you will want to verify airflow and consider the camera's own dissipation.
Best for
Triggered inspection of parts in motion on conveyors or indexing tables, where the global shutter prevents distortion of moving features
1D/2D code reading and traceability where 1.6 MP onto a tight field of view resolves module/cell detail at high throughput
OCR/OCV and print/label verification on packaging lines that need fast, geometry-true frames
Robot- or gantry-mounted guidance and pick verification, helped by the light 65 g C-mount body and single-cable PoE
Multi-camera stations needing synchronized capture via PTP (IEEE 1588) and chunk/event-tagged frames
Selection notes
Confirm 1.6 MP (1,440 x 1,088) is enough for your smallest defect: at this resolution you concentrate detail by shrinking the field of view, so very wide or very fine inspections may need a higher-MP sensor instead
Plan lighting around the global shutter and high frame rate: short exposures to stop motion demand a synchronized strobe or strong continuous light, since the IMX273's 3.45 µm pixels won't compensate for an underfilled exposure
Budget the PoE link: the switch port must supply 802.3af Class 2 for ~4.7 W; if PoE is unavailable, fall back to the +10.8 to +26.4 Vdc external input (~3.7 W)
Choose mono (STC-MBS163POE) versus color (STC-MCS163POE) deliberately - mono gives full resolution and sensitivity for metrology, codes, and contrast-based defects, while color is only needed when hue is part of the decision
Verify the 0 to +39 °C ambient limit against your enclosure: this is a relatively narrow operating window, so check airflow near heat sources or warm cabinets
Match the C-mount lens image circle to the 1/2.9" format and pick the focal length for your required FoV and working distance
Specifications: General
Brand
Omron / Sentech
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
1.6 MP (1,440 x 1,088)
Horizontal resolution
1,440 px (H) x 1,088 px (V)
Mono / color
Monochrome (STC-MBS163POE) / Color (STC-MCS163POE)
Sensor manufacturer
Sony Pregius
Sensor model
Sony IMX273 CMOS
Shutter
Global shutter
Sensor size
1/2.9" optical format
Pixel size
3.45 µm x 3.45 µm
Specifications: Performance
FPS
70.7 fps (8-bit)
Specifications: Interface
Interface
GigE Vision (1000BASE-T, PoE)
Protocols
GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
PoE (IEEE 802.3af Class 2) or +10.8 to +26.4 Vdc external
Power consumption
4.7 W
Specifications: Environment
Operating temperature
0 to +39 °C (ambient)
Specifications: Mechanical
Dimensions
29 x 29 x 53 mm (W x H x D)
Weight
65 g
Housing material
Aluminium
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 · 1/2.9" optical format sensor.
By category
All 244C-mount lenses 179Telecentric lenses 62F-mount / large-format lenses 3
By brand
All 244Omron / Sentech 81iRAYPLE 66Basler 65Datalogic / Datasensing 32
These steps take an Omron Sentech (STC) camera from the box to a stable first image and on to your own application. They apply across the GigE Vision, USB3 Vision and CoaXPress STC families; the interface only changes how you cable and power the camera.
Download and install the Sentech SDK on the host PC. The package provides StViewer, the viewing and configuration software you use to bring the camera up, and StApi, the programming SDK you integrate later. Because the cameras are GenICam/GenTL-compliant, StApi also registers a GenTL producer, so any GenICam-compliant third-party vision software can discover and drive the camera as an alternative front end.
2. Cable, power and connect the camera
Connect according to the interface. GigE Vision: link to a Gigabit NIC (use PoE or the separate power input) and put the camera and host on the same subnet; for USB3 Vision use a USB 3.x port and a certified cable; for CoaXPress (STC) connect to a CoaXPress frame grabber, which also supplies Power-over-Coax. Then open StViewer and let it enumerate the camera. If a GigE camera does not appear, check the IP configuration and firewall, and on USB3 confirm the host bandwidth and driver.
3. Configure exposure, gain and white balance
Open the device in StViewer and start a live stream. Set exposure and gain for a well-exposed, low-noise image: raise exposure first and only add gain when more light or a faster shutter is not an option, keeping exposure short enough to freeze motion on global-shutter models. On colour cameras, run white balance under your actual production lighting. Adjust the lens aperture and focus on a representative target before tuning anything else.
4. Set the trigger and grab a first image
Start in free-run (continuous) acquisition to confirm a clean, stable image. For inline inspection switch to hardware or software triggering: select the trigger source, set the active edge and any delay, and wire the strobe or illumination to the camera's I/O so lighting fires with each exposure. Acquire and save a frame in StViewer; this saved image is your reference for the SDK stage and for downstream inspection.
5. Move to the StApi SDK (or any GenICam software)
Once the image is stable, reproduce the same settings in code. Use StApi to open the device, apply the GenICam features you validated in StViewer (exposure, gain, trigger, pixel format) and grab frames into your application via the bundled C++, C, C#/.NET or Python interfaces; the included samples are the fastest starting point. Prefer a different stack? The same GenICam/GenTL camera works with third-party vision libraries. With a reliable feed, you can route it into a deep-learning inspection such as Rosepetal for AI-based defect detection.
Frequently asked questions
Global shutter. It is built on the Sony Pregius IMX273 global-shutter CMOS sensor, so all pixels are exposed at once and moving parts are captured without skew or smear - ideal for triggered inspection of objects in motion.
1.6 MP, or 1,440 x 1,088 pixels, at up to 70.7 fps in 8-bit mode. ROI windowing and 2x binning/decimation can be used to trade resolution for additional speed or sensitivity.
A single RJ45 1000BASE-T link carries GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam data and IEEE 802.3af Class 2 PoE on the same cable. The camera draws 4.7 W or less over PoE, or you can use a +10.8 to +26.4 Vdc external supply (3.7 W or less).
Yes. The STC-MBS163POE is monochrome and the STC-MCS163POE is the color variant; both share the same 1.6 MP IMX273 sensor, interface, and housing.
It is a C-mount camera with a 1/2.9" optical format and 3.45 µm pixels, in a 29 x 29 x 53 mm aluminium housing weighing about 65 g, so it accepts standard C-mount lenses and filters.
0 to +39 °C ambient. That is a relatively narrow window, so verify enclosure airflow and proximity to heat sources during design-in.
