The STC-MBS642POE (mono) and STC-MCS642POE (color) are GigE Vision 2.1 cameras using a 1/1.8" Sony IMX178 CMOS sensor delivering 3,072 x 2,048 (6.4 MP) resolution at 17.4 fps with a 2.4 µm pixel pitch. They feature a rolling shutter with global reset, C-mount, and 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet over a single cable with IEEE 802.3af Class 2 Power-over-Ethernet (or external 10.8–26.4 Vdc). Exposure is adjustable from 28.523 µs to 16.777 s with 0–20.8 dB analog gain and additional digital gain, housed in a 29 x 29 x 53 mm aluminium body weighing approximately 63 g.
The STC-MBS642POE (monochrome) and its STC-MCS642POE color twin are compact area-scan cameras built around the 1/1.8-inch Sony IMX178 CMOS sensor (Sony STARVIS family). That sensor delivers 3,072 x 2,048 pixels (6.4 MP) on a fine 2.4 um pixel pitch, which puts a lot of detail into a modest optical format and is the central trade-off an installer needs to understand. The high pixel density is excellent for resolving small features, fine print, and tight code modules across a reasonably sized field of view, but a 2.4 um pixel collects less light than a coarse one, so you will lean on adequate, well-controlled lighting and the 28.523 us to 16.777 s exposure range plus the 0 to 20.8 dB analog gain (with additional digital gain) to land a clean image. Frame rate is 17.4 fps at full resolution, which marks this as a camera for static or slow-indexing inspection rather than fast continuous motion.
The shutter is the other defining characteristic: this is a rolling shutter with a global-reset mode. Plain rolling shutter is fine for stationary parts on a stop station, but moving objects can skew or smear; the global-reset feature lets you start exposure on all rows simultaneously when paired with a strobed light and a dark surrounding, which freezes motion far better than rolling readout alone. Practically, that means this camera rewards a triggered, strobe-lit setup for any part that moves, and behaves like a simple grab-and-inspect camera when the part is held still. The C-mount and 1/1.8-inch sensor make lens selection straightforward, but with 2.4 um pixels you should choose a lens with enough resolving power (line-pairs/mm) to actually deliver the sensor's detail to the inspection.
Connectivity is the camera's biggest convenience. It is GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam over 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet, and it accepts IEEE 802.3af Class 2 Power-over-Ethernet, so a single standard Ethernet cable carries both image data and the roughly 4.2 W of power. A single PoE-capable switch or NIC can power the camera with no separate supply, which simplifies wiring on larger machines. Where PoE is not available, the camera also runs from an external 10.8 to 26.4 Vdc input. The body is a small 29 x 29 x 53 mm aluminium housing weighing about 63 g, easy to mount on robots, gantries, or in tight enclosures, with a 0 to +41 C ambient operating window that you should respect in warm cabinets.
Best for
Stationary or slow-indexing high-detail inspection where the 6.4 MP / 3,072 x 2,048 resolution resolves small defects, fine surface texture, or print on parts at an inspection stop station
Single-cable PoE installs on robots, gantries, or distributed machines where the 802.3af Class 2 power and ~4.2 W draw remove the need for a separate power supply
Industrial OCR/OCV and 1D/2D code reading on labels and packaging, where dense 2.4 um pixels capture small characters and code modules clearly under controlled lighting
Dimensional measurement and gauging on held or fixtured parts, taking advantage of the high pixel count for sub-pixel feature location at the fixed 17.4 fps
Strobe-triggered freeze-motion capture of moving parts using the global-reset shutter mode paired with a pulsed light and a darkened scene
Selection notes
Choose the variant by task: STC-MBS642POE (mono) for maximum sensitivity and detail on measurement, defect and code-reading work; STC-MCS642POE (color) only when color information is genuinely needed, accepting the Bayer-filter loss in light and effective resolution.
Budget your light and exposure: the fine 2.4 um pixels are light-hungry, so plan controlled illumination and use the 28.523 us to 16.777 s exposure and up to 20.8 dB analog gain deliberately - pushing gain to compensate for weak light will add noise.
Treat the rolling shutter as a constraint: for anything in motion, design around the global-reset mode with a strobed light and dark surroundings, otherwise hold the part still during the 17.4 fps capture to avoid skew or smear.
Match the lens to the sensor: on a 1/1.8-inch format with 2.4 um pixels you need a C-mount lens with high enough resolving power and the right focal length for your field of view, or the sensor's detail will be optically limited.
Plan the network and power path: confirm a PoE (802.3af Class 2) switch/NIC or supply the external 10.8 to 26.4 Vdc input, use a Gigabit-rated path for full 1000BASE-T bandwidth, and verify cabinet temperature stays within the 0 to +41 C ambient limit.
Specifications: General
Brand
Omron / Sentech
Camera type
Area scan
Specifications: Sensor
Resolution
6.4 MP
Horizontal resolution
3,072 x 2,048 px
Mono / color
Mono (MBS) / Color (MCS)
Sensor manufacturer
sony_starvis (Sony STARVIS family; IMX178)
Sensor model
Sony IMX178
Shutter
Rolling shutter / Global reset
Sensor size
1/1.8"
Pixel size
2.4 µm x 2.4 µm
Specifications: Performance
FPS
17.4 fps
Specifications: Interface
Interface
GigE Vision (1000BASE-T) with PoE
Protocols
GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam
Specifications: Optics
Mount
C-mount
Specifications: Electrical
Power
PoE (IEEE 802.3af Class 2) or external 10.8–26.4 Vdc
Power consumption
4.2 W
Supply voltage
+10.8 to +26.4 Vdc
Specifications: Environment
Operating temperature
0 to +41 (ambient) °C
Specifications: Mechanical
Dimensions
29 (W) x 29 (H) x 53 (D) mm
Weight
63 g
Housing material
Aluminium
Applications this camera is commonly selected for. Open one to see the full recommended hardware and approach.
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
It outputs 3,072 x 2,048 pixels (6.4 MP) at 17.4 fps at full resolution, on a 1/1.8-inch Sony IMX178 CMOS sensor with a 2.4 um pixel pitch.
Yes. It accepts IEEE 802.3af Class 2 PoE, so a single Gigabit Ethernet cable carries both data and power (about 4.2 W). Alternatively it runs from an external 10.8 to 26.4 Vdc supply.
It uses a rolling shutter with a global-reset mode. Global reset starts exposure on all rows at once, which - combined with a strobed light and a dark scene - freezes moving parts far better than plain rolling readout. Stationary parts can be captured directly.
Yes. The STC-MBS642POE is monochrome (MBS) and the STC-MCS642POE is color (MCS); both share the same Sony IMX178 sensor, GigE Vision interface, and housing.
It has a C-mount for the lens and connects over GigE Vision 2.1 / GenICam on 1000BASE-T Gigabit Ethernet, in a 29 x 29 x 53 mm aluminium body weighing about 63 g.
