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This article applies to these versions of LandingLens:
LandingLensLandingLens on Snowflake
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The purpose of a lens is to collect the light scattered by an object and recreate an image on a light-sensitive image sensor. We’ve defined the key factors that should be considered when choosing optics in the following table.
Lens FactorDefinition
field of view (FOV)
The total area that can be viewed by the lens and imaged onto the camera sensor.
working distance (WD)
The distance between the object and lens where the image is at its sharpest focus.
depth of field (DoF)
The maximum range where the object appears to be in focus.
magnification
The ratio between the sensor size and the FOV.
optical resolution
The minimum distance between two points that can be distinguished as separate points.

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Keep the “Big Picture” in Mind

Choosing the right lens is just one part of setting up your image capture system. Make sure you also select the right camera and lighting. The guiding principle in developing your camera, lens, and lighting system is that it should lead to reliable and repeatable results. Good data in leads to good data out.