Which Camera Should I Buy?

The OpenMV N6 is our latest and greatest OpenMV Cam. It offers the most functionality and performance. In particular, it features a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Thanks to the onboard NPU, it can run AI models like YOLOV8 and YOLOV11 at 30 FPS. This makes the OpenMV N6 ideal for real-world use, where you need AI models to solve problems.

We also sell the OpenMV AE3, our small power-house OpenMV Cam. While not as fast as the OpenMV N6, it also features an NPU, allowing it to run AI models like YOLOV8 and YOLOV11 models at almost 20 FPS. The OpenMV AE3 is ideal for applications that can trade performance for a smaller form factor and lower power consumption.

For applications that don't require running AI models but need incredible battery life, we sell the OpenMV Cam RT1062. The OpenMV Cam RT1062 draws only 30 µA in deep-sleep mode, allowing it to last for years on batteries in the wild. Even then, while running, it's a powerhouse with I/O capabilities similar to the OpenMV N6, though processing-wise it's much slower.

For a reduced price, you can buy the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus, which may be more performant than the OpenMV Cam RT1062 in some situations, as it has faster internal SRAM and external SDRAM memory buses. However, the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus lacks high-speed USB, Ethernet, battery charging, and ultra-low-power modes (microamps of current draw). In summary, using the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus in deployed applications will be much harder due to the lack of features beyond image processing. However, if you are just using the camera via USB and directly interfacing to other devices via its 3.3V GPIO pins, then it's a very good choice.

Our lowest-priced model is the OpenMV Cam H7 R2. It features the same processor as the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus but lacks SDRAM and has a lower-resolution camera sensor. As long as the resolution stays low (320x240 or lower), it's a powerhouse. Like the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus, it lacks high-speed USB, Ethernet, battery-charging, and ultra-low-power modes, which limit how you can use it.

Note that we do sell a WiFi Shield that you can attach to the OpenMV Cam H7 Plus and OpenMV Cam H7 R2 to get them online.

Other Models

Arduino makes the smallest OpenMV Cam, the Arduino Nicla Vision - it's the size of a postage stamp! The Nicla Vision uses the same processor as the OpenMV Cam H7 R2 but features onboard WiFi, high-speed USB, battery charging, and ultra-low-power modes. We recommend it as a smaller alternative to the OpenMV Cam RT1062. However, the Nicla lacks SDRAM, so its maximum resolution is limited.

As an alternative to the Arduino Nicla Vision, you can also buy the Arduino Portenta, and its Vision Shield, which has a 320x240 grayscale sensor. While the camera module may be on the low end, you get the same STM32H7 processor as the Arduino Nicla, high-speed USB, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, battery charging, and ultra-low-power modes.