JAI adds three new models to its Apex Series of 3-CMOS prism-based industrial area scan cameras. The new 5.1-megapixel models expand the Apex family, which already includes 1.6- and 3.2-megapixel versions, to a total of 10 different camera models. The new models feature CoaXPress, Mini Camera Link, and 5GigE Vision interfaces, complementing the existing 10GigE Vision and USB3 Vision options.
The new models—AP-5100T-CXPA, AP-5100T-MCL, and AP-5100T-5GE—are built around three Sony Pregius IMX548 backside-illuminated sensors. They deliver 3 × 5.1 megapixels at up to 75, 55, and 35 frames per second, respectively, providing both exceptional resolution and high-speed performance for demanding machine vision color applications.
Like the existing Apex cameras, the new models employ JAI’s advanced prism-based imaging technology. Precision-engineered hard dichroic filters with steep spectral cutoffs split incoming light into red, green, and blue channels, which are captured by three precisely aligned CMOS sensors. This method virtually eliminates color crosstalk and delivers truer, more saturated images with superior spatial precision—revealing even the smallest details.
In addition to the advanced features already available in the Apex models —such as pixel binning, single/multi-ROI, automatic level control, sequencer control, in-camera color space conversion, and channel-independent exposure control, the new models feature JAI’s powerful Xscale function for sub-pixel image scaling as well as in-camera chromatic aberration correction to minimize lens-induced distortions.
Xscale function
Sub-pixel scaling to meet your application requirements for pixel size, sensitivity and resolution:
Unlike conventional binning, which is limited to whole-pixel combinations (e.g.,1×2, 2×1, or 2×2), Xscale supports floating-point values. This enables users to combine both whole and fractional pixels to create “virtual” pixels of precisely the size required, offering unmatched flexibility in balancing pixel size, resolution, sensitivity, and signal-to-noise ratio.
In-camera chromatic aberration correction:
To ensure perfect spatial alignment across all color channels, the Apex 5.1-megapixel models include advanced lateral chromatic aberration correction, enabling the adjustment of magnification for each channel independently. This compensates for optical dispersion effects caused by lenses, delivering sharper, more accurate images — especially critical for precise measurement, defect detection, and multi-spectral analysis.
Flexible opto I/O for complex triggering scenarios:
With four opto inputs and four opto outputs, the cameras integrate seamlessly into complex inspection systems. This makes it possible to create advanced triggering schemes to coordinate multiple cameras, light sources, or motion control devices, ensuring precise synchronization for each illumination step in multi-spectral workflows.
Robust design for reliable operation:
Designed for demanding industrial environments, the new Apex cameras feature rugged housings with high shock (50G) and vibration (3G) tolerance, as well as an operating temperature range of -5°C to +45°C ensuring consistent, reliable performance even under harsh conditions.
For demanding color inspection applications:
The new 5.1-megapixel cameras are ideal for demanding machine vision tasks needing best-in-class color differentiation and image accuracy —including display inspection, PCB/MLCC, and electronic component inspection, food inspection, print inspection, and pharmaceutical quality control + more.
The full feature set:
More information:
For more information, please download our Apex brochure or model specific datasheets.
Why choose an Apex 3-CMOS prism-based camera for your next color inspection system?
If you’re developing a vision system that demands highly accurate color imaging, the JAI Apex Series is the ideal choice. Cameras in the Apex Series utilize prism-based imaging technology to separate incoming light into red, green, and blue wavelengths, directing the light to three precisely pixel-to-pixel aligned CMOS sensors. This advanced approach delivers significantly higher color fidelity and spatial precision than conventional Bayer mosaic-based color cameras.
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Prism-Based imaging:True-to-life colorsThe in-camera prism divides light into its red, green, and blue wavelengths, which are then captured by three precisely aligned CMOS sensors. The three images are combined into a single R-G-B image with more accurate per-pixel color values and better spatial precision, outperforming traditional color cameras that rely on the Bayer mosaic color interpolation technique.
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Bayer Mosaic imaging:Interpolated colorsIn the Bayer technique, each pixel is filtered to capture only one of the three primary colors. As a result, no single pixel can fully represent all red, green, and blue values. To create a full-color image, the Bayer technique interpolates the missing color information by referencing the surrounding pixels. This process estimates the red, green, and blue values for each pixel, based on its neighbors. The result of this interpolation technique is lower color accuracy and lower resolution compared to a prism-based camera. |
Application Examples:
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Display inspection The RGB channel separation enables simultaneous inspection of red, green, and blue subpixels for brightness, uniformity, and dead pixel detection, with no leakage between channels avoiding critical measurement errors. |
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Electrical component and PCB inspection Capture multiple inspection images — such as solder joint integrity, silkscreen alignment, and component presence — in a single pass using different lighting per channel, increasing throughput while reducing camera count and saving system space. |
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MLCC inspection MLCCs are fragile and highly susceptible to mechanical and thermal stress. Even a tiny surface crack can propagate and lead to short circuits during service. The high spatial resolution in the Apex cameras can help to identify tiny cracks and other defects in MLCCs before they are mounted on PCBs. |
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Food inspection Prism-based separation eliminates color crosstalk, allowing precise grading of subtle ripeness and defect colors in fruits, vegetables, eggs, and meat — even under mixed illumination. |
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Pharmaceutical quality control Low crosstalk imaging isolates true color differences in ampoules, capsules, and multi-layer tablets, improving detection of coating variations or contamination where Bayer sensors can be misled by color bleed. |
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Semiconductor and wafer inspection Minimal spectral overlap allows the use of multiple illumination types (such as dark field, bright field, and backlight) or different wavelengths at the same time without channel contamination, enabling more detailed and efficient defect detection in wafers and microstructures. |
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Print inspection Resolve ink separations with exceptional precision for raster offset detection and accurate sampling of registration marks or color control patches, ensuring print quality and consistency. |
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Automotive inspection By capturing pure RGB channels, prism sensors accurately measure paint shades and LED colors without contamination from nearby wavelengths, ensuring reliable results under diverse lighting conditions. |