Camera technology

What Is Binning?

Binning is a technique that can improve the light sensitivity of machine vision cameras. Several neighboring pixels are combined to form a larger pixel. This leads to a reduction in image resolution, but also to an increase in light sensitivity.

What types of binning are there?

There are three types of binning: horizontal binning, vertical binning, and full binning. When binning, the information of neighboring pixels is generally combined into one piece of information, depending on the binning mode. This always leads to a resolution that is reduced by the factor of the binning. However, the power of each individual pixel is also added together.

Binning explained

What are the advantages of binning?

  • Increased light sensitivity: By combining several pixels, more light is captured per pixel. This is particularly beneficial in low light or when using fast-moving objects.

  • Reduced noise: The noise in the image is reduced by combining several pixel values.

  • Increased frame rate: The lower resolution means that the frame rate of the camera can be increased.

Binning takes place in the camera at sensor level. As this binning method only allows integer multiples such as 2x2 or 3x3, the resolution can only be reduced in large leaps. With the Pixel Beyond Feature , Basler has created a solution that allows the use of decimal numbers in addition to integer factors.

Comparison of conventional binning and the Pixel Beyond feature
Comparison of conventional binning and the Pixel Beyond feature

Additional information about binning

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