WSAL14037 – RPi Camera (M)/en

Documentation notice: This technical documentation was independently rewritten from an archived supplier source. Check technical details and commands against the product version and manufacturer documentation before use.

Summary

The RPi Camera (M) is a Raspberry Pi camera module featuring an OV5647 sensor (5 MP), a fisheye lens, and adjustable focus. It connects via the CSI port and can be controlled using rpicam- or libcamera commands.

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WSAL14037 – RPi Camera (M) for Raspberry Pi, OV5647, 5MP, Wider Field of View, Adjustable Focus

Technical overview

Sensor: OV5647, 5 megapixels, fisheye lens, adjustable focus.
Connection: CSI port; Raspberry Pi 5 has two CSI ports, on Pi Zero it is next to the power connector.
Supported boards: all Raspberry Pi boards; driver types: libcamera/Raspicam.
System update: run 'sudo apt-get update -y' and 'sudo apt-get upgrade -y' for current cameras such as Camera Module 3.
Configuration: set 'camera_auto_detect=0' in /boot/config.txt or /boot/firmware/config.txt and add the appropriate dtoverlay line.
Start preview: 'rpicam-hello' displays the camera preview for about five seconds.
Capture JPEG: 'rpicam-jpeg -o test.jpg' saves a full-resolution JPEG file.
Exposure control: fixed shutter speed and gain, e.g., 20 ms and 1.5x are possible.
Tuning files: for specific sensors (e.g., IMX219 NoIR) a customized file can be specified with '--tuning-file'.
USB cameras: supports MJPEG and YUYV; preview is software-rendered via Qt, no hardware acceleration.

Commands and examples – verify before use:

sudo apt-get update -y
sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo nano /boot/config.txt
sudo nano /boot/firmware/config.txt
sudo libcamera-hello -t 0
sudo libcamera-hello -t 0 --camera 0
sudo libcamera-hello -t 0 --camera 1
rpicam-hello
rpicam-hello -t 0
rpicam-jpeg -o test.jpg
rpicam-jpeg -o test.jpg -t 2000 --width 640 --height 480

Notes and version constraints

Connection accuracy depends on the exact board model; CSI port location varies by device.
Use of libcamera commands will eventually be replaced by rpicam; on Bookworm, prefer rpicam.
For older systems (Bullseye), additional steps to enable Glamor may be required.
For binocular systems, a JSON file for IMX290 may need to be installed manually.
USB cameras do not support hot-plugging; Picamera2 must be restarted when devices are added or removed.
Focus length is about 10 cm; exact values are version-specific and should be verified before use.

Source and revision record

RPi Camera (M) - Waveshare Wiki
Source revision: 89218
Captured: 2026-08-30T04:07:07+00:00
SHA-256: 1da368005ba22720f699e352cbbd9f379e1572890b19a23692b87a4be651e333