The OV5640 120-Degree Distortionless Camera Module with Adjustable Manual Focus Lens is a high-performance 5.0 Megapixel CMOS image sensor module engineered specifically for ESP32-CAM development boards, ESP32-S3 Eye / CAM modules, and compatible 24-pin DVP embedded vision platforms. Built around the OmniVision OV5640 image sensor, it features a specialized multi-element 120° wide-angle non-distorting optical lens with an integrated threaded manual focus ring. Unlike conventional wide-angle fisheye lenses that produce severe barrel warping, this distortion-free optical design maintains straight horizontal and vertical lines across the entire field of view (optical distortion < 1>

Specifications

• Sensor Model: OmniVision OV5640 5MP CMOS Image Sensor
• Compatibility: ESP32-CAM (with OV5640-supported firmware), ESP32-S3-CAM / ESP32-S3-Eye, and standard 24-Pin DVP camera sockets
• Active Array / Sensor Resolution: 5.0 Megapixels (2592 × 1944 pixels / QSXGA)
• Optical Format: 1/4-inch CMOS Active Pixel Array
• Pixel Size: 1.4 µm × 1.4 µm (OmniBSI™ backside illumination architecture)
• Lens Optical Characteristic: 120° Wide-Angle Low/No-Distortion (Rectilinear / Non-Fisheye Optical Correction)
• Optical Distortion Rate: < 1>
• Field of View (FOV): 120° Diagonal (Wide Angle without barrel warping)
• Focus Mechanism: Threaded Adjustable Manual Focus Ring (Approx. 3 cm to Infinity)
• Interface / Bus Type: 24-Pin 0.5mm Pitch DVP (Digital Video Port) Flexible Flat Cable (FFC)
• Cable Length: Approx. 75 mm (Standard FPC ribbon)
• Supported Output Formats:
  • Hardware Compressed JPEG / MJPEG
  • Raw RGB, RGB565 / RGB555
  • YUV422 / YCbCr422
  • Grayscale (8-bit)
• Maximum Frame Rates:
  • QSXGA (2592 × 1944): Up to 15 fps
  • 1080p Full HD (1920 × 1080): Up to 30 fps
  • 720p HD (1280 × 720): Up to 60 fps
  • VGA (640 × 480): Up to 60 fps
  • QVGA (320 × 240): Up to 90 fps
• Operating Core Voltage: 1.5V DC ± 5% (Internal regulator)
• Analog Supply Voltage (AVDD): 2.6V to 3.0V DC (Typ. 2.8V)
• I/O Supply Voltage (DOVDD): 1.7V to 3.0V DC (Typ. 1.8V / 2.8V / 3.3V)
• Power Consumption:
  • Active / Streaming: Typ. 140 mW (VGA @ 30fps) to 280 mW (Full 5MP JPEG)
  • Standby / Sleep: < 20>
• Dynamic Range: 68 dB
• Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR): 36 dB
• Operating Temperature: -30°C to +70°C (Stable image: 0°C to +50°C)
• Module Dimensions: Approx. 25 mm × 24 mm (Lens Head) with 75 mm FPC Cable

Features

• True Non-Distortion Optical Design: Advanced multi-element rectilinear lens array eliminates barrel and pincushion warping, allowing AI vision algorithms to process straight geometry and planar targets without computationally heavy software un-warping.
• High-Resolution 5MP Imaging: Upgrades standard 2MP (OV2640) systems to crystal-clear 2592×1944 still captures and 1080p Full HD video streams.
• 120° Wide-Angle Panoramic Coverage: Captures expansive room or doorway areas while keeping walls, door frames, and text lines straight and uncurved.
• Adjustable Manual Focus Ring: Knurled threaded lens housing allows precise optical focal adjustment from ultra-close macro inspection (3cm) out to infinity surveillance.
• Hardware JPEG Compression Engine: Integrated on-chip JPEG encoder compresses image frames in real-time, enabling smooth, low-latency Wi-Fi and Bluetooth video streaming over ESP32/ESP32-S3.
• Comprehensive On-Chip ISP: Automated exposure control (AEC), automatic white balance (AWB), auto black level (ABLC), sharpness, noise reduction, and gamma correction directly on silicon.
• Standard 24-Pin Plug-and-Play FFC: Directly compatible with standard bottom-contact FPC camera latch sockets on ESP32-CAM, ESP32-S3-CAM, and ESP32-S3-Eye boards.

Common Applications

• AI Machine Vision & Object Detection: Running Edge Impulse, TensorFlow Lite, and YOLO models for face recognition, gesture tracking, and object classification on ESP32-S3.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) & Barcode Scanning: Reading text documents, serial numbers, QR codes, and barcodes across a wide field without curvature distortion.
• Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR): Accurate capture of vehicle registration plates and traffic monitoring without edge warping.
• Smart Video Doorbells & Security Surveillance: Broad doorway and porch coverage with natural, undistorted perspective for facial verification.
• Industrial PCB & Assembly Inspection: Flat, planar macro inspection of circuit boards, solder joints, and mechanical components using adjustable focus.
• Robotics & Autonomous Navigation: Accurate visual odometry, SLAM mapping, and obstacle detection for mobile rovers and AGVs.

Usage Tips

• ESP32 PSRAM Requirement (Crucial): Capturing 5MP frames requires high memory capacity. **Ensure your ESP32-CAM or ESP32-S3 board has external PSRAM enabled (4MB / 8MB)** and configure `frame_size` to `FRAMESIZE_QSXGA` or lower in the ESP-IDF / Arduino camera driver.
• FPC Ribbon Insertion: Carefully lift the black locking latch of the 24-pin socket on the ESP32 board, slide the blue stiffener side facing upward (or gold contact pins facing the PCB pads depending on socket orientation), and gently press the lock down flat. Never force the ribbon while the latch is closed.
• Focus Adjustment Technique: Power the camera on in a live web server stream (e.g., standard ESP32 `CameraWebServer` example) and gently rotate the knurled front lens element clockwise or counter-clockwise until your target distance comes into sharp optical focus.
• Adequate Power Supply: The OV5640 draws higher peak current during initialization and high-resolution JPEG bursts than the OV2640. Power the ESP32-CAM with a stable **5V DC supply rated for at least 2.0A** with a 470µF electrolytic capacitor across the 5V and GND rails to prevent brownout reboots.
• Driver Initialization: In Arduino IDE / ESP-IDF code, ensure you define the camera sensor as `CAMERA_MODEL_AI_THINKER` or your specific board model, and verify that the driver includes support for the OV5640 sensor ID (`0x5640`).

Datasheet