Raspberry Pi HQ-m12 camera much improved

February 12, 2023 Luisa Rey

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has developed the improved HQ-m12 camera for the iconic mini computer.

What is the Raspberry Pi?

The Raspberry Pi Zero, a full-fledged computer that once cost less than ten euros. The last model costs almost double. Inflation is a bitch. Source: author

The Raspberry Pi was invented in the UK as the answer to the demand for affordable computers for schoolchildren. With this revolutionary little computer that cost only € 35, computers also came within reach of the poorest. For example, schoolchildren from poor families could use a TV, some connecting cables and simple peripherals such as a mouse and a keyboard to use the computer.

Soon hobbyists also discovered the Raspberry Pi. With this mini computer you can control complicated installations such as robots. At the moment, this market is now the most important. The rapid development of the technique has overtaken the original intention. For example, the Raspberry Zero is even cheaper than peripherals such as a mouse or keyboard. And certainly a lot cheaper than the HQ-m12 camera.

What’s so great about the new Raspberry Pi HQ-m12 camera?

In itself, a camera with a 12.3 megapixel resolution is of course not very special. This is also in the average cheaper smartphone. But for the Raspberry Pi, this is a huge advancement. Image editing requires a powerful processor, which the fairly cheap hardware of the Raspberry Pi could not handle until now.

Because the latest models of the Raspberry Pi have become much more powerful, this is now the case. There is also a zoom function built into this HQ-m12 camera, which you can operate using the Raspberry Pi.

You can send commands to the camera, after which a picture is taken. Electronics enthusiasts can use it to build all kinds of interesting projects, ranging from cameras for process control, time lapses or surveillance cameras. Who knows, even an astronomical camera, because you can make the exposure time as long as you want. You can even have the images analyzed by an AI. This is interesting for projects where image recognition is important.

Spicy priced

This HQ-m12 camera is not cheap, with a price of around € 60. And, perhaps another thing, the camera comes without a lens. So you have to buy a C or CS lens separately, which will take you around € 30 extra. Do you already have a device with the 12.3-megapixel Sony IMX477 image sensor module? Then you probably already own these lenses. The camera is for sale at dealers of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, among others.