Camera motion simulator
Pick an object, its speed and a camera. See every frame the camera captures as the object passes, with motion blur, rolling shutter lean and the gap between frames drawn to scale.
Results
Close-up at sensor pixels
The selected frame, cropped around the object, one square per sensor pixel. Click any frame below to inspect it.
Frames the camera captures
Blur, frame gap, lean and pixel counts are exact geometry for the inputs given: a straight path across the frame at a fixed distance and a lens with no distortion. Image noise is indicative. Camera figures are the makers' published specifications, checked October 2026, and each camera links to its source.
Frame rate does not remove motion blur
Frame rate sets how far the object moves between two frames: speed ÷ frame rate. Exposure time sets how far it moves while one frame is being captured: speed × exposure. That second distance is the blur. Raising the frame rate gives you more frames, each just as blurred as before.
| Speed | Between frames, 60 fps | Between frames, 240 fps | Blur, 1 ms exposure | Blur, 0.1 ms exposure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 m/s, conveyor | 16.7 mm | 4.2 mm | 1.0 mm | 0.10 mm |
| 1.4 m/s, walking | 23.3 mm | 5.8 mm | 1.4 mm | 0.14 mm |
| 50 km/h | 23.1 cm | 5.8 cm | 13.9 mm | 1.4 mm |
| 100 km/h | 46.3 cm | 11.6 cm | 27.8 mm | 2.8 mm |
| 100 mph | 74.5 cm | 18.6 cm | 44.7 mm | 4.5 mm |
Whether that blur matters depends on how big one pixel is at the object. Divide the scene width by the image width: a 13.86 m wide view on a 1920 pixel sensor gives 7.2 mm per pixel, so 44.7 mm of blur is about 6 pixels. For 1 pixel of blur or less, the exposure has to be pixel size ÷ speed, which here is 0.16 ms.
Rolling or global shutter
Rolling shutter
Rows are read one after another, top to bottom. If readout takes 15 ms, the bottom row is captured 15 ms after the top row, so a moving object leans. At 100 mph that is 67 cm across a full frame. Most low cost and high resolution sensors work this way.
Global shutter
Every row is exposed at the same moment, so shapes stay straight at any speed. Blur still depends on exposure time. Global shutter sensors are the usual choice for conveyors, robotics and inspection.
Finding the readout time
Sensor datasheets give it as frame readout time or as line time × number of lines. A mode's top frame rate sets an upper limit: a sensor that runs at 60 fps reads a frame in 16.7 ms or less.
Colour or mono
A colour sensor has a filter over every pixel that blocks much of the light. A mono sensor collects about 2.5 times more, so it can use a shorter exposure in the same light, which means less blur.
Questions
Why is the frame count shown as ±1?
The count depends on where the object is when the first frame fires. The tool places frames at the middle of each frame interval. A real camera triggered at a different moment can catch one frame more or one fewer.
How do I get less blur without more light?
Shorten the exposure and accept more noise, switch to a mono sensor, use a lens with a wider aperture, or move the camera so the object crosses fewer pixels per second. A global shutter does not reduce blur; it removes lean.
What does pixels across the object mean?
The object's length in the image, in pixels. Detection models and number plate readers need a minimum size to work. Enter the figure your model or reader needs and the tool flags when the object falls below it.
How accurate is the image noise?
It follows the right trend: noise rises as the light collected falls, by one over the square root. The level is illustrative only, because pixel size, lens aperture and sensor read noise are not modelled.
Where do the camera figures come from?
From each maker's published specifications. The camera list links to every source. Machine vision cameras are listed at full resolution; a smaller region of interest runs faster.
Why is the field of view a separate setting?
It depends on the lens and on the sensor mode, not only on the camera. Lower resolution modes often crop the sensor, which narrows the view. Enter the field of view for the lens and mode you plan to use.
Is anything sent to a server?
No. All the calculation and drawing runs in your browser.