

5MP of compact camera capability now available for the Raspberry Pi In development since late last year, the Raspberry Pi camera module is finally available. The module can be purchased from RS Components or Element 14 and is based on an Omnivision 5647 5MPixel sensor which is configured to give a still picture resolution of 2592x1944 or deliver video with 1080p resolution at 30fps. It manages this in a 20x25x10mm package which connects to the Pi over a flat ribbon cable.

Software support is included in the Raspbian distribution of Debian for the Pi; users need to update to the latest version, run raspi-config, and select "camera" to enable the support. The supplied utilities – raspistill and raspivid – allow users to capture still and video footage; further instructions in the announcement cover how to feed the video over the network to Windows and Mac OS X. The board costs £19.24 inc VAT from RS Components in the UK.

(djwm)