Sony IMX Camera Module Guide: IMX335, IMX678, IMX415, IMX219, IMX273, IMX766, IMX307 Specs, References, and Taobao Price Notes

Fri, 01 May 2026 04:15:28 +0800

When building embedded vision, security cameras, Raspberry Pi cameras, Jetson cameras, or machine vision projects, you will often run into a pile of Sony IMX model names.

They all look like “camera sensors”, but the differences are large. Some are better for low-light surveillance, some are built for 4K video, some are for industrial global-shutter vision, some mainly appear as phone repair parts, and some are friendly to the Raspberry Pi ecosystem.

This article整理 several Sony IMX camera modules that are common on Taobao and in development-board ecosystems:

IMX335
IMX678
IMX415
IMX219
IMX273
IMX766
IMX307
Additional models: IMX290, IMX462, IMX477, IMX585, IMX708

One note first: the prices below are common retail ranges seen around Taobao, development-board accessory shops, module vendors, and cross-border retail channels as of 2026-05-01. They are only useful for selection budgeting. Real prices are affected by lens, interface, driver board, enclosure, onboard ISP, UVC support, invoice/tax handling, and purchase volume.

Quick conclusion

For quick selection, start by use case:

Use case	Recommended models	Why
Raspberry Pi entry-level	`IMX219`	Mature ecosystem, low price, lots of documentation
Better Raspberry Pi image quality	`IMX477`, `IMX708`	Higher resolution and good official ecosystem support
Low-light surveillance	`IMX307`, `IMX335`	STARVIS series, good night performance
4K security / industrial video	`IMX415`, `IMX678`	4K, common MIPI/USB modules
Newer 4K low-light	`IMX678`, `IMX585`	STARVIS 2, better low-light and dynamic range
Industrial trigger / moving objects	`IMX273`	Global shutter, suitable for machine vision
Phone repair / modification	`IMX766`	Common phone main-camera sensor, but less open for development

For ordinary projects, start with IMX219, IMX335, IMX415, or IMX678. They are easier to find as ready-made modules on Taobao and in development-board accessory markets.

Common model parameter table

Model	Common positioning	Pixels / resolution	Optical format	Pixel size	Shutter	Common interfaces	Approximate public timing	Module retail price reference
`IMX219`	Raspberry Pi V2, entry-level CSI camera	8MP, 3280×2464	1/4"	1.12 μm	Rolling shutter	MIPI CSI-2	Popularized with Raspberry Pi Camera Module 2 in 2016	20-80 RMB
`IMX307`	1080p starlight night vision, security	2.13MP, 1920×1080	1/2.8"	2.9 μm	Rolling shutter	MIPI CSI-2 / LVDS	Public materials around 2017-2018	60-180 RMB
`IMX335`	5MP starlight night vision, security, dashcams	5.14MP, 2592×1944	1/2.8"	2.0 μm	Rolling shutter	MIPI CSI-2	Widely commercialized after around 2018-2019	90-260 RMB
`IMX415`	4K security, industrial cameras, Jetson	8.46MP, recommended 3840×2160 output	1/2.8"	1.45 μm	Rolling shutter	MIPI CSI-2	Sony announced it on 2019-06-26, with a 2019 mass-production path	120-450 RMB
`IMX678`	STARVIS 2 4K low-light	8.40MP class, 4K	1/1.8"	2.0 μm	Rolling shutter	MIPI CSI-2 / USB modules	Entered module markets after around 2022	250-900 RMB
`IMX273`	Industrial machine vision	1.58MP, about 1456×1088	1/2.9"	3.45 μm	Global shutter	MIPI/LVDS/industrial camera interfaces	Public materials around 2017	300-1500+ RMB
`IMX766`	Phone main camera, repair parts	50MP	1/1.56"	1.0 μm, about 2.0 μm after 4-in-1 binning	Rolling shutter	Phone module interfaces	Popularized in phone market around 2020-2021	50-300 RMB repair modules, high development difficulty

The “module retail price” here is not the official bare sensor price. A 30 RMB IMX219 on Taobao is usually a small Raspberry Pi ribbon-cable board; a several-hundred-RMB IMX678 often already includes USB conversion, ISP, lens, or even an enclosure; industrial IMX273 cameras cost more.

IMX219: the most common entry-level model in the Raspberry Pi ecosystem

The most common form of IMX219 is Raspberry Pi Camera Module 2 or compatible modules.

Raspberry Pi official documentation says Camera Module 2 replaced the original Camera Module in April 2016, using the Sony IMX219 8MP sensor with a resolution of 3280×2464.

Its advantages are clear:

Low price
Lots of documentation
Mature Raspberry Pi ecosystem support
Very easy to buy on Taobao
Suitable for entry-level photography, monitoring, time-lapse, and simple vision recognition

Its weaknesses are also obvious:

Small sensor size
Average low-light performance
Limited image-quality ceiling with default module lenses
Rolling-shutter distortion in high-speed motion scenes

Taobao keywords:

IMX219 树莓派摄像头
IMX219 NoIR
IMX219 广角
IMX219 Jetson Nano

Common prices are about 20-80 RMB. Ordinary fixed-focus boards are the cheapest; wide-angle, night-vision, stereo, and enclosure versions cost more.

References:

IMX307: a proven 1080p starlight night-vision sensor

IMX307 is a very common 2MP STARVIS model in security cameras.

Sony’s official Flyer lists these key points:

1/2.8" optical format
2.13MP effective pixels
Recommended 1920×1080 output
Up to 60fps in Full HD 1080p
2.9 μm pixel size
HDR support
LVDS and MIPI CSI-2 support

It does not chase high resolution. It focuses more on 1080p low-light performance. Its 2.9 μm pixels are larger than those of many small-format 4K sensors, so it is still common in night surveillance, low-light recognition, and indoor low-light projects.

Common Taobao forms:

IMX307 USB 摄像头模组
IMX307 MIPI 模组
IMX307 星光夜视
IMX307 低照度监控板

Common prices are about 60-180 RMB. Versions with ISP, USB UVC, enclosure, or IR-cut switching cost more.

Reference:

Sony IMX307LQD/LQR Flyer

IMX335: common for 5MP low-light and security projects

IMX335 can be understood as a very common 5MP STARVIS choice in the Taobao module market.

It has higher resolution than IMX307, while usually being less expensive than some 4K models, so it is often used in:

Security cameras
Dashcams
Jetson/RK platform MIPI cameras
USB UVC cameras
Low-light imaging projects

Common parameters:

About 5.14MP
2592×1944
1/2.8" optical format
2.0 μm pixel size
STARVIS back-illuminated technology
Common MIPI CSI-2 output

IMX335 performs better in low light than IMX219, and it is a practical 5MP route compared with IMX415. For 2K video, night scenes, and surveillance recognition, it is usually more comfortable than entry-level Raspberry Pi modules.

Taobao keywords:

IMX335 USB 摄像头
IMX335 MIPI 摄像头
IMX335 Jetson
IMX335 星光夜视

Common prices are about 90-260 RMB. USB driver-free versions are usually more expensive than simple MIPI boards.

References:

IMX415: a compact 4K choice for security and industrial video

IMX415 is often mentioned in 4K security and industrial video.

Sony announced IMX415 and IMX485, two 4K security sensors, on 2019-06-26. The official news release describes IMX415 as a type 1/2.8 4K-resolution stacked CMOS image sensor for smart cities, surveillance, traffic monitoring, and related scenarios.

Core parameters from the official Flyer:

1/2.8" optical format
8.46MP effective pixels
Recommended recording pixels: 3840×2160
1.45 μm pixel size
About 60.3fps in 12-bit all-pixel mode
About 90.9fps in 10-bit all-pixel mode
Multiple exposure HDR and Digital overlap HDR
MIPI CSI-2, 2 Lane / 4 Lane, RAW10 / RAW12

Its strength is compact 4K. The weakness is that the pixel size is only 1.45 μm. If the lens and lighting are not good enough, low-light images may not necessarily beat IMX307 or IMX335.

Taobao keywords:

IMX415 4K 摄像头模组
IMX415 USB 摄像头
IMX415 MIPI CSI
IMX415 Jetson
IMX415 星光夜视

Common prices are about 120-450 RMB. Cheap ones are MIPI bare modules, while USB3.0, onboard ISP, enclosure, or Jetson-adapted versions cost more.

References:

IMX678: a popular STARVIS 2 4K low-light model

IMX678 is a popular STARVIS 2 4K model in recent years. It appears in dashcams, low-light cameras, USB cameras, and development-board modules.

Key points from public Flyers:

1/1.8" optical format
8.40MP class
2.0 μm pixel size
STARVIS 2
Designed for visible-light and near-infrared low-light scenarios

Compared with IMX415, IMX678 has a larger format and larger pixels, giving it better low-light headroom. The downside is higher module cost and stricter requirements for lens, power, driver, and bandwidth.

Taobao keywords:

IMX678 摄像头模组
IMX678 USB
IMX678 MIPI
IMX678 STARVIS2
IMX678 Jetson

Common prices are about 250-900 RMB. Cross-border branded USB3.0 modules can even exceed 1000 RMB. Arducam’s IMX678 USB 3.0 module has a public retail price starting at 159.99 USD, which can serve as a high-end retail reference.

References:

IMX273: industrial machine vision cares more about global shutter

IMX273 is different from the security-oriented models above.

It is a common global-shutter model for industrial and sensing applications, suitable for moving objects, triggered capture, positioning inspection, production-line vision, and measurement projects. The point of global shutter is full-frame exposure at the same time, which reduces skew and distortion caused by rolling shutter in motion scenes.

Sony’s Flyer for the series containing IMX273LLR/LQR emphasizes:

Industrial and sensing applications
3.45 μm / 6.9 μm pixel series
Global shutter function
Related models include IMX287, IMX296, and IMX297

IMX273 does not have very high resolution, but industrial vision often cares more about trigger synchronization, exposure consistency, low distortion, global shutter, lens support, and camera SDKs than raw megapixels.

Taobao keywords:

IMX273 工业相机
IMX273 全局快门
IMX273 USB3 工业相机
IMX273 GigE

Common prices are about 300-1500+ RMB. Standalone modules are not always cheap, and finished industrial cameras are more expensive.

Reference:

Sony IMX273/287/296/297 Flyer

IMX766: a phone main-camera sensor, not a good beginner module for development boards

IMX766 is a very common 50MP sensor in phones and has appeared in many Android main-camera solutions.

Common public parameters:

50MP
1/1.56" optical format
1.0 μm pixel size
About 2.0 μm equivalent pixel size after 4-in-1 binning
Related full-pixel autofocus capabilities

But it is different from development-board-friendly modules such as IMX219, IMX335, and IMX415. On Taobao, most IMX766 products are phone repair camera modules designed for specific phones. FPC, power rails, drivers, initialization registers, focus motors, OIS, and ISP cooperation may all be undocumented.

It is suitable for:

Phone repair
Teardown research
Hardware enthusiasts interested in mobile imaging pipelines

It is not very suitable for:

Direct Raspberry Pi connection
Quick Jetson development
Ordinary USB camera projects
Embedded projects without driver development capability

Taobao keywords:

IMX766 摄像头模组
IMX766 手机摄像头
IMX766 主摄

Common prices are about 50-300 RMB, but this is usually the price of phone repair parts. It does not mean the module can be directly connected to a development board.

Reference:

IMX766 Sensor Overview

Other common Sony IMX models on Taobao

In addition to the models above, several other models are also easy to find.

IMX290

IMX290 is an older 2MP STARVIS low-light model, common in security, astronomy, and low-light USB cameras. It is close to IMX307, and many projects compare the two.

Taobao keywords:

IMX290 USB 摄像头
IMX290 星光夜视
IMX290 MIPI

Common prices are about 80-300 RMB.

IMX462

IMX462 is also often discussed for low-light and near-infrared performance. It appears in astronomy cameras, low-light cameras, and security applications.

Taobao keywords:

IMX462 USB 摄像头
IMX462 天文相机
IMX462 低照度

Common prices are about 150-600 RMB.

IMX477

The most common entry point for IMX477 is the Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera.

It is a 12.3MP, 1/2.3" class sensor. With the C/CS lens ecosystem, it is better than IMX219 for serious image capture, machine vision experiments, microscopy, and telephoto projects. Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera was released in 2020, with an official price once listed at 50 USD.

Taobao keywords:

IMX477 树莓派 HQ
IMX477 C口
IMX477 CS镜头

Common prices are about 180-450 RMB.

Reference:

Raspberry Pi High Quality Camera Product Brief

IMX585

IMX585 is a higher-spec 4K low-light model in the STARVIS 2 series. Its 1/1.2" larger format gives it better low-light advantages than small-format 4K sensors.

On Taobao, IMX585 appears as USB, MIPI, astronomy-camera, or industrial-camera products, but prices are usually much higher than IMX415 and IMX335.

Taobao keywords:

IMX585 摄像头
IMX585 STARVIS2
IMX585 USB3

Common prices are about 500-2000+ RMB.

IMX708

IMX708 is the 12MP sensor used by Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 and supports autofocus. It is friendly to the Raspberry Pi ecosystem and is suitable for projects that do not want to fight drivers but want better image quality and functions than IMX219.

Taobao keywords:

IMX708 树莓派
树莓派 Camera Module 3
IMX708 自动对焦

Common prices are about 150-350 RMB.

Reference:

Raspberry Pi Camera Documentation

Do not select only by the IMX model name

Many product titles say things like “Sony IMX415 4K starlight night vision”, but the sensor is not the only thing that decides whether it will work.

At least confirm these points:

Interface: whether MIPI CSI-2, USB UVC, GigE, or LVDS matches your host
Platform: whether it explicitly supports Raspberry Pi, Jetson, RK3568, RK3588, Windows, or Linux
Drivers: whether device tree, kernel driver, register settings, and example code are available
Output format: RAW10, RAW12, YUYV, MJPEG, H.264, H.265
Frame rate: whether 4K 30fps, 4K 60fps, or 1080p 60fps is actually available
Lens: M12, C/CS, fixed focus, autofocus, field of view, distortion
Filters: normal IR-cut, NoIR, auto switching, whether it suits IR illumination
ISP: whether there is onboard ISP, and whether exposure, white balance, denoising, and HDR are supported
Power and heat: whether 4K/USB3.0 modules remain stable over long runs

The experience of using a MIPI RAW board and a USB driver-free camera can be completely different even if both use IMX415. The former is better for embedded low-level development, while the latter is better for quick connection to a PC or industrial computer.

Taobao buying advice

Before buying, ask these questions:

Is there a driver and configuration file for your platform?
Does it support the resolution and frame rate you need?
Can it provide raw RAW output, or only compressed video?
Is the lens replaceable, and are distortion parameters available?
Does it support auto exposure, auto white balance, HDR, and gain control?
Are there Linux test commands or an SDK?
Can it be supplied long term, or is it one-off stock?

For Raspberry Pi projects, prioritize modules that explicitly support Raspberry Pi OS / libcamera.
For Jetson projects, prioritize modules that explicitly support Jetson Nano / Xavier / Orin and provide device trees and driver packages.
For PC projects, USB UVC modules are the easiest.
For industrial inspection, consider finished industrial cameras first instead of only buying cheap bare modules.

Final selection notes

A simple summary:

Lowest budget and most documentation: choose IMX219
Better Raspberry Pi image quality: choose IMX477 or IMX708
1080p low-light surveillance: choose IMX307
General 5MP low-light use: choose IMX335
Compact 4K security / industrial use: choose IMX415
Better 4K low-light: choose IMX678
Industrial global shutter: choose IMX273
Phone repair part research: look at IMX766, but do not expect direct development-board use

When actually building a project, do not look only at the words “Sony IMX”. A camera module is a combination of sensor, lens, ISP, interface, driver, and platform adaptation. If any one part is wrong, even a beautiful parameter table may not help you bring it up.

Hardware Selection on KnightLi Blog

Sony IMX Camera Module Guide: IMX335, IMX678, IMX415, IMX219, IMX273, IMX766, IMX307 Specs, References, and Taobao Price Notes

Quick conclusion

Common model parameter table

IMX219: the most common entry-level model in the Raspberry Pi ecosystem

IMX307: a proven 1080p starlight night-vision sensor

IMX335: common for 5MP low-light and security projects

IMX415: a compact 4K choice for security and industrial video

IMX678: a popular STARVIS 2 4K low-light model

IMX273: industrial machine vision cares more about global shutter

IMX766: a phone main-camera sensor, not a good beginner module for development boards

Other common Sony IMX models on Taobao

IMX290

IMX462

IMX477

IMX585

IMX708

Do not select only by the IMX model name

Taobao buying advice

Final selection notes

References