| 1 | Sensor format | A 1/2.5-inch optical format is commonly associated with an active area of approximately 5.76 × 4.29 mm; diagonal ≈ 7.18 mm. | Confirm the actual sensor’s active dimensions. Optical-format labels are nominal and can vary between sensor designs. |
| 2 | Image circle | For full-frame coverage of the example active area, image-circle diameter must be at least about 7.18 mm. | Check illumination and image quality at the sensor corners, not only at the center. |
| 3 | F-number | N = f / D, where N is the F-number, f is focal length, and D is the entrance-pupil diameter. A smaller F-number generally admits more light. | Compare at the specified aperture and account for the trade-off between light collection, depth of field, and optical aberrations. |
| 4 | Working distance (WD) | Distance from the lens’s specified mechanical reference surface to the object plane; report in millimetres. | WD is application-dependent, not fixed by the 1/2.5-inch format. State the reference surface and focus position. |
| 5 | MTF | Modulation Transfer Function is reported as contrast transfer versus spatial frequency, commonly in line pairs per millimetre (lp/mm). | Compare MTF only under matching wavelength, aperture, focus, field position, and measurement method. |
| 6 | Field-dependent sharpness | Record MTF at the image centre and at off-axis positions, such as 70% and 100% of image height. | Include sagittal and tangential results where available; corner performance matters for full-frame scanning. |
| 7 | Distortion | Distortion (%) = 100 × (measured image height − ideal image height) / ideal image height. | Report the maximum absolute value over the usable field and identify barrel or pincushion distortion. |
| 8 | Magnification and field of view | Absolute magnification |m| = image size / object size. For a centred setup, object field width ≈ sensor active width / |m|. | State magnification and object distance together; field of view changes with the optical setup. |
| 9 | Chief-ray angle (CRA) | The angle at which the chief ray reaches the image plane varies with image height and optical design. | Check CRA compatibility against the sensor’s microlens and acceptance-angle requirements; there is no universal limit for this format. |
| 10 | Depth of field | Depends on aperture, magnification, focus distance, and the chosen acceptable circle of confusion. | Specify the object-space depth range and image-quality criterion; do not compare values calculated with different assumptions. |