Point Grey, a world leader in advanced digital imaging products, today announced the addition of new 2.8 megapixel models to its Grasshopper Express IEEE 1394b (FireWire-b) digital cameras series.

The new Grasshopper Express GX-FW-28S5 camera models are based on color and monochrome versions of the fast and highly sensitive Sony ICX674, a 2/3\" CCD featuring 4.54 micron square pixels and capable of sending 1932 x 1452 images at 26 FPS. The ICX674 sensor supports high definition (HD) 1080p30 imaging and uses Sony\'s EXview HAD CCD II™ technology-a further evolved version of the well-known EXview HAD CCD™ technology-to improve quantum efficiency, reduce smear, and increase sensitivity, including into the near infrared.

Every Grasshopper Express camera is equipped with a 32 MByte frame buffer, 14-bit analog-to-digital converter, and on-board temperature and power sensors to monitor camera status. Also included with every camera is the FlyCapture® SDK, a full software library that provides a common control interface for all Point Grey cameras under both Windows and Linux. The 800 Mbit/s FireWire-b interface allows fast image transfer and is well-suited to building low latency, highly deterministic, multiple camera networks. Industry-leading pricing and best-in-class image quality make the new GX ideal for applications in biophotonics, medical, astronomy, traffic surveillance, factory automation, and machine vision.

\"The Sony ICX674 sensor is quickly becoming the new industry standard for low noise, high sensitivity CCD imaging,\" says Michael Gibbons, Product Marketing Manager. Gibbons adds, \"By pairing it with a reliable and deterministic FireWire-b interface, we are able to address a broad range of customer needs in both scientific and industrial markets. We continue to see strong demand and growth in FireWire camera sales and will introduce additional Grasshopper Express camera models throughout 2012.\"

The Grasshopper Express GX-FW-28S5M-C (monochrome) and GX-FW-28S5C-C (color) models are list priced at USD $1995 and are available to order now from Point Grey and its network of distributors. North American customers can purchase the Grasshopper Express on our webstore.

About Point Grey

Point Grey Research, Inc. is a worldwide leader in the development of advanced digital camera technology products for machine vision, industrial imaging, computer vision, and traffic and surveillance applications. Based in Richmond, BC, Canada, Point Grey designs, manufactures and distributes USB 3.0, Gigabit Ethernet, and IEEE-1394 (FireWire) cameras that are known for their excellent quality, performance, and ease of use. A broad range of hardware, software and mechanical engineering skills has allowed Point Grey to successfully bring many innovative and ground-breaking products to market. This drive for innovation has led to many industry firsts, including the world's first and smallest 1394b digital camera, the smallest GigE camera and the first and smallest USB 3.0 machine vision camera.

Since its founding in January of 1997, the company's approach to product pricing, quality control, and customer service has attracted thousands of customers worldwide, and its organic growth through product sales has enabled the company to expand significantly without any outside investment. Point Grey currently employs more than 130 people worldwide and has a wholly-owned German subsidiary that provides sales and support services to customers in Europe, Africa and Israel. The company also has a strong network of distributors in Japan, Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.ptgrey.com