FourthirdEye V1.0 – Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) Camera Module for Raspberry Pi 5 and CM4 with IMX294 Sensor and Open-Source Design

The FourthirdEye V1.0 is a Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) camera module designed specifically for the Raspberry Pi 5 and other Raspberry Pi boards that support 4-lane MIPI interfaces, such as the Compute Module 4 IO board.

Developed by Will Whang’s Electronics in Taiwan, it uses the IMX294 image sensor and is ideal for advanced users familiar with Raspberry Pi camera projects. It doesn’t support electronic control mounts like E-mount or EF-mount. The camera operates via a custom libcamera fork (not yet upstreamed) and offers several high-resolution modes, including 3840×2160 and 4176×2184 at up to 61.43 fps when overclocked.

It’s mainly targeted at developers or camera enthusiasts who are already aware of the project and capable of managing manual setup, driver tweaks, and hardware assembly, making it suitable for custom camera projects, industrial imaging, or research-based applications.

Previously, Raspberry Pi offered various camera modules like the Raspberry Pi AI Camera with Sony IMX500 sensor and the 12mp Raspberry Pi CM5 Industrial camera, but the IMX294 used in the FourthirdEye V1.0 delivers significantly better image quality.

FourthirdEye V1.0 – Micro Four Thirds Camera Module Specifications:

• Camera Sensor: Sony IMX294 10.7 MP CMOS sensor
• Resolution:
  • 3840 x 2160 @ 61.43 fps
  • 4144 x 2184 @ 57.76 fps
  • 4176 x 2184 @ 54.37 fps
  • 3792 x2 840 @ 48.69 fps
• Pixel Size: 4.63 μm x 4.63 μm
• Colour Format: 12-bit RAW (RGGB)
• Input drive frequency: 72 MHz (SLVS-EC) / 6 to 27 MHz (MIPI CSI-2
• Interface:
  • 4-lane MIPI CSI-2
  • 8-lane SLVS-EC
• Lens Support:
  • Bring Your Own Lens Mount (no built-in support for C-mount or electronic mounts)
  • Passive E-mount 3d printed adapter (STEP file available on GitHub)
• Performance Notes:
  • Requires overclocking RP1 chipset on Raspberry Pi 5 for maximum framerate
  • Without overclocking, limited to ~380 Mpix/sec pixel rate
• Input voltage:
  • VDD 2.8 V / 1.8 V / 1.2 V
• Temperature sensor: TMP117
• Mount Type: Micro Four Thirds (M4/3) – Lens not included
• Compatible Boards: Raspberry Pi 5, CM4 IO Board (boards with 4-lane MIPI support)

This module is open-source, with available KiCad files and drivers hosted on GitHub, but it does not support plug-and-play use—it requires users to supply their own lens mount, as it doesn’t include a lens or IR filter. A passive E-mount 3d-printed adapter is provided as a reference. You can find the Getting Started guide on the GitHub Wiki.

The IMX294’s CSI-2 runs at 1.78 Gbps, but the Raspberry Pi 5 supports up to 1.5 Gbps, and the CM4 likely a bit less—around 1 Gbps. Despite this, the FourthirdEye module has been tested successfully on both. While 4K at 120 FPS isn’t achievable due to bandwidth limits, according to the IMX294 product brief, 4K at 60 FPS works on the Pi 5. Remember that cable length and quality affect performance. Experts recommend using a shorter 20cm cable to avoid image issues like black or bad pixels.

As of now, Tindie lists the FourthirdEye V1.0 Micro Four Thirds camera for $399, while Aliexpress offers the Sony IMX294 sensor for around $166.02.

Via cnx-software.com

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