Tutorial-Raspberry-Pi-cam-gps-andmore.github.io

In-Depth Tutorial: Using Camera Module 3 on Raspberry Pi

This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide on how to take a photo using a Raspberry Pi Camera Module 3 with a modern Raspberry Pi running the latest Raspberry Pi OS. It covers the command-line and Python methods.

While this guide was requested for a “Compute Module 5,” that module is not yet released. The instructions here are for any modern Raspberry Pi (Pi 4, Pi 5, CM4) running a recent version of Raspberry Pi OS (Bullseye or newer) and will be applicable when the CM5 is released.

1. Prerequisites

Hardware

Software

2. Hardware Setup

  1. Power Down: Ensure your Raspberry Pi is completely powered off and disconnected from the power supply.
  2. Connect the Camera:
    • Locate the Camera Serial Interface (CSI) port on your Raspberry Pi or Compute Module carrier board. It’s a long, thin connector, usually plastic.
    • Gently pull up the tabs on the edges of the port.
    • Take the camera’s ribbon cable. The blue strip on the cable should face away from the circuit board on a standard Pi (towards the USB/Ethernet ports). On a carrier board, consult its documentation, but typically the exposed metal contacts go towards the contacts in the connector.
    • Insert the ribbon cable squarely into the connector.
    • Push the tabs back down to secure the cable.
  3. Power Up: Reconnect the power supply and boot your Raspberry Pi.

3. Software Configuration

You must enable the camera interface before the OS will recognize it.

  1. Open Terminal: Access your Raspberry Pi’s command line.
  2. Run Configuration Tool: 
    sudo raspi-config
  3. Navigate to Camera: Use the arrow keys to select 3 Interface Options and press Enter.
  4. Enable Camera: Select I1 Legacy Camera and, when prompted, select <No> to disable the legacy stack. Then, back in the Interface Options menu, select I1 Camera and select <Yes> to enable the modern libcamera interface.
  5. Finish and Reboot: Navigate to <Finish> in the main menu. It will ask if you want to reboot. Select <Yes>.

4. Taking a Photo (Command-Line)

The modern tool for taking photos from the command line is rpicam-still.

Basic Photo

This is the simplest command. It will show a 5-second preview on the connected display and then save the image.

rpicam-still -o test_image.jpg

Taking a Photo Without a Preview

Useful for scripts or SSH sessions where you don’t have a display.

rpicam-still -o no_preview.jpg --nopreview

Common rpicam-still Options

5. Taking a Photo (Python)

For more control and integration into applications, use the picamera2 library. It should be pre-installed on recent Pi OS versions. If not, install it with sudo apt install python3-picamera2.

Simple Python Script

Create a file named take_photo.py:

# take_photo.py
from picamera2 import Picamera2
import time

# 1. Initialize the camera
print("Initializing camera...")
picam2 = Picamera2()

# 2. Create a configuration for a still image
#    You can customize this, e.g., main={"size": (1920, 1080)}
config = picam2.create_still_configuration()
picam2.configure(config)

# 3. Start the camera system
print("Starting camera...")
picam2.start()

# 4. Give the camera time to adjust to light levels
#    This is important to avoid dark or poorly exposed images.
time.sleep(2)

# 5. Capture the image and save it
output_filename = "python_photo.jpg"
print(f"Capturing image to {output_filename}...")
picam2.capture_file(output_filename)

# 6. Stop the camera
picam2.stop()
print("Done. Camera stopped.")

How to Run the Script

  1. Save the code above into a file named take_photo.py.
  2. Run it from the terminal: 
    python3 take_photo.py
  3. A new file, python_photo.jpg, will be created in the same directory.

6. Troubleshooting