1stVision
1stVision is a North American stocking distributor and engineering partner for industrial machine vision components — cameras, lenses, lighting, frame grabbers, and edge AI systems — serving factory automation, medical/scientific imaging, and industrial inspection customers across the US and Canada.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersAndover, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What 1stVision does
1stVision is a privately held North American stocking distributor and engineering partner for industrial machine vision components, headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, and operating since 1999. The company supplies a comprehensive portfolio of cameras (area scan, line scan, SWIR, NIR, LWIR, 3D, event-based), lenses, LED lighting, frame grabbers, cables, accessories, edge computing systems, and software sourced from leading manufacturers including Teledyne DALSA, Allied Vision, IDS Imaging, Prophesee, Gidel, JAI, Baumer, Lucid Vision Labs, SVS-Vistek, and Mikrotron. It also maintains a deeper sub-brand relationship with Gidel, distributing FPGA-based frame grabbers, FantoVision edge AI computers powered by NVIDIA Jetson, CamSim camera simulators, and recording/streaming systems for high-bandwidth imaging applications.
The company serves a horizontally diversified set of end markets including factory automation and industrial manufacturing, medical and scientific imaging, traffic/security/surveillance, and logistics/agriculture. Its customer base consists of enterprise OEMs and integrators building automated inspection, robotics, medical imaging, biometrics, and metrology systems, with customers able to order via website, phone, or direct sales-engineer engagement.
1stVision's business model is consultative, engineering-led distribution rather than technology development. Sales engineers with over 100 years of combined imaging industry experience provide component selection guidance and solution assembly across multi-vendor portfolios, supported by stocking inventory for fast delivery and custom cable configurators. Revenue is generated through hardware resale margins on quote-based transactions, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The firm is a member of the Automate Imaging Association (AIA) and drives demand through a content-led marketing motion (technical blog, knowledgebase, whitepapers) aimed at engineers and technical buyers.
1stVision firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- 1stVision
- Legal name
- 1stVision
- Website
- https://1stvision.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- 1stVision is a North American stocking distributor and engineering partner for industrial machine vision components — cameras, lenses, lighting, frame grabbers, and edge AI systems — serving factory automation, medical/scientific imaging, and industrial inspection customers across the US and Canada.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
1stVision industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Machine Vision Components Distribution
- NAICS
- Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)
- SIC
- Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE), Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG)
Keywords
Where 1stVision is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Andover
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
1stVision business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Machine Vision Component Distribution: 1stVision generates revenue by distributing and reselling industrial machine vision cameras, lenses, frame grabbers, cables, lighting, accessories, computing systems, and software. As a stocking distributor, the company carries inventory of popular components and sells them directly to customers, with pricing provided via sales quotes.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
1stVision product offering
Product offeringCore offering
1stVision is a stocking distributor and engineering partner for industrial machine vision components. It resells and supplies industrial cameras (area scan, line scan, 3D, SWIR, LWIR, NIR, event-based), machine vision lenses, LED lighting, frame grabbers, industrial cables, host adapters, accessories, computing/edge AI systems, and machine vision software from leading manufacturers, and supports customers with technical guidance on component selection and system integration.
Product overview
1stVision is a stocking distributor of industrial machine vision components and solutions serving North America for over 20 years. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of machine vision products organized into core categories: Industrial Cameras (Area Scan, Line Scan, LWIR, SWIR, NIR, 3D, and Event-based cameras from Teledyne DALSA, Allied Vision, IDS Imaging, JAI, Baumer, and others), Machine Vision Lenses (from Kowa, Fujinon, Moritex, Edmund Optics, Computar, Schneider, and others), Machine Vision Lighting (LED solutions from Advanced Illumination, Effilux including bar lights, backlights, ring lights, spot lights, line lights, dome lights, 3D projectors, and telecentric lights), Frame Grabbers (Gidel FPGA-based frame grabbers and Teledyne DALSA products supporting GigE, Camera Link, CoaXPress), Industrial Cables (GigE, USB, Camera Link, CoaXPress, M12 I/O, Power I/O), Accessories (NIC cards, power supplies, filters, enclosures), Computing Systems (Gidel FantoVision edge computers and recording systems), and Software. The Gidel sub-brand provides specialized FPGA-based imaging and vision solutions including FantoVision edge computers (NVIDIA Jetson-powered with Intel Arria 10 FPGA), HawkEye frame grabbers, CamSim camera simulators, and recording/streaming systems. Effilux provides specialized LED lighting products including telecentric and 3D pattern projector lights.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Industrial Cameras Comprehensive selection of industrial machine vision cameras including Area Scan, Line Scan, LWIR, SWIR, NIR, 3D, and Event-based cameras distributed from manufacturers such as Teledyne DALSA, Allied Vision, IDS Imaging, JAI, Baumer, SVS-Vistek, Mikrotron, Lucid Vision Labs, and Prophesee. Sold to industrial OEMs and system integrators building automated inspection and imaging systems.
- Machine Vision Lenses Factory automation and machine vision lenses distributed from Kowa, Fujinon, Moritex, Edmund Optics, Computar/CBC, Schneider Optics, Opto Engineering, Tamron, Navitar, and Optotune (focus tunable). Includes telecentric and specialized optical components for measurement and inspection. Sold to industrial imaging customers across North America.
- Machine Vision Lighting LED lighting solutions for machine vision including bar lights, backlights, ring lights, spot lights, line lights, dome lights, 3D projector lights, and telecentric lights distributed from Advanced Illumination, Effilux, CCS, Gardasoft, and Phlox. Used in industrial imaging and inspection applications.
- Frame Grabbers FPGA-based and traditional frame grabbers supporting GigE Vision, USB3, Camera Link, Camera Link HS, and CoaXPress interfaces distributed from Gidel and Teledyne DALSA. Used by industrial OEMs and integrators for high-bandwidth image acquisition.
- Industrial Cables Industrial vision cables including GigE, USB, Camera Link, CoaXPress, M12 I/O, Power I/O, and Analog cables sourced from Component Express (CEI) with online cable configurators. Sold to industrial machine vision customers.
- Accessories Accessories including host adapters/NIC cards (GigE, USB3), power supplies, tripod adapters, MidWest Optical filters, and CEI camera enclosures for machine vision systems.
- Machine Vision Software Machine vision and image analysis software tools distributed for vision applications.
- Gidel FantoVision Edge Computers High-performance FPGA-based edge AI vision systems powered by NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX with optional Intel Arria 10 FPGA acceleration, for real-time image acquisition, preprocessing, and AI inference in industrial, medical, and defense applications. Distributed from Gidel.
- Gidel HawkEye Frame Grabbers FPGA-based frame grabbers with inline/on-the-fly image processing for real-time, high-bandwidth machine vision. Support GigE Vision, Camera Link, and CoaXPress interfaces with up to 400 Gb/s bandwidth. Distributed from Gidel.
- Gidel CamSim Camera Simulator High-performance camera simulator that generates CoaXPress and Camera Link video streams and test patterns for testing frame grabbers and vision/imaging systems. Distributed from Gidel.
- Gidel Recording & Streaming Systems High-performance FPGA-based recording and streaming systems for high-bandwidth imaging applications including aerial mapping, volumetric imaging, homeland security, and traffic monitoring. Distributed from Gidel.
- Effilux EFFI-TELE Telecentric Lights LED telecentric/collimated lights that produce uniform illumination at consistent intensity regardless of working distance, for high-precision measurements and edge detection. Distributed from Effilux.
- Effilux EFFI-Lase 3D LED Pattern Projectors LED-based structured pattern projectors producing intense, uniform illumination with fine patterns (line, cross, dot) for 3D profilometry, stereovision, and alignment applications. Distributed from Effilux.
Companies that use 1stVision
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
1stVision technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability5 records
Feature2 records
1stVision partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
26 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Teledyne DALSAcore1stVision is an authorized distributor of Teledyne DALSA industrial cameras and frame grabbers. The company stocks Teledyne DALSA products including area scan cameras, line scan cameras, LWIR cameras, and the Xtium2, Xtium3, and Xcelera frame grabber families.
- Allied Visioncore1stVision is an authorized distributor of Allied Vision cameras, including area scan, line scan, LWIR, SWIR, NIR, 3D, and event-based cameras. Allied Vision is a TKH Vision brand.
- IDS Imagingcore1stVision distributes IDS Imaging cameras including the IDS NION 3D Time of Flight camera and IDS uEye EVS event-based cameras.
- Prophesee Metavision Technologiescore1stVision distributes Prophesee Metavision event-based vision sensors (EVS) and event cameras. The company publishes blog articles on Prophesee event-based vision kits and their integration with platforms like Raspberry Pi.
- Gidelcore1stVision is a distributor of Gidel FPGA-based imaging and vision products including frame grabbers, edge computers (FantoVision family), recording & streaming systems, and CamSim camera simulators. Gidel products feature inline/on-the-fly FPGA image processing, HDR correction, and compression (JPEG, Lossless, Quality+).
- JAI/Pulnixcore1stVision distributes JAI cameras including area scan and line scan models for industrial and scientific imaging applications.
- Baumercore1stVision distributes Baumer 10 GigE machine vision cameras for industrial imaging applications.
- Lucid Vision Labscore1stVision distributes Lucid Vision Labs Time of Flight (TOF) 3D cameras for industrial robotics and automation applications.
- SVS-Vistekcore1stVision distributes SVS-Vistek cameras for high-performance industrial imaging applications.
- Mikrotroncore1stVision distributes Mikrotron cameras for high-speed industrial and scientific imaging applications.
- AT Sensorscore1stVision distributes AT Sensors 3D laser profilers and thermal infrared cameras for industrial automation and inspection applications.
- Advanced Illuminationcore1stVision distributes Advanced Illumination LED machine vision lights including backlights, bar lights, spot lights, ring lights, coaxial lights, diffuse lights, line lights, and controllers. Products are manufactured in Rochester, Vermont and adhere to ISO standards.
- Effiluxcore1stVision distributes Effilux LED machine vision lights including bar lights, ring lights, backlights, line lights, spot lights, 3D projector lights, and telecentric lights for industrial applications.
- Kowacore1stVision distributes Kowa machine vision lenses for industrial imaging applications.
- Fujinoncore1stVision distributes Fujinon machine vision lenses including the CF-ZA-1S series with 2.5um pixel resolution for industrial imaging.
- Moritexcore1stVision distributes Moritex machine vision lenses for industrial and scientific imaging applications.
- Edmund Opticscore1stVision distributes Edmund Optics machine vision lenses for industrial imaging applications.
- Computar/CBCcore1stVision distributes Computar machine vision lenses including the LensConnect motorized telecentric lenses for industrial automation.
- Schneider Opticscore1stVision distributes Schneider Optics machine vision lenses for industrial imaging applications.
- Opto Engineeringcore1stVision distributes Opto Engineering lenses including telecentric lenses and other specialized optical components for machine vision.
- Tamroncore1stVision distributes Tamron lenses for machine vision applications.
- Navitarcore1stVision distributes Navitar lenses for machine vision and imaging applications.
- Optotunecore1stVision distributes Optotune focus tunable lenses for machine vision applications requiring adjustable focal length.
- MidWest Optical Systems (MWO)core1stVision distributes MidWest Optical (MWO) lens filters for machine vision applications including polarization, IR cut, and other specialized filters.
- Component Express (CEI)core1stVision sources custom analog/video cables and M12 industrial I/O cables from Component Express (CEI). The company offers online cable configurators for custom CEI cables.
- Automate Imaging Association (AIA)minor1stVision is a member of the AIA (Automate Imaging Association), the industry trade association for the vision and imaging industry. Displayed as an AIA member seal on the company website.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
1stVision competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- National Instruments (Emerson): NI (now part of Emerson) supplies test, measurement, and industrial vision hardware/software — including frame grabbers and vision software — competing indirectly with 1stVision's machine vision stack at larger industrial customers.
- Basler AG: Basler is a leading global manufacturer of industrial cameras and vision components for factory automation, medical, and traffic — competing with several camera brands 1stVision distributes and sometimes selling direct where 1stVision operates.
Direct peers
- Active Silicon: Active Silicon designs and supplies frame grabbers, embedded vision systems, and camera interface boards, overlapping with 1stVision's frame grabber and embedded vision categories.
- Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics is a global distributor and manufacturer of optical components, including machine vision lenses and filters that 1stVision also distributes. Highly comparable distribution-plus-engineering model serving industrial vision customers.
- BitFlow: BitFlow manufactures CoaXPress, Camera Link, and Camera Link HS frame grabbers, directly overlapping with the Teledyne DALSA and Gidel frame grabber lines 1stVision distributes.
- Stemmer Imaging: Stemmer Imaging is a leading European machine vision technology distributor offering cameras, lenses, lighting, frame grabbers, and software with engineering services — a near-identical business model to 1stVision, but with broader European geographic coverage.
- Phase 1 Technology Corp. Phase 1 Technology is a North American distributor of machine vision cameras, frame grabbers, and imaging components, competing directly with 1stVision for OEM and integrator customers across the US.
- Matrox Imaging: Matrox Imaging (now under Zebra Technologies) designs and sells frame grabbers, smart cameras, and vision software — competing with several product lines 1stVision distributes while serving overlapping integrator and OEM customers.
- Imaging Source: Imaging Source manufactures and distributes industrial cameras and components for machine vision, automation, and scientific imaging — overlapping with 1stVision's camera and accessory product lines.
- Richardson Electronics: Richardson Electronics' RFPD division distributes engineered solutions including imaging and machine vision components, sharing the value-added distribution model 1stVision uses for cameras, frame grabbers, and supporting electronics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
1stVision social profiles
Digital presence1stVision financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
1stVision leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
1stVision funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
1stVision M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about 1stVision
What does 1stVision do?
1stVision is a stocking distributor and engineering partner for industrial machine vision components. It resells and supplies industrial cameras (area scan, line scan, 3D, SWIR, LWIR, NIR, event-based), machine vision lenses, LED lighting, frame grabbers, industrial cables, host adapters, accessories, computing/edge AI systems, and machine vision software from leading manufacturers, and supports customers with technical guidance on component selection and system integration.
Is 1stVision a public or private company?
1stVision is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was 1stVision founded?
1stVision was founded in 1999. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is 1stVision based?
1stVision is headquartered in Andover, United States, in the North America region.
How does 1stVision make money?
One revenue line is on record: machine Vision Component Distribution.
Who are 1stVision's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are National Instruments (Emerson) and Basler AG. Direct peers are Active Silicon, Edmund Optics, BitFlow, Stemmer Imaging, Phase 1 Technology Corp., Matrox Imaging, Imaging Source and Richardson Electronics.
Does 1stVision have an API?
No public API is recorded for 1stVision.
What industry is 1stVision in?
1stVision's product category is Machine Vision Components Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAGAFAB, Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination), with a secondary code of IMAHAHAE, Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems. Its NAICS code is 33451 and its SIC code is 3827.