Bosch 5 Megapixel Varifocal CS Lens Mount Maximum Sensor Format 1/2.5 Inch Focal - LVF-5005C-S1803

Bosch LVF-5005C-S1803 Varifocal CS-Mount Lens, 1.8–3mm IR-Corrected SR-Iris

Overview

The Bosch LVF-5005C-S1803 is a 1.8–3mm varifocal CS-mount lens designed for box-style and board-type cameras with up to a 1/2.5-inch sensor. The ultra-short focal range makes it purpose-built for wide-angle coverage in tight spaces — think interior corners, elevator cabs, retail counters, and small server rooms where you need broad situational awareness within a few meters. IR correction keeps the focus plane stable as lighting transitions from visible to infrared, so you're not chasing soft images when the scene goes dark.

This lens is part of the Bosch surveillance lens lineup, engineered to pair with Bosch box cameras in demanding commercial and industrial deployments. If you're specifying a box camera system that needs to cover a wide field of view in a constrained mounting location, the LVF-5005C-S1803 (often searched as LVF 5005C S1803) is worth a close look.

Key Features

• 1.8–3mm Varifocal Range: The short focal span gives you flexibility to dial in the horizontal field of view at installation — useful when the exact mounting distance isn't locked in at design time. At 1.8mm you're getting a very wide angle; stepping up to 3mm tightens the view slightly for scenes where you need slightly more subject detail without swapping the lens.
• CS-Mount Interface: CS is the standard short-back-focal-distance mount common on most commercial box cameras. Compatibility is broad across the IP camera market — just confirm your camera body supports CS (not C-mount, which requires an adapter ring).
• 1/2.5-Inch Maximum Sensor Format: Specified to cover sensors up to 1/2.5 inch. Using this lens on a camera with a larger sensor will result in vignetting at the image edges — match sensor size carefully during spec.
• IR-Corrected Optics: Standard non-IR lenses shift focus when the camera switches to IR illumination at night, producing soft or blurry footage in low light. IR correction eliminates that shift, keeping images sharp across the full day/night cycle — a non-negotiable spec for any camera that uses IR cut filters.
• SR-Iris (Super Range Iris): SR-Iris extends the control range of the auto-iris beyond standard DC-iris performance. In scenes with rapid and wide swings in ambient light — loading dock doors, atriums, or any space with direct sun ingress — SR-Iris provides finer exposure control and reduces overexposure artifacts compared to a fixed or standard DC-iris lens.
• RoHS and CE Compliance: The LVF-5005C-S1803 meets RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (per EN 50581:2012) and EMC Directive 2014/30/EU (per EN 61000-6-3, EN 55032, EN 50130-4). For deployments into EU-regulated facilities or government projects with material compliance requirements, these certifications are already covered.

Integration and Compatibility

Pair this lens with any CS-mount box camera whose sensor is 1/2.5 inch or smaller. The SR-Iris interface requires a camera body with a compatible iris control driver — verify your camera supports SR-Iris or DC-iris before ordering. For NVR-based systems, the lens itself has no network interface; all encoding and stream management happens at the camera body. Review the camera lens selection guide if you're matching lenses to specific sensor formats or coverage requirements across multiple camera positions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What sensor formats are compatible with the LVF-5005C-S1803?

A: The LVF-5005C-S1803 is specified for a maximum sensor format of 1/2.5 inch. It will work on cameras with smaller sensors (1/3", 1/4") as well. Using it on a larger sensor will cause vignetting at the image periphery.

Q: Does the LVF-5005C-S1803 require a C-mount or CS-mount camera body?

A: This lens uses a CS mount. CS and C mounts share the same thread but differ in back focal distance (CS is 12.5mm; C is 17.526mm). A CS lens can be used on a C-mount camera body with a 5mm adapter ring, but a C-mount lens cannot be used on a CS body without risking damage. Confirm your camera body is CS-mount before installing.

Q: Is this lens IR-corrected, and why does that matter?

A: Yes. Standard lenses shift their focal plane when illumination transitions from visible light to near-infrared — which happens every time a camera's IR cut filter switches at dusk. IR-corrected optics like those in the LVF-5005C-S1803 maintain focus across both spectrums, so nighttime footage stays sharp.

Q: What is SR-Iris, and how is it different from a standard DC-iris?

A: SR-Iris (Super Range Iris) provides a wider dynamic control range over the aperture than standard DC-iris designs. This translates to better exposure handling in scenes with large, rapid changes in light levels — such as a lobby with exterior glass doors. The camera body must support SR-Iris or DC-iris control for this feature to function.

Q: Is the LVF-5005C-S1803 RoHS and CE compliant?

A: Yes. This lens complies with RoHS Directive 2011/65/EU (tested to EN 50581:2012) and EMC Directive 2014/30/EU (tested to EN 61000-6-3:2007/A1:2011, EN 55032:2012/AC:2013, and EN 50130-4:2011), making it suitable for EU-regulated installations.

James Everett

The LVF-5005C-S1803 fills a specific niche: wide-angle coverage in confined spaces where a fixed lens leaves too little room to adjust field of view at commissioning time. The 1.8–3mm varifocal range may look narrow on paper, but at these focal lengths even a half-millimeter shift changes the horizontal FOV meaningfully — that adjustability matters when you're mounting in an elevator or a retail kiosk enclosure where repositioning is not an option after install.

Technical Highlights:

• IR-Corrected Optics: Keeps the focus plane consistent across visible and near-infrared illumination — eliminates the soft-image problem that plagues non-corrected lenses on day/night cameras switching IR cut filters.
• SR-Iris Control: Extends the effective iris range beyond standard DC-iris, giving the camera body finer aperture control during rapid light transitions. Scenes with direct sunlight ingress — lobbies, loading areas — benefit measurably.
• 1/2.5-Inch Sensor Coverage: Sized correctly for current-generation compact sensors common in commercial box cameras. Going larger risks vignetting that will be immediately visible in recorded footage and impossible to correct in software.

Deployment Considerations:

• Verify SR-Iris compatibility on the camera body before ordering — not all box cameras support SR-Iris driver signals; some support only DC-iris or P-iris. An iris mismatch means auto-exposure won't function correctly.
• At 1.8mm minimum focal length, depth of field is extremely shallow at close range. In scenes where subjects pass within one to two meters of the lens, expect some focus management challenges unless the camera's autofocus handles the variance.

Best deployment fit: interior wide-angle positions in retail, banking, or hospitality — specifically elevator cabs, teller counters, and point-of-sale areas where a box camera needs maximum FOV in a compact enclosure and the lighting environment demands reliable auto-iris performance.