Do ZED cameras have trouble detecting people and depth in rain, snow, or with airborne particulates?

Last updated: October 23, 2026

ZED stereo cameras can be used outdoors in rain, snow, or with airborne particulates such as dust, but these conditions affect depth sensing and detection quality, as for any vision-based sensor. The ZED 2 has been replaced by the ZED 2i (IP66); for harsh outdoor environments we also recommend the ZED X and ZED X Mini (IP67).

What to expect

  • Particles in the field of view: raindrops, snowflakes, and dust are small, fast-moving objects that are usually visible in only a few frames and may not be matched correctly between the left and right images. They can generate isolated depth outliers (noise), especially close to the camera. Light precipitation has a limited impact on the depth of larger objects such as people and vehicles; heavy precipitation reduces the effective depth range and accuracy.

  • Water or dirt on the front glass: this is usually the main source of degradation. Drops or dirt on the glass in front of a lens blur or occlude part of the image, and the two images no longer match, causing missing or wrong depth in the affected area. Keep the front glass clean and consider a hood or a protective enclosure that limits direct exposure.

  • Lighting: rain and snow usually come with low or diffuse light. Depth sensing and AI detection need well-exposed images; see Does the ZED work in low-light environments?

  • Reflections: wet surfaces create reflections; the optional polarizing filter of the ZED 2i, ZED X, and ZED X Mini reduces glare and reflections outdoors.

Detecting and tracking people

The Object Detection and Body Tracking modules detect people in the 2D image and then use depth to localize them in 3D. Detection keeps working with light precipitation, but its reliability and range decrease when the scene contrast drops or when people are partially occluded. For accurate tracking, people must be in the line of sight of both lenses.

Recommendations

  • Use the NEURAL depth modes, which are more robust to noise and difficult conditions; see Depth Modes.

  • Filter unreliable pixels with the confidence thresholds; see Depth Settings.

  • Test the camera in your real operating conditions, recording SVO files that you can replay to tune the parameters; see the Recording documentation.

Additional resources: