The GMSL2 protocol transmits serialized data, assigning a timestamp to each frame as soon as it becomes fully available in the buffer of the deserializer element.
- ZED X Stereo Camera Frames: Frames from a stereo camera are "coupled," meaning they share the same precise timestamp.
- Frames from Separate ZED X One Cameras: When using two ZED X One cameras, timestamps may differ slightly due to the serial buffering delay.
When different cameras are connected to the same GMSL2 port on the ZED Link capture card (e.g., two ZED X Stereo cameras, two ZED X One cameras, or a combination of one ZED X Stereo and one ZED X One), their frames are captured simultaneously with microsecond precision. This high level of synchronization is possible because the cameras are triggered by the same electronic signal.
As long as the timestamp difference remains within the grabbing period, you can trust that the images are synchronized.