Camera Settings and Image Format

The following camera settings are recommended:

§  Disable any "auto-rotate" options, to ensure that all of the images maintain a uniform orientation during the flight.

§  Avoid slow shutter speed (generally < 1/1000) since it will cause significant motion blur, resulting in photos that cannot be used in the PhotoMesh production process. Instead of allowing a shutter speed drop to 1/640 or 1/500, it is preferable to open up the aperture value as wide as possible, even at risk of slight softness at the corners of the image. It is also possible to increase the ISO value in high quality cameras, and still maintain non-grainy images with high dynamic range in bright and dark areas.

§  Disable any settings which might affect the relative location of the lens to the sensor, such as anti-shock or vibration features, since this will create a random principal point for the camera model. Vibration or motion in the UAV stabilization platform should be addressed with the camera and lens combination as a static object.

§  Avoid auto-focus or automatic zoom. Focus the lens (usually to infinity) and lock it in that position.

§  Use full resolution format, so that it is not down-sampled from the sensor pixels.

§  Collect the photos in full uncompressed format. If JPEG format is necessary, use minimum compression to avoid artifacts or missing information in the images.