GLOBAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADEQUATE CAMERA SELECTION 

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If you decide to send images that have been shot by yourself (as a relevant perspective restitution input 2D-data set), please bear in mind the following important facts.

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There are adequate images made either from i.e. “standard” cameras as well as from film- and video-cameras (both analog and digital ones). Regardless of the fact that each type of these cameras has its own advantages and disadvantages, all of them are adequately applicable in this work.

Customers' usual choice is a Digital “Single-lens Reflex” Camera (“SLR”) (a digital “SLR” camera is a camera that uses a semi-automatic moving mirror/reflection optical system that permits the photographer to see exactly what will be captured by the film or digital imaging system). Application of  “Point-and-shoot” Consumer Digital-cameras and Analog (film) Cameras are also a usual choice. Note that usage of “unknown/no-name” cameras of mentioned types is also acceptable because, having its shots, it is also possible to identify easily all relevant information about the targeted scene and lenses used.

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It is possible to achieve good results in perspective restitution procedures by processing shots taken by previously mentioned Consumer Digital “Point-and-shoot” Cameras as well, and they are affordable in price too ($200-$600 US).  On the other side, Digital “SLRs” are an even better choice because they provide more manual control over settings, get to choose the best lenses (usually fixed, non-zoom, wide angle ones) and often have higher resolution, but they are more expensive (price: $700- $8,000 US). 

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Analog (film) Cameras, along with scanned prints of their standard photos (made by good flatbed scanners) are suitable when medium accuracy in perspective restitution procedures is required. Negative-film Scanners should be used for digitalization of images made by both standard Analog (film) Cameras and Analog Movie-cameras; having such pre-digitalized data, we achieve better results in perspective restitution procedures - contrary to those based on usage of flatbed scanners (price of a suitable negative scanner is: $800 - $3,000 US – as opposed to the price of a quality flatbed scanner: $500 to $900 US). On the other hand, Digital Video cameras are a better choice, especially when one bears in mind that Analog Video cameras must be used along with special digitalization equipment with a frame buffer (a video output device that drives a video display from a memory buffer containing a complete preserved frame of analog data digitally recorded).

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One should be aware that lower-resolution images produced by “standard” Digital Video cameras provide accuracy of perspective restitution procedures to 1 part in 500 or less. On the other side, usage of “High-definition” (“HD”) Digital Video-cameras is a better choice than usage of standard ones, because of greater resolution, greater image stability frame-to-frame, and its easier high-speed&isochronous real-time transfer to PC (using USB, Apple Fire-wire Interface / IEEE 1394 Serial Bus Interface or PC SD Card). 

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“High-End” Cameras, such as professional digital cameras or "Photometric-cameras" should be used when the highest possible accuracy of the perspective restitution procedures is required (these cameras have shown accuracy in 1 part in 20,000 and better). In that case, “high-speed” (“Slow-motion”)  analog (film) cameras, “High-speed” (slow-motion”) digital cameras and other special types of cameras can be used as well, because their possibilities are to film up  to a quarter of a million frames per second (contrary to rate of 24 frames per second that represents a normal motion or 25 frames/s  i.e. 30 frames/s that are PAL or NTSC TV-broadcasting characteristics).This type of camera  is used for capturing objects in motion or vibrating ones.

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More information about camera types and its technical characteristics, can be found in this dokument: TG1 - TECHNICAL GUIDELINE No. 01/2012 - "Supported Image-acquisition Systems" and on the web-site: "Digital Photography Review".