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Large format digital aerial camera systems
Zeiss-DMC2

Aerial photogrammetric cameras are precision, purpose built, expensive pieces of equipment. Only a few manufacturers world-wide do possess the means to produce operational, large-format, digital frame cameras for photogrammetric purposes.

Designing and developing this kind of airborne camera is still very much technology driven. CCD imaging capacity, efficient integration of electronic components as well as tuning and harmonising lens characteristics are ongoing research and development issues.

Comparing present-day digital frame cameras with the preceding generation of analogue cameras, its standard frame size of 23x23 centimetres, its highly sophisticated lens characteristics and its various film-filter combinations may still lead to some kind of reluctance. Nevertheless, the era of commercial aerial survey operation with analogue film cameras is doomed.

Examples of presently available high-end aerial frame cameras and their technical parameters are listed in the following table.

 

Z/I DMC II 250

VEXCEL UltraCam Eagle

Panchromatic image sensors

1 (monolithic PAN CCD)

4 (multiple PAN CCD arrays)

Multispectral image sensors

4 CCDs (R, G, B, NIR)

4 (R, G, B, NIR)

Panchromatic image size

16,768 x 14,016 pixels

20,010 x 13,080 pixels

Multispectral CCD sensor

6,846 x 6,096 pixels

6,670 x 4,360 pixels

Standard focal lens

112 mm PAN;

45 mm R,G,B,NIR

80 mm PAN;

27 mm R,G,B,NIR

Exchangeable focal lens

n.a.

210 mm PAN;

70 mm R,G,B,NIR

Ground sampling distance

2.5cm at 500m

3.3cm at 500m

Frame rate

2.3 seconds

1.8 seconds