After a long 18 month process of development and prototype testing, Datapix has finally taken delivery of the Worlds’ first full-frame monochrome DSLR camera for commercial use. With a whopping 21 panchromatic megapixels (approximate equivalent clarity of 50 colour megapixels); this takes the versatility of high definition close-range imaging to a new level. This system is a fully operational prototype straight out of the lab, currently being used in the field on some of the more demanding projects being undertaken by Datapix; those that require the highest quality input imagery for precise photogrammetric measurement.
To give some idea of what our camera is capable of capturing in a single image frame, the very latest commercially available digital aerial camera systems (which produce composite 100+ & 200+ megapixel images) use arrays of 11 and 16 megapixel monochromatic sensors; whereas our system uses a much larger 21 megapixel monochromatic sensor. In conjunction with our super-resolution techniques; 320 megapixel images can be captured in a single raw frame (after post-processing) for high geometric precision and repeatability. For terrestrial photogrammetry in particular; it is vital that the camera system is very stable; fully enclosed and environmentally sealed, and able to capture the highest resolution/clarity possible in a single frame. This is to ensure geometric consistency is maintained in all images captured whilst photographing a site; which can take hours on a large terrestrial photogrammetry project.
However don’t expect this to be a commercially available camera system any time soon! since Datapix has contracted the work to acquire this custom sensor specifically for our in-house use. Canon Inc. have not been involved in this custom manufacturing process; therefore any future products from Canon should not be speculated from our custom camera system.
Some comparisons can be downloaded from the following link: http://www.datapix.com.au/download/DatapixDSLR.zip
Sample raw-frame captures can be downloaded here: http://www.datapix.com.au/download/DatapixPanchromatic.zip
It’s all in the fine detail…