A study on efficient self-calibration of a non-metric camera for close-range photogrammetry

It is well-known that non-metric digital cameras have to be calibrated for the close-range photogrammetry. But, the self-calibration is still not an easy task because it requires rather a large calibration site of accurate control points, multiple image acquisitions in different positions, and accurate image point measurements that are quite labor-intensive and time-consuming. Based on the premise, this study carried out check point accuracy analysis from self-calibration of different control point designs and photo combinations. The test results showed that the calibration using three photos covering three-dimensional control points produced high accuracy, but control points on a plane could attain the comparable accuracy with four photos including a 90-degree rotated photo. We then compared the target accuracy of on-site self-calibration using flat control points to that of laboratory-self calibration and observed comparable results.