Open AccessOn the fundamental comparison between unfocused and focused light field cameras
Author(s) -
Shuaishuai Zhu,
Andy Lai,
Katherine Eaton,
Peng Jin,
Liang Gao
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
applied optics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.668
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 2155-3165
pISSN - 1559-128X
DOI - 10.1364/ao.57.0000a1
Subject(s) - optics , light field , depth of field , snapshot (computer storage) , computer science , field of view , computer vision , artificial intelligence , computer graphics (images) , physics , operating system
Light field cameras have been extensively used in a variety of applications, thanks to their snapshot three-dimensional imaging capability. However, little is known regarding their pros and cons for a given application. Herein we report a fundamental comparison between two types of light field cameras-focused and unfocused. Our results indicate that the unfocused light field camera outperforms its focused counterpart in depth range and number of resolvable depth steps, while the focused light field camera has an edge in lateral resolution and reconstruction accuracy.