EVALUATING IMAGE QUALITY OF SMALL FORMAT AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY SYSTEMS

The use of small format systems for aerial photography as an alternative to employing the more customary larger 230×230 mm format cameras continues to gain acceptance in a number of applications on the basis of the lower operating costs involved. The reduced costs and relative ease of operation with small format systems can attract unskilled operators who, by producing inferior photographic coverage, may delay the more widespread introduction of smaller systems for photo-interpretation and photogrammetric surveys of local sites. Anticipating the need for a flying and photography specification that would serve the needs of all interested parties, a series of laboratory trials were undertaken in conjunction with a literature review to quantify the comparative image quality performance of both large and small format systems. The spatial resolution of a typical small format system was assessed by photographing a low contrast resolution target using a collimator-based system and also by directly recording the target at a predetermined reduction scale. Comparative results between the two methods of evaluation are assessed and a comparison is made with the performance of larger format cameras.