PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF CARD SIZE DIGITAL CAMERA FOR 
PHOTOGRAMMETRIC APPLICATIONS 
Yuji Ejima’ *, Hirofumi Chikatsu 
Tokyo Denki University, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 
350-0394 Hatoyama Saitama, Japan 
yuji@chikatsu-lab.g.dendai.ac.jp, chikatsu@g.dendai.ac.jp 
Commission Youth Forum 
KEY WORDS: Photogrammetry, CCD, Performance, Accuracy, Digital Camera 
ABSTRACT: 
Recently, downsizing of amateur digital cameras which have high resolution CCD sensor are amazingly increasing by modern 
semiconductor and digital technology, and there are many downsized amateur digital cameras on the market in Japan. On the other 
hand, developing a low-cost photogrammetric system using armature digital camera is one of the important issues for the ISPRS WG 
V/4 (Image Analysis and Spatial Information Systems for Applications in Cultural Heritage). Therefore, downsized high resolution 
amateur digital camera or high resolution mobile phone with GPS are expected to contribute enormously for development of digital 
photogrammetry. 
In these circumstances, downsized high resolution armature digital camera which have more than 3 mega pixels and 30mm or less in 
thickness was defined as a card size digital camera, and performance evaluations for 7 kinds of card size digital cameras were 
investigated by the authors from the view point of digital photogrammetry in this investigation. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Semiconductor micro fabrication technology has been 
developing rapidly. In the middle of 90's, the circuit in the 
semiconductor was manufactured in 0.6um process, 0.09um 
process was achieved at the present time. As a result, the 
number of pixels of amateur digital cameras have been 
amazingly increasing by modern semiconductor and digital 
technology, and there are various kinds of high resolution 
amateur cameras on the market in Japan. Figure 1 shows 
evolution of micro fabrication technology of semiconductor, 
and Figure 2 shows evolution of number of pixels in amateur 
cameras. In order to evaluate amateur digital cameras from the 
view point of digital photogrammetry, performance evaluation 
of amateur digital cameras were investigated (Kunii & Chikatsu 
2001), and software for low-cost digital photogrammery 
*3DiVision" was designed to perform convenient 3D 
measurement using amateur digital cameras(Chikatsu & Kunii, 
2002). Application of 3DiVision to 3D modelling of historical 
object was also investigated from the viewpoint of digital 
archives (Nakada & Chikatsu 2003). 
On the other hand, amateur digital cameras were miniaturized 
and lightened drastically as a current trend. Furthermore, 
mobile phones with high resolution CCD sensor with more than 
one million pixels were appeared on the market in 2003, and 
which enabled us to use a high resolution digital image easily. 
In these circumstances, various applications of amateur digital 
cameras to digital photogrammetric field and uniting with the 
telecommunications field are expected. 
With these motive, downsized high resolution armature digital 
cameras with more than 3 mega pixels and 30mm or less in 
thickness was defined as a card size digital camera, and 
  
performance evaluation for card size digital cameras were 
performed in this paper. 
  
  
£ 1 A VENEN REOR l 
= 4 | 
0.1 
0.01 4 
1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 
Year 
Figure 1 Evolution of micro fabrication technology 
of semiconductor 
IM] 
  
    
    
   
  
   
   
   
   
    
   
     
   
    
  
  
  
5.5 
DiMAGE 7 
5.0 (MINOLTA) 
4.5 E-10 
)LYMPUS 
4.0 (OLYME 
> QV-3000E X 
e$ 35 (CASIO) 
= FinePix2700 
ce 0:0 ns 
e (FUJI FILM) 
L 2 
2 2.5 FinePix700 C-25001 
= 20 (FUJIFILM) (OLYMPUS) 
= ; 
Zz C-1400L 
LE (oL vMpus e 9 PowerShotP ro70 
M (Car 
1.0 MVC-CI DS-X C-8001. ton) 
NISI y ; (OLYMPUS 
0.5 (SONY) (FUAX) PowerShot600 
(Canon) 
0.0 
1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 
Ycar of issue 
Figure 2 Evolution of number of pixels in amateur cameras 
—