Istar Camera App

[Blanche Bunnell]

TheiSTAR 360-degree panoramic camera rugged, lightweight and has a small footprint making it easy to transport and deploy. With zero setup time, iSTAR does not require photographic experience to operate. With one-button capture and IP64 rating, it is fast and easy-to-use either indoors or outdoors.

iSTAR has 4 x pre-calibrated sensors synchronised to deliver a highly accurate 50MP spherical image with excellent high dynamic range (HDR). iSTAR is fast at capturing images with typical capture times from around 5 seconds. Capture as many as 50 to 60 panoramas on one battery charge. You can increase this to over 600 when using the optional external battery allowing you to capture throughout the full day.

iSTAR is designed to be as data neutral as possible with output to connect seamlessly into your work-flow. The deliverables from iSTAR are industry standard compatible and can be used with the majority of existing application software. In addition to using neutral data formats, NCTech also offers software development Kits (SDK) for producers of relevant third party software to run some core iSTAR functions run directly within their own software environment, eliminating unnecessary data import/export steps and thereby further increasing user efficiency.

iSTAR can be mounted and deployed in various methods. Terrestrial, with a standard tripod using the 1/8 thread engineered into the camera base, vehicle mounted using roof bars, tripod suction feet or secured under a UAV for airborne mapping.

iSTAR has been designed as a highly portable rapid imaging system. If your requirement is for fast, accurate data collection iSTAR is the perfect tool. iSTAR can capture images in seconds and in full HDR.

Designed for rapid 360 imaging, iSTAR Fusion is a panoramic camera that precisely captures full spherical immersive images and high resolution panoramic data streams for efficient visual documentation of an environment.Supplement laser scanning point cloud capture - the faster HDR photo capture of the iStar Fusion than many built-in cameras within terrestrial laser scanners helps speed up scanning workflows.Or even produce 3D point clouds without the need for a laser scanner. Back Was: 4794.00 MSRP 17421.53 2394.00

Designed for rapid, high precision 360 imaging, iSTAR is a panoramic camera that captures full HDR spherical immersive images for efficient visual documentation of an environment and use in other high precision applications such as laser scanning and photogrammetry.

Solve

The Solve module incorporates rigorous geodetic coordinate geometry (COGO) computations based on a selected coordinate system for creation of new geospatial objects including points, lines, polygons, annotations and images.

Colored point clouds become more and more important. Leading manufacturers of scanners have responded to this tendency: They offer their scanner models with an integrated camera to create high-definition images simultaneously.

But these internal image sensors don't suffice for many applications. On the one hand because image quality doesn't convince, on the other hand because an exposure time of up to 5 minutes per position (without scanning) simply doesn't allow economic working.

That's why many users are looking for alternatives. Using the panoramic camera iSTAR from NCTech is a great solution. The camera provides high-definition 360 panoramic images that can be used for scan colorization. As an additional feature, NCTech's iSTAR provides HDR (High Dynamic Range) allowing the capture of high-quality images even in adverse lighting conditions.

In order to use a panoramic camera in conjunction with a laser scanner, it's required that the optical center of the camera conforms to the tilting axis height of the scanner. It is not enough to replace the scanner by a camera on the tripod. To respect the correct height, we need an adapter. Depending on the type of laser scanner, specific adapters are required since the rotating mirror of different laser scanners isn't located at the same height. The subsequent graphics show which adapter shall be used for different scanners.

Several adapters are available for FARO Focus3D and FARO FocusS depending on the the quick release you use. If you need an adapter for the FARO quick release that comes with the FARO FocusM 70, please contact us. We can also offer you a solution for this.

You should apply this iSTAR adapter (item no.: 030-10666) if you use the scanner together with a quick release offered by Laserscanning Europe. The adapter consists of a quick release plate, which is attached to your scanner, and a spacer rod ensuring that the iSTAR camera's lenses are exactly located at the height of the rotating mirror of your laser scanner. The 3/8" male thread of the adapter allows attachment of the iSTAR camera. Due to the identical quick release plates on FARO Focus scanner and iSTAR, quick and easy exchange at the quick release head, which is located on the tripod, is guaranteed.

This iSTAR adapter (item no.: 030-10745) is suited if you use the scanner together with an ATS quick release offered by FARO. The adapter has a height of 60.9mm (2.4 in) and is designed in such as way that it fits exactly into the counterpart of your ATS adapter. A 3/8" male thread is located on top and allows attachment of the iSTAR.

The iSTAR adapter (item no.: 030-10667) for Trimble TX8 aligns the iSTAR to the height of the laser scanner's mirror axis. The adapter consists of a tribrach and a spacer rod with 3/8" male thread where the iSTAR can be attached.

The iSTAR adapter (item no.: 031-10644) for Leica HDS 7000 as well as Z+F scanners 5010, 5010C and 5010X allows the iSTAR to be at the height of the laser scanner's tilting axis. Adjust the adapter to a height of 167.8mm (6.60 in). If you use a different tribrach adapter, please adjust the height accordingly. The iSTAR adapter is equipped with two screw threads: The iSTAR can be attached to the adapter via the 3/8" male thread; the 5/8" female thread is screwed onto the tribrach.

Designed for rapid 360 degree imaging, iSTAR is a panoramic camera that precisely captures full spherical immersive images and high resolution panoramic data streams for fast, efficient visual documentation of an environment. The new developments are as follows:

NCTech designs and manufactures leading 360 degree reality imaging systems that automate and streamline the workflow of image documentation and can be used repeatedly, accurately, consistently by anyone anywhere.

The iStar sCMOS cameras acquire up to 50 frames/s at full resolution. Therefore, they are very suitable for PLIF, combustion and plasma discharge studies. In addition, they can be very well employed for hyperspectral imaging and the fast and simultaneous acquisition of several spectra in combination with multi-branch fibers (multi-track spectroscopy). The dual image mode of the sCMOS sensor makes the iStar sCMOS also ideal for particle image velocimetry (PIV).

Generation 2 and 3 image intensifiers with entrance input window and phosphor options are available to match wavelength range requirements from 120 nm to 1,100 nm and minimum gating speeds requirements Price is not an object! Quality and precision is! If there are cameras of yesterday and today technology each with its own advantages, I can buy both solutions no problem. If you know of any camera that will be released in December for example, I can patiently wait until it is released and not waste my money on a filler solution. Technological gap is very important to me!

It can store a lot of pixels and it works well in dark environment. I am thinking between Nikon D810 w/ 2.8/16mm Fisheye lens and Sony A7R II w/ Fisheye 2.8/16mm or even both (I would use the Sony primarily for videos to accompany the maps given to the customer).

They are both fully compatible with Nikon D810. The way I see it, if I buy the Nikon D810, I will still have the best DSLR solution and then can continue working with it until the market for mirrorless cameras is established a little better

That is a very interesting solution and I have seriously thought between Spheron, Omnipro and IStar. I have inquired further about the Istar in Linkedin but there was a problem: If I take a Nikon D810 and a Nodal Ninja module, I can use the camera to capture panoramic and then stitch it to my LIDAR file from the laser scanner. IStar only had this support for Faro Focus 3D Terrestrial Laser Scanner of which I have none and is currently also doing the same thing with Leica. I do realize this has nothing to do with photogrammetry and the support of IStar in PIX4D but if I wait a little longer, I could probably get a spherical camera with a file system that can inter-operate flawlessly between LIDAR hardware & software, as well as any photogrammetry solutions. I have a multitude of established LIDAR hardware from Faro handhelds to Dotproduct DPI-8 to Trimble laser scanners and will invest in any solutions that takes that into account.

However I do know the idea of a spherical camera is a lifesaver and only twice the price of a Nikon+Nodal Ninja solution but processes at a fraction of the time. As soon as a good solution goes in the market, I have the cash ready to buy it!!!

1 TRIMBLE fiberglass heavy-duty tripod / 1 Nodal Ninja module / 1 servo motor / 1 remote shutter / 1 tablet and a software for automatic capturing and stitching and turn it into a solution similar to SPHERON LITE VR but much cheaper and with ultra high definition for documentation since the choice of resolution is controlled by me and not by a NIKON lens with a more simplified sensor (compared to NIKON D810) which is SPHERON. I am really looking forward to building my own solution.

3a8082e126