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The range of lighting from bright sunlight to clear starlight is 109:1 (100,000,000):1.
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When comparing the performance of MPEG standards such as MPEG-4 and H.264, it is important to note that results may vary between encoders that use the same standard.
The are two basic compression standards; JPEG and MPEG
CCD (Charged Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary metal oxide semiconductor).
MPEG-4 is an ISO/IEC standard developed by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group), the committee that also developed the Emmy Award winning standards known as MPEG-1 and MPEG-2.
In addition to good light sensitivity, another key feature of digital image capture is progressive scan technology.
Resolution is similar in the analogue or digital worlds, but there are important differences in how it is defined.
You are Here:- Home >> Knowledge Base >> Capturing Images
Use lots of Light
The most common reason for poor quality images is a lack of light. Generally, the more light, the better the image. With too little light the image will become blurred and dull in colour. Lux is the standard unit for the measurement of light.

At least 200 Lux is required to capture a good quality image. A high-quality camera might be specified to work down to 1 Lux. This means that you can capture an image at 1 Lux; not that you will obtain a good image at 1 Lux.

Avoid Back Light
Try to avoid bright areas in images. Bright images become over exposed (bright white) and objects can then appear too dark. The problem typically occurs when attempting to capture an image in front of a window.

Reduce the Contrast
A camera adjusts the exposure to obtain an average level of light in the image. When trying to capture an image of an object in front of a white wall, the object tends to appear too dark. Substituting a grey background instead of a white background may solve this problem.

Light Levels in Typical Environments
The range of lighting from bright sunlight to clear starlight is 109:1 (100,000,000):1. To accommodate this range cameras are fitted with an automatic iris. Bright sunlight (100,000 lux), overcast day (1,000 lux), twilight (10 lux), street lighting (5 lux), full moon (0.1 lux). For a reference guide to "Choosing the right lens", please refer to Choosing the Right Lens.

Light Levels in Typical Environments
Environment Type Light level in Lux
Manufacturing Assembly Rough 200
  Medium 500
  Fine 1000
Banks Lobby 200
  Offices and Cages 500
General Buildings Dinning Rooms 100
  Halls and Corridors 150
  Outdoor Entrance 30
Hospitals General Surgery 500
  Operating Table 18000
  Examination Table 500
Manufacturing Inspection Rough 200
  Medium 500
  Fine 1000
Offices General 500
  Accounts 750
Hotels Bars 150
  Restaurants 100
  Kitchens 500
Parking Areas Outdoor Night 10
  Garage 50
Retail Stores Small 200
  Large 500
Warehousing Good Lighting 100
  Poor Lighting 50
  Typical 10

Reflectance
A camera sees only the light reflected back to it from the subject in the scene. Only an optically perfect mirror would reflect back 100% of the light shone on it. Anything else is comparatively poor at reflecting light. When light strikes a scene or object some is absorbed, some is diffused in scattered directions and some is reflected back to the camera. The amount of light reflected back to the camera is defined as a percentage of the light illuminating the subject. This is the reflectance of the scene. Some typical values are given below:

Typical Refectance Values
Scene Reflectance
Matt white test card 89%
Snowy scene 85%
Glass windows and walls 70%
White matt paint on concrete 60%
Unpainted concrete, car park 40%
Red bricks 35%
Open country, trees, grass 20%
Empty asphalt area 5%

The Type of Image Sensor
There are two types of image sensors: CCD (Charged Coupled Device) and CMOS (Complementary metal oxide semiconductor). CCD sensors are produced using a technology developed specifically for the camera industry, while CMOS sensors are produced by the same technology used for the chips used in computers. High quality cameras invariably use CCD sensors. Although recent advances in CMOS sensors are closing the gap, they are still not suitable for cameras where the highest possible image quality is required.

The Ability to Correctly Capture Moving Objects
In addition to good light sensitivity, another key feature of digital image capture is progressive scan technology. The use of progressive scan means that images do not suffer from the "saw" effect that hampers interlaced video technologies used in telivision and traditional analogue CCTV cameras, in order to enhance the image frequency in moving images. Please refer to scan technology for more information.

File Size and Bandwidth Requirements
Digital cameras use image compression. To achieve a high frame rate image compression should be performed by hardware. There is a trade off between high quality images and compressed images that require much less bandwidth. The JPEG standard is used to achieve the highest possible quality, and MPEG is optimised for lower bandwidth requirements. For a reference guide to "Image Compression ", please refer to Compression Standards.

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