Technical requirements for UAV cameras

High-resolution requirements: To meet the diverse tasks of aerial photography, surveying and monitoring, UAV cameras need to have high resolution. In the field of aerial photography, high resolution can capture more delicate landscape details, such as when shooting urban scenes, clearly presenting the contours of buildings, traffic on the streets, etc.; in surveying work, it can accurately restore the characteristics of topography and geomorph, providing precise data foundations for subsequent three-dimensional modeling and data analysis. Generally speaking, the pixel of UAV cameras used for professional purposes should reach more than 12mp, and some high-end products even reach 20 million pixels or more, corresponding to the resolution that can meet the standards such as 4000×000dpi and higher.

Pixel density and imaging quality: In addition to the number of pixels, pixel density is also crucial. Reasonable pixel density can ensure each pixel point can fully sense light on the limited area of the photosensitive element, reducing the interference between pixels, and thus improving the clarity and detail representation of the. When shooting distant targets, cameras with high pixel density can capture the characteristics of the target more clearly, avoiding blurry or distorted situations. For example, when monitoring wildlife it can clearly shoot the texture of the animal's fur and behavior.

High sensitivity to adapt to complex lighting: The flight environment of UAV is complex, and the lighting conditions are changeable, from the strong light of the daytime to the dim light of dusk and night, or in shadow areas, indoor, etc. Therefore, the camera needs to have high sensitivity (ISO) to shoot clear and low-noise images under low-light conditions. Typically, a good UAV ISO value should be able to flexibly adjust within the range of 100 - 6400 or even higher. When shooting the city lights show night, a higher ISO value can ensure that the brightness of the picture is moderate, and at the same time, the noise is controlled through noise reduction technology to ensure quality of the picture.

Wide dynamic range to retain details: Wide dynamic range (WDR) allows the camera to retain details in both bright and dark areas in the picture. When aerial photography, it may shoot both the bright sky and the darker ground objects at the same time. Cameras with wide dynamic range can prevent the sky from overexposed and the ground objects from being clearly visible without losing details. For example, when shooting the sunrise by the sea, it can clearly present the sun's and show the texture of the beach and the waves.

Fast autofocus: During the flight of the UAV, the shooting target may change at any time and the position and distance are also unstable, which requires the camera to have a fast autofocus function. It can complete the focusing in a short time (usually within .5 seconds), quickly lock the target, and ensure that the shot image is clear and sharp. When shooting sports events, the UAV can quickly focus on the movements athletes and capture exciting moments.

Manual focus assistance: Although autofocus is convenient and fast, in some special scenes, the manual focus function can provide users with more precise control For example, when shooting macro or needing a specific depth of field effect, users can manually adjust the focus distance to achieve more personalized shooting needs. When shooting close-ups flowers, manual focus can precisely control the focus to highlight the details of the flower.

Optical anti-shake stabilizes the image: Due to the influence of air currents vibrations during flight, the anti-shake performance of the camera is crucial. Optical anti-shake technology compensates for image displacement caused by vibrations in real time by incorporating movable lens group inside the lens, effectively reducing blurry images. When shooting aerial photos in windy weather, optical anti-shake can keep the captured images stable, as if in a stable environment.

Electronic anti-shake supplement: In addition to optical anti-shake, electronic anti-shake technology can also play a certain role in stabilizing image. It analyzes and processes the data collected by the image sensor and uses algorithms to correct the image displacement caused by shaking. Electronic anti-shake and optical anti-sh work together to further improve the anti-shake effect of the camera under complex flight conditions, ensuring the quality of the captured videos and photos.

High frame rate for smooth video: For drone cameras shooting videos, a high frame rate is key to ensuring the smoothness of the video. Generally, a frame rate 30fps (frames per second) or above is required to meet the needs of daily shooting; for some scenes that need to capture fast movements, such as high-speed driving cars, flying birds, etc., the frame rate should reach 60fps or even 120fps or above, which can effectively reduce drops and make the video more smooth and natural.

Fast continuous shooting to capture moments: When shooting some fleeting scenes, the fast continuous shooting function of the camera is very. It can continuously shoot multiple photos in a short period of time, giving users more choices to ensure that they do not miss exciting moments. When shooting scenes such as blooming and animals hunting, fast continuous shooting can capture exciting images at different stages.

Appropriate field of view to meet needs: field of view determines the range of the image that the camera can capture. Different application scenarios have different requirements for the field of view. For example, when shooting images, a larger field of view is needed, and a super wide-angle lens with an angle of 120° - 180° is more suitable while for long-distance target monitoring, a smaller field of view may be needed to zoom in on the target and highlight details, such as a medium to long focal length with an angle of 30° - 60°.

Low distortion ensures image accuracy: Lens distortion can cause the captured image to deform, affecting the accuracy aesthetics of the image. Drone cameras should use low distortion lens designs to keep the distortion rate at a low level, generally requiring a distortion rate of less than 1 When performing surveying and monitoring tasks, low distortion lenses can ensure the accuracy of the measurement data and avoid errors caused by image deformation.

High-speed data transmission: The images and videos captured by the drone camera need to be transmitted back to ground control station or storage device in real-time, which requires high-speed data transmission capability. Wireless transmission technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or dedicated image transmission modules usually adopted, with transmission rates reaching above the Mbps level, ensuring smooth transmission of images and videos and reducing latency. In live streaming aerial photography, high-speed data transmission guarantee that the audience can see clear images in a timely manner.

Large capacity storage support: To store a large amount of shooting data, the drone camera needs to support capacity storage devices, such as SD cards, solid-state drives, etc. The storage capacity should be determined according to the actual shooting needs, and it is generally recommended be at least 16GB. For long-term, high-resolution shooting tasks, you can choose large capacity storage devices of 64GB or even 18GB to meet the needs of continuous shooting.

Adapt to the drone's load: The drone's load-bearing capacity is limited, to avoid affecting the drone's flight performance and endurance, the camera needs to achieve miniaturization and lightweight design. Under the premise of ensuring performance, the camera's and weight should be reduced as much as possible. The weight of a typical consumer-grade drone camera is between a few tens of grams to a few hundred grams, and-grade drone cameras also strictly control the weight to ensure it matches the overall load of the drone.

Compact structure and easy installation: In addition to weight and volume, the's structural design should also be compact and easy to install in different positions of the drone without affecting the drone's aerodynamic performance. The camera's installation method should be and reliable, and it should remain stable during the drone's flight, avoiding looseness or damage to the camera due to vibration or collision.