ISO 15739 — Noise

Standard: ISO 15739:2017 — Photography — Electronic still-picture imaging— Noise measurements Technical Committee: ISO/TC 42 Photography Published: 2017-05 The Simplified ISO-15739 digital camera noise test chart is available from the Imatest Store. This chart can be analyzed by the Imatest Stepchart, Multicharts, and Multitest modules. Imatest 4.0+ includes a calculation of ISO 15739 visual noise as specified in Appendix B of the ISO 15739:2017 standard. And Imatest 4.4+ includes a calculation of visual noise from the IEEE CPIQ P1858 (Camera Phone Image Quality) 2016 specification, which is based on ISO 15739 with some added details. These are relatively complex […]

ISO 16505 — Camera Monitor Systems

Standard: ISO 16505:2015 Road vehicles — Ergonomic and performance aspects of Camera Monitor Systems — Requirements and test procedures. Technical Committee: ISO/TC 22/SC 35 Lighting and visibility Published: 2015-05-01 Test Targets ISO 16505 Test Targets are available for purchase on the Imatest Store. Test Methods Resolution References ISO 12233:2014. Hyperbolic wedge features can be analyzed by the Wedge or eSFR ISO module. Slanted edge features can be analyzed by the SFR, SFRplus, eSFR ISO, SFRreg, or Chekerboard modules. We presented a paper, “Measuring MTF with wedges: pitfalls and best practices” at the Multi-camera and Embedded Systems for Autonomous Machines […]

ISO 12233 — Resolution and SFR

eSFR ISO: Analyze the ISO 12233:2017 Edge SFR chart* and ISO 12233:2023 Edge SFR chart Standard: ISO 12233:2017 — Photography— Electronic still picture imaging — Resolution and spatial frequency responses* ISO 12233:2023 — Photography— Electronic still picture imaging — Resolution and spatial frequency responses Technical Committee: ISO/TC 42 Photography Published: 2017-01, 2023-02

Dynamic Range

Dynamic Range (DR) is the range of exposure, i.e., scene brightness, over which a camera responds with good contrast and good Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR). This is a scene-dependent image quality factor that incorporates sensor sensitivity, noise, and stray light. High Dynamic Range (HDR) scenes have a ratio between light and dark areas that exceeds 10,000:1 (80dB; 4.0 Optical Density; 13.3 f-stops). See below for how to achieve HDR imaging. Some examples of HDR Scenes: Mixed indoor/outdoor scene. Entering or exiting a tunnel or parking garage, A door or window open to the brightly lit outdoors, a shadowed area cast by […]

Imatest IT/.NET Instructions

How Imatest IT/.NET works Imatest IT/.NET (Industrial Testing .NET) is a Microsoft .NET Framework library that allows developers to access Imatest‘s powerful image quality analysis tools via calls to methods residing in a .NET DLL library. The library methods perform the same calculations as the corresponding GUI-based Imatest Master modules. Imatest IT/.NET is compatible with .NET Framework versions 4.5 and higher. Fourteen modules are available: SFR SFRplus Star Colorcheck Stepchart Wedge Uniformity (Light Falloff) Distortion eSFR ISO Blemish Dot Pattern Multitest OIS Random Imatest IT/.NET is a complete package that includes the module libraries, […]

Autofocus Speed

Imatest 4.4+ can evaluate auto-focus (AF) as a measure of MTF with respect to time. This can be performed by using the SFR module with an appropriate video file. Uses/Purpose This metric is intended to be used as a way to measure the time a camera system takes to auto-focus. Rise time and settling time are automatically calculated. This measurement does not provide information about the accuracy or precision of auto-focus. To evaluate those measures, several measurements should be performed on the final, settled images and compared. File Selection and Frame Selection Begin by clicking on SFR from the main window and select a […]

Image Processing

Operation – Image processing blocks – Displays and analysis – Optical Character Recognition (OCR) Face and People Detection The Imatest Image Processing module, introduced in Imatest 4.4 and significantly enhanced in 4.5 and 5.0, simulates a number of image processing operations, including image degradations such as noise and blurring as well as image enhancements such as applying a Color Correction Matrix, tone mapping (used in High Dynamic Range (HDR) imaging), Unsharp Masking (USM), and bilateral filtering. You can instantly observe the visible effects of these operations by switching between unprocessed and processed images. You can see how processing affects several measurements, including SSIM, PSNR, and MTF. […]

IEEE Camera Phone Image Quality (CPIQ) Support

This page describes details about the implementation of our CPIQ Solution. For additional details about the initiative, see this presentation assembled by former committee chair Margaret Belska. Imatest’s CPIQ Implementation Imatest 4.4+ supports IEEE CPIQ P1858TM (Camera Phone Image Quality) 2016 measurements. As members of CPIQ, we are strongly committed to providing convenient CPIQ-compliant and equivalent image quality measurements. NOTE: You should use at least Imatest 4.4.9 for the latest corrections to visual noise calculations. This page has similar order to chapters the CPIQ Standard, “P1858TM/D1 Standard for Camera Phone Image Quality“ document. The first four chapters […]

Imatest IT Test Items & Modules

The Test Items below are oriented towards manufacturing and quality control. The Imatest Module list shows each relevant output. “X” indicates optimal support for the test item and “/” indicates sub-optimal support. Sharpness Modules Test Item SFRplus eSFR ISO SFR SFRreg Random Log-f Contrast Wedge Star Sharpness (MTF) X X X X X X X X Limiting Resolution X X Lateral Chromatic Aberration X X X X Distortion X / Field of View X X Tilt X […]

SFRplus Target on Chrome on Glass

This chart is produced with the highest precision process we have available. For more detailed information on the various processes by which we create our targets, please take a look at our Transmissive Chart Quality Comparison.

Chrome on Glass charts are uni-tone, have 10:1 contrast, and do not include a step-chart. This means that they do not support calculation of tonal response curves. The star pattern is strictly for use as a focusing aid, and is not intended as a testing feature (i.e., as a star chart).

Lead Time: 4″ Plate or Smaller – 2 Weeks (MoQ – 1 Unit)
Lead Time: 5″ Plate or Larger – 4-8 Weeks (MoQ 2 to 3 Units, size dependent)

November 11, 2015April 7, 2020 Imatest Admin

Sinusoidal Siemens Star Target

The Sinusoidal Siemens Star test chart allows you to measure MTF and limiting resolution with a chart that provides angular response and may be less affected by signal processing (especially sharpening) than slanted-edges. Siemens star MTF20 (the spatial frequency where MTF is 20% of its low frequency value) is a good estimate of limiting resolution.

Sinusoidal Siemens Star

The Sinusoidal Siemens Star target is consistent with the ISO12233:2014 standard. It is printed on matte paper. The modulation of the radial sinusoidal patern is close to a 50:1 contrast ratio.

Using Checkerboard, Part 3: Results

Imatest Checkerboard performs highly automated measurements of sharpness (expressed as Spatial Frequency Response (SFR), also known as Modulation Transfer Function (MTF)), Lateral Chromatic Aberration, and optical distortion from images of checkerboard patterns (with a recommended tilt angle of 2-7 degrees). The primary advantage of Checkerboard (as compared to Imatest’s other automatically-detected modules) is that it is relatively insensitive to framing. You can zoom in our out as much as you like, as long as there are detectable corner features. This document illustrates Checkerboard results. Part 1 introduced Checkerboard and explained how to obtain and photograph the chart. Part 2 showed […]

Using Checkerboard, Part 2: Running Checkerboard

Running Checkerboard (Interactive and Auto mode settings) Imatest Checkerboard performs highly automated measurements of sharpness (expressed as Spatial Frequency Response (SFR), also known as Modulation Transfer Function (MTF)), Lateral Chromatic Aberration , and optical distortion from tilted checkerboard images.The primary advantage of Checkerboard is that the field of view, i.e., the framing, does not need to be tied to the chart size (as it does with SFRplus and eSFR ISO). You can zoom in as much as you want as long as there are sufficient edges to analyze, and you can zoom out as far as you want (though the […]

Checkerboard instructions, Part 1

Imatest Checkerboard performs highly automated measurements of sharpness (expressed as Spatial Frequency Response (SFR), Lateral Chromatic Aberration, and optical distortion from images of checkerboard patterns (with a recommended tilt angle of 2-7 degrees for sharpness measurements). The primary advantages of Checkerboard are: Compared to Imatest’s other automatically-detected sharpness modules: It is relatively insensitive to framing. You can zoom in or out as much as you like, as long as there are detectable corner features. Compared to the Distortion (legacy) module: It works with highly-distorted (fisheye lens) images. Calculations are more accurate, and it contains all results available in Distortion. The […]

October 14, 2015April 7, 2020 Imatest Admin

SFRreg Target

The SFRreg test target consists of a slanted-edge quadrant pattern enclosed within a circle. It is used for measuring MTF and lateral chromatic aberration. A test image typically contains several targets that are automatically detected and analyzed by Imatest 4.2.

September 23, 2015April 8, 2020 Imatest Admin

High Dynamic Range Target, ITI LED Lightbox

We are pleased to announce our new High Dynamic Range (HDR) test chart with a density range exceeding 120dB (optical density >6.0). This chart allows you to the measure the dynamic range, tonal response and noise of HDR cameras with a single image instead of multiple, exposure bracketed images. It also contains slanted edges for MTF measurements.

Lightbox Comparison Guide

Lightbox Brightness Uniformity* CRI (spec.) Viewing Area Dimensions Controls ITI LED Lightbox 30 – 10,000 Lux 95.2% Over 97 260 mm x 220 mm 400 (W) x 380 (H) x 100mm (D) Bluetooth, USB IQL LED Lightbox 10 – 40,000 Lux 254mm x 279.4mm 472.4 x 383.5 x 129.5mm Wireless via Android GL-16e Lightbox Viewer 5750 Lux 63.6% 96-98 10 x 18″ (25 x 46 cm) 15x25x5″ (38x64x13cm) Manual GL-20e Lightbox Viewer GL-30e Lightbox Viewer GL-44e Lightbox Viewer GLX-3044 […]

Imatest Educational Apps

Introduced in Imatest 4.2, the Imatest Educational Apps serve to demonstrate mathematical concepts that directly relate to the understanding of image quality factors. The Imatest Educational Apps demonstrate Nyquist sampling theorem, the decomposition of an image’s Fourier transform, the Modulation Transfer Function of a slanted edge, chromatic aberration and signal to noise ratio (SNR). As an educational resource, this utility is available through the main window of your Imatest software. To access the Imatest Educational Apps, go to the Imatest main window and select Help, then Educational Apps…. A Welcome splash screen will open by default. Select the tabs across […]

Using SFRreg, Part 3: Results

Imatest SFRreg performs highly automated measurements of sharpness (expressed as Spatial Frequency Response (SFR), also known as Modulation Transfer Function (MTF)) and Lateral Chromatic Aberration from images that contain registration mark patterns (circles that contain two light and two dark quadrants). This document illustrates SFRreg results. Part 1 introduced SFRreg and explained how to obtain and photograph the chart. Part 2 showed how to run SFRreg inside Rescharts and how to save settings for automated runs. SFRreg results When calculations are complete, results are displayed in the Rescharts window, which allows a number of displays to be selected. The following […]