Single Lens 3D-Camera with Extended Depth-of-Field

Placing a micro lens array in front of an image sensor transforms a normal camera into a single lens 3D camera, which also allows the user to change the focus and the point of view after a picture has been taken. While the concept of such plenoptic cameras is known since 1908, only recently the increased computing power of low-cost hardware and the advances in micro lens array production, have made the application of plenoptic cameras feasible. This text presents a detailed analysis of plenoptic cameras as well as introducing a new type of plenoptic camera with an extended depth of field and a maximal effective resolution of up to a quarter of the sensor resolution.