Close-range photogrammetry applied to the documentation of cultural heritage using telescopic and wide-angle lenses

Close-range photogrammetry is widely used for numerically and graphically representing historical buildings for documentation. Such data can be later used as the base for conservation and restoration processes. The highest precision in point determination in photogrammetry can be achieved using a metric camera, although it is expensive. Recently, many studies have used SLR non-metric cameras, which have the advantage of a self-calibration method and furthermore, are cheaper than the metric camera. In most cases, for close-range photogrammetry applications that use an SLR digital camera, the object is close to the camera (less than 50 m), requiring a wide-angle setting. In our study, the precision achieved is based on a compact camera (Lumix TZ-10) used in building restitution. We experimented with the two extremes in close-range photogrammetry: close object, less than 15 m between the camera lens and to building facade; and distant object, up to 200 m between camera lens and building. In both cases, the precision achieved was suitable for the restitution of the historical buildings: under 1 cm for near objects using a 25-mm wide-angle lens and 3 cm for the distant object using a 280-mm telescopic lens. We achieved remarkable precision in the case of the tele lens, where it is unusual to use the focal length for building restitution in close-range photogrammetry. Nevertheless, a tele lens becomes necessary when it is not possible to place the camera near the object, as in the case of the northern facade of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.