Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway – Alex Schwartz
Witnessing the Aurora Borealis should be at the top of every photographer’s bucket list. This guide details the most important considerations for capturing images of the Northern lights. To be successful, you’ll need to be in the right place at the right time, equipped with the right camera and a decent amount of luck on your side.
Update
You can find the latest Skype/Lync standards documents here:
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/office/dn788953
The Skype Hardware Certification Specifications version 5.0 recommends imatest for sharpness testing.
You can find us mentioned on pagees 23, 85, 86
For Acuity testing, Skype recommends our SFRplus test chart, 24X40″, 5X7, semi-gloss, black&white, 2-tone
For >1.5m depth of field testing, Skype recommends our SFRplus test chart, 40X60″, 5X7, semi-gloss, black&white, 2-tone
The skype certification test charts are available for purchase in the Imatest Store.
Imatest has expanded its capabilities and staffing to better meet customer demand for consulting services. Now offering skills and experience in imaging science, optics, image quality testing, camera system design, software development, and project management, Imatest looks to play an increasing role in helping customers deliver leading-edge imaging systems. Details here
ORA Finds Imatest Charts and Software to be Just the Right Medicine In medicine, seeing the problem requires clarity. Is that blemish part of the imaging system, or an early-stage tumor? Companies on the forefront of medical diagnosis systems know that image quality is paramount to the success of any new product. So, when one of the world leaders in medical imaging needed help, they turned to the combined team of Optical Research Associates (ORA), one of the most respected optics consulting companies in the world, and Imatest, the leader in image quality testing.
“As part of a major product development project, our client needed a way to thoroughly and quickly test the imaging quality of their new skin cancer detection system.” said Mark Kahan, chief electro-optical systems engineer at ORA “We immediately thought of Imatest and were delighted to learn of their latest software feature, SFRplus, which automates much of the image testing process. We could see that our client could speed time to market by adopting SFRplus, but we needed a customized test chart and software that would work within our client’s unique testing environment. Imatest was able to deliver both within weeks.”
After a short discussion with ORA, Norman Koren, Imatest founder and chief technology officer, was able to design a version of Imatest’s SFRplus test chart that met the needs of ORA’s client. “Once we understood which image quality factors needed to be assessed in their development process, I could see it was possible to design a custom SFRplus chart that worked within the constraints of their testing environment. After that, it was a straightforward task to customize our software to work with the new chart.” Koren said.
The results were dramatic: not only was ORA’s client able to more accurately assess the image quality of their new product, they were able to do so many times faster.
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About ORA ORA is the world’s leading developer of optical design software, CODE V(R) and LightTools(R), and is the largest independent supplier of optical design and engineering services, with more than 4,000 completed projects since the Company was founded in 1963.
In the world of video security systems, a picture is worth a thousand words, but only if the picture is sharp, crisp, and has deep contrasts. It is an industry so intolerant of doubt and shades of gray that it depends on software to achieve precision, clarity and resolution.
Pelco, the world leader in the design, development and manufacture of video and security systems, has long understood the software component in the image quality equation, which is why it has relied on Imatest software and testing products for years. Imatest’s digital image testing products enable Pelco engineers to quickly evaluate alternative imaging system components and deliver quality with confidence. “Because Imatest software supports nearly every image quality test, using standard algorithms and test charts, we applied it to help us deliver the optimum configuration of components,” says David Campbell, Pelco Senior Optical Engineer.
Like many digital imaging system manufacturers, Pelco manufactures hundreds of products every day – products that must meet customer expectations and the company’s exacting quality standards. So when Imatest IT (industrial testing) was released, Pelco realized it was the most cost-effective way to ensure that the high-quality designs from its laboratories were delivered in its manufacturing process. “Operators on the manufacturing line needed to be able to test complex image quality factors in the products coming off the line. Imatest IT is the answer,” Campbell says.
Nell Papavasiliou, Camera Optics Engineer at Pelco, spearheaded a trial project to integrate Imatest IT into the manufacturing process at Pelco’s world headquarters in Clovis, CA. “I don’t have a strong background in software development, but it was a straightforward process for me to integrate Imatest IT into our manufacturing system. I wrote a few lines of C# and that was all it took,” Papavasiliou says.
Pelco management says that with the success of the California trial, the company is moving forward with Imatest and Imatest IT for other manufacturing lines to deliver a new level of quality control.
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About Pelco
Pelco, Inc. is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of video and security systems and equipment ideal for any industry. Pelco produces the security industry’s most respected offering of discreet camera domes and enclosures, video matrix systems, next-generation digital video recorders, IP solutions and fiber optic transmission systems for video/data – and much more. For additional product or company information, please visit www.pelco.com.
