Plenoptic image acquisition and processing

The projection of a 3-D scene to a single 2-D image plane retrieves only very limited information. In general, neither the 3-D structure nor the optical properties of the observed objects can be estimated. This limitation can be related to a too sparse sampling of the plenoptic function. The plenoptic function is the starting point for a general theory of imaging. Some first research results beyond traditional imaging are shown. Analyzing the orientation of the plenoptic function as captured by plenoptic cameras results in surprisingly accurate depth information even from objects with specular object surfaces.