Scan Capture Hardware

The hardware on the capture side: cameras for photogrammetry, drones for aerial, 360 / fisheye for room-scale, and LiDAR / depth sensors for direct geometry. Pairs with Photogrammetry Software and Photogrammetry Mobile Apps (the photo path), Drone Mapping & Aerial Photogrammetry (the airborne path), Industrial & Laser Scanners (for ground LiDAR), Handheld 3D Scanners (for active sensors), and Scan Capture Accessories (lighting, turntables, markers).

Cameras for photogrammetry

• ★ Sony A7R-series / A7C-series — full-frame mirrorless; 33 MP+ at A7R V; arguably the photogrammetry sweet spot. Good lens lineup; low rolling shutter on global-shutter A9-III.
• Canon EOS R5 / R6 / R8 — full-frame mirrorless; 24–45 MP; strong RAW pipeline.
• Nikon Z6 III / Z7 II / Z8 — full-frame mirrorless; 45 MP on Z7 / Z8.
• Fujifilm GFX 100 II / 100S — medium-format; 100 MP; the heritage / archaeology / fine-art pick when budget allows.
• Sigma fp / fp L — small full-frame; the photogrammetrist's pocket camera.
• Olympus / OM System OM-1 — Micro Four Thirds; lighter, cheaper, weather-sealed.
• Used DSLR (any 24MP+ APS-C / FF) — Canon T7i / Nikon D7500 / Sony A6400 — the budget rig; works fine for hobbyist scans.

Lens choice

• Prime lenses (35 / 50 / 85) — fixed focal length = consistent calibration; faster, sharper.
• Macro lenses (90–105mm) — for jewelry / coins / small objects.
• Wide-angle (24–35) — interiors / rooms.
• Avoid zoom unless locked — variable EXIF wrecks SfM. If you must zoom, tape the ring.
• Avoid extreme wide / fisheye — calibration is harder (RealityCapture / Metashape can do it; expect more setup).

360 / spherical

• ★ Insta360 X4 / X3 — consumer 360 cam; 8K; popular in real-estate and quick room captures. Most photogrammetry software accepts the equirectangular output (with caveats).
• Insta360 RS / Pro 2 — pro 360.
• Ricoh Theta Z1 / X — premium 360.
• GoPro MAX — 360 mode; aging.
• Matterport Pro2 / Pro3 — paid hardware; tied to Matterport's hosted service.

Action / motion-path cams

• GoPro Hero 12 / 13 — for FPV / motion paths through environments; good for NeRF / splat capture.
• Insta360 Ace Pro — competitor.
• DJI Osmo Action 4 — DJI's action cam.

Drones for aerial photogrammetry

See Drone Mapping & Aerial Photogrammetry for the full software / processing side.

• ★ DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise / Mavic 3E — the surveying / mapping default; 4/3-inch sensor; mechanical shutter; RTK-ready.
• DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral / Mavic 3M — agriculture.
• DJI Mavic 4 Pro (2025) — successor; consumer + pro variants.
• DJI Phantom 4 RTK — legacy but still used in surveying.
• DJI Matrice 350 RTK — heavy-lift; carries Zenmuse L2 LiDAR / P1 photogrammetry payloads.
• Skydio X10 — autonomous flight, excellent obstacle avoidance.
• Autel EVO II Pro / Max 4T — DJI alternative.
• Custom ArduPilot / PX4 builds — for FOSS-flavoured workflows; see Mission Planner / QGroundControl.

Drone payloads (LiDAR)

• DJI Zenmuse L1 / L2 — drone LiDAR + camera; ~$15k–25k.
• Yellowscan Mapper / Surveyor — pro LiDAR.
• Phoenix LiDAR / Riegl miniVUX — pro / industrial.
• Emesent Hovermap — drone- or backpack-mountable SLAM.

LiDAR / depth sensors (consumer + DIY)

• ★ iPhone 14 Pro / 15 Pro / 16 Pro / iPad Pro M4 — the mass-market LiDAR; ~5cm resolution; pairs with Photogrammetry Mobile Apps.
• Intel RealSense D435 / D455 / L515 — depth cameras; Intel discontinued the line in 2023 but stock still around.
• Microsoft Azure Kinect DK — RGB-D; discontinued but used in research.
• Orbbec Astra / Femto Mega — RealSense / Kinect successor; active.
• Stereolabs ZED 2 / ZED X — stereo depth; popular in robotics.
• Ouster OS-0 / OS-1 / OS-2 — solid-state spinning LiDAR; for hobby SLAM / robotics; ~$5k–15k.
• Velodyne (legacy) — older spinning LiDAR; expensive, heavy.
• Livox Mid-360 / Mid-70 — Chinese hybrid solid-state; cheaper.
• Slamtec RPLIDAR — 2D LiDAR for hobby SLAM; ~$100–500.

Capture-time tips

• RAW > JPEG — preserves dynamic range and sharpening for SfM.
• Lock exposure / WB / focus — variable EXIF wrecks calibration.
• Polariser for water / shiny surfaces.
• Tripod + interval timer for static-subject HDR or focus-stacks.
• Calibration target in scene for known scale (ChArUco / coded marker).

Pick this if…

• Default photogrammetry camera, willing to invest: Sony A7R V or Canon EOS R5.
• Budget photogrammetry rig: any used 24MP+ DSLR / mirrorless + 35mm prime.
• Heritage / fine-art / very-high-res: Fujifilm GFX 100 II.
• Quick room capture / 360 video for splats: Insta360 X4.
• Aerial mapping default: DJI Mavic 3E or Mavic 4 Pro.
• Drone LiDAR: DJI Matrice 350 + Zenmuse L2.
• Phone-only: iPhone 16 Pro / iPad Pro for LiDAR; otherwise any decent phone for photogrammetry.
• Robotics / hobby SLAM: Ouster OS-1 or Livox Mid-360.
• Active scanner: see Handheld 3D Scanners.