Light field acquisition using a planar catadioptric system

We propose a novel light field acquisition method based on a planar catadioptric system. Only one camera with a large field-of-view (FOV) is required, and multiple virtual cameras can be created via an array of planar mirrors to acquire the light field from different views. The spatial distribution of the virtual cameras can be configured flexibly to acquire particular light rays, which can be controlled by simply changing the positions of the mirrors. Compared with previous systems, no aberration or reduction in light transmittance is introduced by the planar mirrors, which ensures image quality. In this study, the design method of the planar catadioptric system is provided and a calibration procedure of its computational model is analyzed in detail. The method is verified by a prototype system, with which the correct digital refocusing results are achieved using the acquired, calibrated light field.