Instrument camera options

Trimble SX10 or SX12 scanning total station

Configured camera options for the Trimble SX10 scanning total station apply to the Overview, Primary, and Telecamera cameras. Only the white balance options apply to the plummet camera.

Brightness

Brightness controls the brightness of the video image on the controller screen as well as captured images. Increase the brightness to make shadows and mid‑tones in an image brighter without affecting highlights.

Sharpness

Sharpness controls how quickly information transitions at an edge in the image on the controller screen as well as captured images. Increase the sharpness for sharper transitions and more clearly defined edges.

Increasing the sharpness introduces more noise into the image; oversharpening images will result in a grainier image.

Spot exposure

When capturing an image with even lighting, Trimble recommends setting Spot exposure to Off so that the light levels in the entire frame are measured, and the exposure is averaged without giving special weighting to a particular area so that the bright and dark areas of the image are balanced.

When aiming the instrument, or for images with uneven lighting conditions, Trimble recommends setting Spot exposure to Average. When you select Average, the software divides the rectangle into four windows of equal size and calculates the average exposure to adjust the exposure of the entire image. SE appears below the central rectangle and only the area within the rectangle is used to measure the light levels. Tap the image to move the rectangle to a different position.

White balance

White balance controls the light levels in the video image on the controller screen as well as captured images. The default setting is Auto. In most cases you can get accurate color in your images by leaving this setting set to Auto.

If you are working in extreme or unusual lighting conditions, you may get more accurate color by selecting one of the following:

When outdoors, in bright settings, select Daylight.
When under artificial light, select Incandescent.
When outdoors, in dull settings, select Overcast.

Manual focus

The Manual focus check box appears only when the Telecamera is being used. Select the check box to disable auto focus and then tap the arrows to adjust the camera focus. When enabled, MF appears below the central rectangle. Manual focus is particularly useful when the camera has auto focused on a nearby object that is a different distance from the object you want to focus on.

Trimble S7 or S9 total station

White balance

In most cases you can get accurate color in your images by selecting Auto and then selecting the most appropriate Scene mode. However, if the image has a tint to it, select Manual, manually adjust the white balance and then recapture the image. Tap Set white balance to store the new white balance settings.

Scene mode

Select the Scene mode appropriate for the light conditions at your location:

When outdoors, in bright settings, select Bright sunlight or Daylight.
When under artificial light, select Halogen.
When under fluorescent lighting, select Warm fluorescent or Cold fluorescent.

Set white balance

Tap Set white balance to adapt the white balance to the contents of the current frame. This is used as the white balance until you tap Set white balance again.

This setting assumes that the view framed in the video screen has an average color of mid‑gray. If that is not the case, Trimble recommends positioning a mid‑gray card in front of the camera and focusing the camera on the card before you tap Set white balance.

Spot exposure

When capturing an image with even lighting, Trimble recommends setting Spot exposure to Off so that the light levels in the entire frame are measured, and the exposure is averaged without giving special weighting to a particular area so that the bright and dark areas of the image are balanced.

When aiming the instrument, or for images with uneven lighting conditions, Trimble recommends enabling spot exposure. When enabled, only the area within the center rectangle is used to measure the light levels. The software divides the central rectangle into four windows of equal size and compares those windows to adjust the exposure of the image.

If you select:

Average, the software calculates the average exposure across the four windows within the central rectangle and then uses that to adjust the exposure of the image.
Illuminate, the software selects the darkest of the four windows and adjusts the exposure of the image so that the darkest window is correctly exposed.

For example, use Illuminate when capturing an image of a dark house or roof corner in front of a bright sky. The dark house or roof corner is illuminated.
Darken, the software selects the lightest of the four windows and adjusts the exposure of the image so that the lightest window is correctly exposed.

For example, use Darken when capturing an image through a window. The objects through the glass are darkened so that they are more visible.

Trimble VX spatial station or S6/S8 total station with Trimble VISION technology

Brightness

Brightness controls the brightness of the video image on the controller screen as well as captured images. Increase the brightness to make shadows and mid‑tones in an image brighter without affecting highlights.

Contrast

Contrast controls the contrast of the video image on the controller screen as well as captured images. Increase the contrast to make images more vibrant; decrease contrast to make images duller.

White balance

White balance controls the light levels in the video image on the controller screen as well as captured images.

Select the setting most suitable to the lighting conditions at your setup:

When outdoors, in bright settings, select Daylight.
When under artificial light, select Incandescent.
When under fluorescent lighting, select Fluorescent.