Universal Camera Calibration with Automatic Distortion Model Selection

We present an optimized full scale automatic camera calibration approach which is both accurate and simple to implement. The method can be applied to a wide range of cameras equipped with normal, wide-angle, fish-eye, and telephoto lenses. The procedure does not require prior knowledge of any parameters. The method uses a simple planar calibration pattern which is observed from different positions. Closed-form estimates for the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters are computed followed by nonlinear optimization. A polynomial function describes the lens projection instead of the commonly used radial model. Statistical information criteria are used to automatically determine the complexity of the lens distortion model. The proposed complete calibration method is shown to obtain lower reprojection error than some commonly used methods while maintaining a low complexity distortion model.