Cameras are the most common drone payload. The right camera depends on what must be seen: fine detail for inspection, large areas for mapping, heat for search and rescue or energy audits, or plant health for agriculture.
Types
Visible (RGB) cameras: from compact zoom cameras to medium-format mapping cameras with large sensors and mechanical shutters for photogrammetry.
Thermal (LWIR) cameras: uncooled microbolometer sensors detect heat differences; radiometric models measure temperature per pixel. Cooled MWIR cameras give longer range and sensitivity for surveillance.
Multispectral and hyperspectral cameras: capture specific wavelength bands to compute vegetation indices and material properties.
Multi-sensor payloads: visible, thermal and laser rangefinder combined in one gimbaled unit.
Key specifications
Sensor resolution and size, which together with the lens set the ground sample distance (GSD) at a given altitude.
Optical zoom and field of view.
Thermal sensitivity (NETD) and resolution for thermal cameras; radiometric accuracy if measuring temperature.
Shutter: global or mechanical shutters avoid distortion in mapping.
Frame rate and video output: HDMI, Ethernet/IP, SDI.
Geotagging and synchronisation with GNSS for mapping.
Mass, power and environmental sealing.
Choosing
Start from the GSD or detection range the mission needs, then find the lightest camera and lens that achieve it at a safe altitude. For moving platforms and long focal lengths, a stabilised gimbal is essential.
The distance on the ground represented by one pixel in the image. A GSD of 1 cm means each pixel covers 1 cm; smaller GSD shows more detail and depends on sensor, lens and altitude.
What is a radiometric thermal camera?
A thermal camera that measures the temperature of each pixel, not only relative heat differences. It is needed for inspections where temperatures must be quantified.
Why use a mechanical or global shutter for mapping?
A rolling shutter reads the sensor line by line, so a moving drone produces distorted images. Mechanical and global shutters capture the whole frame at once, improving photogrammetric accuracy.
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