All images have a depth of field (DOF), a distance over which objects appear in sharp focus. In any single image, DOF is limited by the magnification and aperture size used. In some machine vision applications, the DOF may not be great enough to focus sharply on all the objects in a scene. Conventional solutions for increasing DOF such as closing the aperture (higher f/#) come with substantial tradeoffs such as decreased light and less resolution.

The EDOF computational imaging technique allows an image to be created with a DOF greater than any of the single images. Using EDOF image processing software and the CCS computational illumination kit, multiple images with various depths of field can be merged to return a clear, sharp result - without loss of light or resolution.