Phase One P5

The Phase One P5 is a survey camera from the Danish maker Phase One for VTOL fixed-wing aircraft. With 128 megapixels and an electronic global shutter, it is intended for engineering-grade photogrammetry. The manufacturer names the Quantum Systems Trinity Pro as its integration.

The CMOS sensor measures 13,468 × 9,564 pixels at a pixel pitch of 3.45 µm. The global shutter exposes all pixels at once, so there is no distortion at the speed of a fixed-wing aircraft. Lenses of 35 or 80 mm are offered, with apertures from f/5.6 to f/22; the shorter focal length covers more area, the longer one shows more detail. The camera records up to 4 images per second, weighs about 690 g with the 35 mm lens and about 620 g with the 80 mm lens, and has an IP22 rating. It connects through 1G Ethernet; MAVLink, Auterion and IQP are the supported platform interfaces. There is no gimbal of its own, the camera sits fixed in the fuselage.

The camera counts towards the take-off mass of the aircraft; the EU class limits are 4 kg (C2) and 25 kg (C3 and C4). Flights over people and property touch data-protection law, and the operator must be registered.

IP22 protects only against objects above 12.5 mm and vertically dripping water; rain and dust are off limits. With a fixed-mounted camera, every attitude change of the aircraft goes straight into the image, so smooth flight control and clean trigger synchronisation with position data matter. Dust on the sensor shows in all images.