Single-photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) are an emerging sensor technology
capable of detecting individual incident photons, and capturing their
time-of-arrival with high timing precision. While these sensors were limited to
single-pixel or low-resolution devices in the past, recently, large (up to 1
MPixel) SPAD arrays have been developed. These single-photon cameras (SPCs) are
capable of capturing high-speed sequences of binary single-photon images with
no read noise. We present quanta burst photography, a computational photography
technique that leverages SPCs as passive imaging devices for photography in
challenging conditions, including ultra low-light and fast motion. Inspired by
recent success of conventional burst photography, we design algorithms that
align and merge binary sequences captured by SPCs into intensity images with
minimal motion blur and artifacts, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and high
dynamic range. We theoretically analyze the SNR and dynamic range of quanta
burst photography, and identify the imaging regimes where it provides
significant benefits. We demonstrate, via a recently developed SPAD array, that
the proposed method is able to generate high-quality images for scenes with
challenging lighting, complex geometries, high dynamic range and moving
objects. With the ongoing development of SPAD arrays, we envision quanta burst
photography finding applications in both consumer and scientific photography.Comment: A version with better-quality images can be found on the project
webpage: http://wisionlab.cs.wisc.edu/project/quanta-burst-photography
