What is the center wavelength and bandwidth of each filter for MicaSense sensors?

The bandwidth (also known as FWHM) for your camera model may vary slightly depending on the serial number. 

Note that the band order is not exactly in wavelength order (bands 4 and 5 are swapped, and the panchro band is centered between Green and Red). Once the data is processed (such as in Pix4D or Agisoft), the layered GeoTIFF output should be in wavelength order, meaning that processed geotiffs will be as well. However, if you used the image processing library to preprocess the data, the imagery will be in B-G-R-NIR-RE order. 

The band information is also contained within tags in each image's EXIF metadata:

  • The Band Name tag contains the human-readable name (Blue, Green, etc.).
  • The Central Wavelength tag contains the center wavelength of the filter for that band in nanometers (475, 560, etc.).
  • The Wavelength FWHM tag contains the bandwidth of the filter (32, 27, etc.). For more information, please refer to How to read and export image metadata with Exiftool.

 

The file suffix is used in the following file name format:

IMG_ + 4-digit sequential capture number + _ + File Suffix + .tif

So the example IMG_0500_1.tif denotes the Blue image taken during the 500th capture since the last time the camera was power cycled.

 

For Altum-PT and RedEdge-P:

File
Suffix
 Band
Name 
 Center
Wavelength
(nm) 
 Bandwidth (nm) 
1 Blue 475 32
2 Green 560 27
6 Panchro 634 463
3 Red 668 14
5 Red Edge 717 12
4 Near IR 842 57
7 (Altum-PT Only) LWIR (Altum-PT Only) 11 μm  6 μm

 

For RedEdge-P Dual

                    image (3).png

 

For RedEdge-MX with serial numbers RX02 or higher or Altum with serial numbers AL05 or higher, refer to the following table: 

File
Suffix
 Band
Name 
 Center
Wavelength
(nm) 
 Bandwidth (nm) 
1 Blue 475 32
2 Green 560 27
3 Red 668 14
5 Red Edge 717 12
4 Near IR 842 57
6 (Altum Only) LWIR (Altum Only) 11 μm  6 μm

 

For RedEdge-MX Blue (in the Dual Camera System):

File
Suffix
Band Name Center
Wavelength (nm)
Bandwidth
(nm)
6 Coastal Blue 444 28
7 Green 531 14
8 Red 650 16
9 Red Edge 705 10
10 Red Edge 740 18

 

Refer to the table below for RedEdge-MX with serial RX01 or lower, Altum with serial AL04 or lower, all RedEdge 3, and all RedEdge-M. The Altum thermal (LWIR) band is unchanged.

File
Suffix
Band
Name
Center
Wavelength
(nm)
Bandwidth
(nm)
1 Blue 475 20
2 Green 560 20
3 Red 668 10
5 Red Edge 717 10
4 NIR 840 40
6 (Altum Only) LWIR (Altum Only) 11 μm  6 μm

 


Note:
Bandwidth is defined as the width of the filter that lets the light of a certain wavelength pass. In other words, our Blue sensor has a width of 20nm that lets the light of a center wavelength of 475nm pass through.

 

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