A scoping review of new technologies for dental plaque quantitation: Benefits and limitations

OBJECTIVES

To determine the validity and reliability of novel digitalized tools for dental plaque detection and explore the benefits and limitations connected to their use.

DATA

Reporting followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Extension for Scoping Reviews. All human clinical studies comparing dental plaque detection using digitalized systems against a standard reference were included.

SOURCES

PubMed and Scopus were screened from 01 January 2013 to 28 September 2023. Bibliographies of primary studies and principal peer-reviewed scientific journals were manually searched.

STUDY SELECTION

The initial search identified 576 articles, with a total of 13 included in the review, published between 2015 and 2023. Most of the studies included (77 %) were cross-sectional with three being prospective. Digital devices captured 2D and 3D images via cameras and intra-oral scanners, respectively. The Turesky's modified plaque index was the most frequent clinical index. Correlation with clinical examination was moderate to strong, with good to excellent intra- and inter-system agreement.

CONCLUSIONS

Within the limitations of this scoping review, image analysis-based plaque detection systems demonstrated good correlations with clinical plaque indices, using both 2D and 3D imaging systems. Whilst digital plaque detection devices offer advantages in terms of procedural standardization and reproducibility, they also have limitations, therefore currently, their application should be underpinned by a comprehensive clinical examination.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Digital plaque detection tools, that provide standardized measurements and store acquired images, facilitate more informed feedback to patients. This objective analysis may enhance clinician confidence in their utility for clinical trials and other applications.

Handheld dermatoscope versus digital camera for hair counts in laser facial hair removal

The lack of uniform and objective techniques to evaluate treatment efficacy in photo-epilation studies leads to contradictory results. Thus, there is an urgent need to explore commonly accepted assessment tools. One of the most common methods uses hair counts via digital photography. However, macrophotography may not be able to depict the vellus-like hair induced by photo-epilation. On the other hand, handheld dermatoscopy is practical, affordable and offers high-quality magnification. Hair counts from a handheld dermatoscope and a digital camera were compared in 73 women who underwent 6 sessions with the Alexandrite 755 nm laser. Significantly more hairs were counted using the dermatoscope than using the digital camera (76.9 ± 41.3 vs. 58.6 ± 31.4, p < .005), independently of hair thickness and hair density. The difference in hair counts between the two instruments was inversely related to hair thickness and directly related to hair density. The handheld dermatoscope may be a more effective tool than the widely used digital camera in evaluating the response to laser hair removal treatment.

Discoloration of stretched colored elastomeric modules : An in vivo study

BACKGROUND

As the demands on esthetic orthodontic devices continue to increase, discoloration of colored elastomeric modules is still a concern for patients and orthodontics. Thus, we performed an in vivo study evaluating discoloration of stretched colored elastomeric modules (i.e., white, gray, and pink).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In all, 90 elastomeric modules of three different colors (white, gray and pink; 30 elastics from each color) were placed around brackets. The elastomeric modules were distributed and arranged randomly in the patients' four dental quadrants, and were removed after 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Color measurements were made before and after insertion into each patient's mouth. Digital images were taken with the camera of a mobile phone (iPhone X, Cupertino, CA, USA), and the variations in color were characterized using the Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) color space system (L*a*b*) offered by Photoshop (Adobe, San Jose, CA, USA). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and least significant difference (LSD) tests were used for statistical analyses.

RESULTS

The white elastomeric modules were most prone to discoloration, followed by the pink and then finally by the gray colored modules. The amount of discoloration resulting from a random diet practiced by the patients increased gradually (but was not significant) for all elastomeric modules studied and reach a peak after 2 weeks for the white and gray elastomeric modules, while discoloration of the pink elastomeric modules plateaued after 1 week.

CONCLUSION

Colored elastomeric modules (e.g., white, gray, and pink) discolor to variable degrees over time. Thus, patients should be advised that the consumption of food and drinks may result in discoloration of the elastomeric modules.

A Straightforward High-Throughput Aboveground Phenotyping Platform for Small- to Medium-Sized Plants

High-throughput phenotyping platforms for growth chamber and greenhouse-grown plants enable nondestructive, automated measurements of plant traits including shape, aboveground architecture, length, and biomass over time. However, to establish these platforms, many of these methods require expensive equipment or phenotyping expertise. Here we present a relatively inexpensive and simple phenotyping method for imaging hundreds of small- to medium-sized growth chamber or greenhouse-grown plants with a digital camera. Using this method, we image hundreds of tomato plants in 1 day.

A handheld device for measuring the diameter at breast height of individual trees using laser ranging and deep-learning based image recognition

BACKGROUND

Accurate and efficient measurement of the diameter at breast height (DBH) of individual trees is essential for forest inventories, ecological management, and carbon budget estimation. However, traditional diameter tapes are still the most widely used dendrometers in forest surveys, which makes DBH measurement time-consuming and labor-intensive. Automatic and easy-to-use devices for measuring DBH are highly anticipated in forest surveys. In this study, we present a handheld device for measuring the DBH of individual trees that uses digital cameras and laser ranging, allowing for an instant, automated, and contactless measurement of DBH.

RESULTS

The base hardware of this device is a digital camera and a laser rangefinder, which are used to take a picture of the targeted tree trunk and record the horizontal distance between the digital camera and the targeted tree, respectively. The core software is composed of lightweight convolutional neural networks (CNNs), which includes an attention-focused mechanism for detecting the tree trunk to log the number of pixels between the edges. We also calibrated the digital camera to correct the distortion introduced by the lens system, and obtained the normalized focal length. Parameters including the horizontal distance between the digital camera and the targeted tree, number of pixels between the edges of the tree trunk, and normalized focal length were used to calculate the DBH based on the principles of geometrical optics. The measured diameter values, and the longitudes and latitudes of the measurement sites, were recorded in a text file, which is convenient to export to external flash disks. The field measurement accuracy test showed that the BIAS of the newly developed device was - 1.78 mm, and no significant differences were found between the measured diameter values and the true values (measured by the conventional tape). Furthermore, compared with most other image-based instruments, our device showed higher measurement accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

The newly developed handheld device realized efficient, accurate, instant, and non-contact measurements of DBH, and the CNNs were proven to be successful in the detection of the tree trunk in our research. We believe that the newly developed device can fulfill the precision requirement in forest surveys, and that the application of this device can improve the efficiency of DBH measurements in forest surveys.

Mix-and-read method for assessment of milk pasteurization using a smartphone or a common digital camera

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) is the most widely used marker of the adequacy of milk pasteurization since it is inactivated at temperatures slightly higher than those required for elimination of pathogens. The cutoff level is 350 mU/L. The approved colorimetric, fluorometric, and chemiluminometric methods require specialized readers with photomultipliers as detectors, and the samples are usually analyzed one-by-one. We developed a low-cost mix-and-read method that exploited a smartphone or a common digital camera as detectors for the chemiluminometric determination of ALP in milk. As samples, we used pasteurized cow and sheep milk spiked with ALP, as well as mixtures of pasteurized and raw (non-pasteurized) milk. Chemiluminescence images acquired by the smartphone or the digital camera were analyzed by the ImageJ software. The limits of detection (LODs), for images captured by the smartphone, were 4.4 mU/L and 11.1 mU/L for cow milk and sheep milk, respectively, while with the digital camera, the respective LODs were 6.2 mU/L and 6.7 mU/L, respectively. The coefficients of variation (CVs) at the cutoff level of 350 mU/L were 8% and 8.5% for the cow and sheep milk, respectively. For images by the digital camera, the CVs were 5.8% and 5% for cow and sheep milk, respectively. The performance of the method is similar to methods that use a microtiter plate and a luminometer for chemiluminescence measurements. Sample pretreatment is not necessary. The microtiter well format combined with detection by a smartphone enables the analysis of multiple samples simultaneously. It is anticipated that the method will prove useful for the rapid assessment of milk pasteurization efficiency in dairy industries, especially in remote areas where expensive instruments are not available. Graphical abstract.

Evaluation of some non-invasive approaches for the detection of red palm weevil infestation

Red palm weevil (RPW) causes severe damage to date palm trees, leading to the death of trees if not detected and treated in time. A major obstacle in RPW control is the difficulty in identifying an early stage infestation In the present study, we measured the efficacy of some non-invasive optical devices including cameras (digital camera and thermal camera), TreeRadarUnit™ (TRU) (Radar 2000, Radar 900), resistograph, magnetic DNA biosensor, and Near-infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS) to detect RPW infestation in date palm trees under field conditions at Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Date palm trees used in these experiments were selected based on visual observations. After inspection of date palm trees with different devices to detect RPW infestation, each tree was taken down and dissected in detail to validate the accuracy of each device. Results indicated that the visual RPW detection approach presented the highest accuracy (87%) followed by Radar 2000 (77%), Radar 900 (73%), resistograph (73%), thermal camera (61%), and digital camera (52%).

Moreover, different stages of RPW placed in plastic cups were fastened onto the healthy date palm trunks to judge RPW presence, the magnetic DNA biosensor correctly detected RPW eggs 75% of the time, followed by detection of larvae (64%) and the control (empty cup) (54%). In another experiment where determinations were made in an open area, the efficiency of the DNA biosensor for detecting adults was 100%, followed by 83%, 63%, 60%, and 39% for pupae, larvae, eggs, and control, respectively. Absorption spectra generated through NIRS for infested, wounded, and control samples of date palm tissue showed a remarkable variation in the gradient of the corresponding peaks between 1850 nm and 1950 nm. Based on the detection efficiency of the tested devices, the resistograph and NIRS have the best potential to detect RPW infestation in date palm trees.

Constructing an automatic object-recognition algorithm using labeling information for efficient recycling of WEEE

In an attempt to select an efficient recycling process for waste electrical and electronic equipment based on the value of individual products, we are engaged in the development of an automatic object-recognition system for discarded equipment. As part of this initiative, we developed a new object-recognition algorithm that uses the information from the labels on the bottoms of digital cameras discarded in Japan, which have a relatively high value. In addition, we created a program that can continuously process multiple two-dimensional digital images of the bottoms of the discarded cameras. The algorithm developed consists of the following: 1. Identifying the manufacturer using template matching with the manufacturer's logo on the label as a template image; 2. reading the model name located close to the logo using optical character recognition (OCR) processing; and 3. extracting the model-name candidates via a similarity calculation between the result of the OCR and the model-name list. After analyzing the information on the label of the discarded cameras, we carried out an object-recognition test using the images captured inside a photography box. The results demonstrated that on average, 48% of the total number of template images was necessary to identify all the manufacturers. This value varies from manufacturer to manufacturer; however, the template image with the "highest versatility" correctly matched 42% of the models of a certain manufacturer. The model-name identification for each manufacturer was successful 92% of the time on average, which indicated the effectiveness of this algorithm and emphasized the necessity of extracting the model-name candidates from the OCR result. Finally, assuming that a continuous process will be feasible in the future, a test was carried out using the photographed images of the discarded cameras moving on a conveyor belt at a speed of 0.5 m/s. The results demonstrated that the percentage of the number of template images required to identify the manufacturer was almost identical to that for static images. Notwithstanding the limitations of the image resolution (58% lower than that of the still images), the model-name identification rate was 81%.

A comparison between digital camera and spectrophotometer for sensitive and selective kinetic determination of brilliant green in wastewaters

In this study, a simple and novel kinetic spectrophotometric method has been proposed for the sensitive and highly selective determination of Brilliant Green. The method is based on the interaction of Brilliant Green with Triton X-100 in micellar media at room temperature. As a result of this interaction, the peak wavelength (625 nm) is gradually shifted toward longer wavelength region (634 nm) and more intensive hyper chromic effect has been seen. As well as, variations in the red, blue and green (RGB) components of the images as a function of time were observed. The kinetic interaction of Brilliant Green with Triton X-100 was recorded, using UV-Vis Spectrophotometer-diode array detector and a digital camera. The fixed-time method was used for the construction of a calibration curves. Brilliant Green can be measured in the range of 1.0 to 12.0 mg L^-1 and 1.0 to 10.0 mg L^-1with the detection limit of 0.047 mg L^-1 and 0.037 mg L^-1 using spectrophotometer and digital camera, respectively. The proposed method has been successfully used to determine Brilliant Green in some wastewaters such as textile dye effluent and goldfish farming water in the presence of some triphenylmethan dyes as the interferences.

Evaluation of grain yield based on digital images of rice canopy

BACKGROUND

Rice canopy changes are associated with changes in the red light (R), green light (G), and blue light (B) value parameters of digital images. To rapidly diagnose the responses of rice to nitrogen (N) fertilizer application and planting density, a simple model based on digital images was developed for predicting and evaluating rice yield.

RESULTS

N application rate and planting density had significant effects on rice yield. Rice yield first increased and then decreased with increasing of N rates, while the rice yield always increased significantly with increasing planting density. The normalized redness intensity (NRI), normalized greenness intensity (NGI), and normalized blueness intensity (NBI) values of the rice canopy varied among stages; however, they were primarily affected by N fertilizer rates, while planting density had no significant effects. Furthermore, the significant relationships of grain yield with NRI and NBI at the late filling stage could be fitted by quadratic equations, but there was no significant relationship observed between grain yield and NGI across all stages. In addition, a field validation experiment showed that the predicted yield based on the fitted quadratic equations was consistent with the measured yield.

CONCLUSION

The NRI, NGI, and NBI values of rice canopy were mainly affected by N fertilizer rates, while the planting density had no significant effect. The significant relationships between grain yield with NRI and NBI at the late filling stage could be fitted by quadratic equations. Therefore, the canopy NRI and NBI at the late filling stage as measured by digital photography could be used to predict grain yield in southern China.

Simple method to detect year-to-year variability of blooming phenology of Cerasus × yedoensis by digital camera

The year-to-year variability of the blooming phenology of cherry trees is important as a proxy climate indicator and strongly affects cultural ecosystem services. Observation of blooming phenology at multiple points requires a simple and flexible approach. We examined changes in the canopy gap fraction extracted from binarized upward images taken periodically beneath a Cerasus × yedoensis 'Somei-yoshino' tree. The gap fraction decreased rapidly after the start of bloom, reached a minimum value at full bloom, and began to increase again, but then decreased rapidly during leaf flush. These changes reflect the phenology of blooming and leaf flush after flower drop of 'Somei-yoshino'. These characteristics allow detection of the year-to-year variability of the bloom and leaf-flush phenology of cherry and other deciduous tree species that show the same patterns.

Colorimetric ionophore-based coextraction titrimetry of potassium ions

Potassium ion concentration can be successfully determined volumetrically by moving the titration from a homogeneous phase to a two phase solvent system. This is because potassium can be readily complexed in a selective and thermodynamically stable manner by ionophores such as valinomycin. Previous work demonstrated the successful titration of potassium by ion-exchange into an organic phase containing valinomycin, but the sample itself served as titrant, which is not sufficiently practical for routine applications. This problem is overcome here by a co-extraction based approach, with the sodium salt of the water soluble lipophilic anion tetraphenylborate as titrant. The extraction of potassium tetraphenylborate must be preferred over that of the hydrogen ion-tetraphenylborate pair, which is used to indicate the endpoint by the presence of a lipophilic indicator in the organic phase. This is controlled by the sample pH, which for the conditions chosen here is around 7 for optimal sharpness and accuracy of the endpoint. The approach is demonstrated in a colorimetric detection approach, by use of a tethered digital camera and subsequent automated analysis of the resulting image files. The potassium analysis in a variety of samples is successfully demonstrated, including blood serum.

Colorimetric detection of Hg(II) by measurement the color alterations from the "before" and "after" RGB images of etched triangular silver nanoplates

It is shown that triangular silver nanoplates (TAgNPs) are viable colorimetric probes for the fast, sensitive and selective detection of Hg(II). Detection is accomplished by reducing Hg(II) ions to elemental Hg so that an Ag/Hg amalgam is formed on the surface of the TAgNPs. This leads to the inhibition of the etching TAgNPs by chloride ions. Correspondingly, a distinct color transition can be observed that goes from yellow to brown, purple, and blue. The color alterations extracted from the red, green, and blue part of digital (RGB) images can be applied to the determination of Hg(II). The relationship between the Euclidean distances (EDs), i.e. the square roots of the sums of the squares of the ΔRGB values, vary in the 5 nM to 100 nM Hg(II) concentration range, and the limit of detection is as low as 0.35 nM. The color changes also allow for a visual estimation of the concentrations of Hg(II). The method is simple in that it only requires a digital camera for data acquisition and a Photoshop software for extracting RGB variations and data processing. Graphical abstract Hg²⁺ detection was achieved by anti-etching of TAgNPs caused by the formation of silver amalgam, along with vivid multicolor variations from yellow to brown, purple, and eventually to be blue.

Estimating the age of Heliconius butterflies from calibrated photographs

Mating behaviour and predation avoidance in Heliconius involve visual colour signals; however, there is considerable inter-individual phenotypic variation in the appearance of colours. In particular, the red pigment varies from bright crimson to faded red. It has been thought that this variation is primarily due to pigment fading with age, although this has not been explicitly tested. Previous studies have shown the importance of red patterns in mate choice and that birds and butterflies might perceive these small colour differences. Using digital photography and calibrated colour images, we investigated whether the hue variation in the forewing dorsal red band of Heliconius melpomene rosina corresponds with age. We found that the red hue and age were highly associated, suggesting that red colour can indeed be used as a proxy for age in the study of wild-caught butterflies.

Evaluation to prevent the Physical Changes in Colored Elastomeric Modules when exposed to various Dietary Media

AIM AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study is to analyze and compare the variation of lumen size and thickness of the elastomeric colored modules when immersed in four selected dietary media.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sample size of 40 modules on each color - such as red, blue, green, and black - was taken and immersed in four dietary media (artificial saliva, coke mixed with artificial saliva, turmeric mixed with artificial saliva, and coffee mixed with artificial saliva). Beakers containing different dietary media and color modules are kept in the incubator at 37°C for 72 hours. After incubation period, all the segments of module strips removed from the dietary media were placed under the electric lamp and photographs were taken using Canon camera (SX400 IS). Photographs were transferred to GIMP software, and lumen size and thickness variation in the modules was measured.

RESULTS

Statistical analysis were performed using analysis of variance and t-test in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software. It showed significant difference in thickness of black module in all dietary media. Significant difference existed between all the lumen sizes of four color modules in four dietary media.

CONCLUSION

This study was done to identify the material that has more changes in physical properties when exposed to various dietary media.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

According to the results obtained, black color modules have increased in lumen size in all dietary media. In thickness, red color module showed less variation and black color module exhibited more variation.

Accuracy of Three Shade-matching Devices in Replicating the Shade of Metal Ceramic Restorations: An in vitro Study

INTRODUCTION

In restorative dentistry, the clinician commonly encounters the challenge of replicating the color of natural teeth due to the subjectivity of perceptual evaluation. Recent advances in photography and computing have resulted in the widespread use of the digital camera for color imaging. These instruments can be used effectively for shade matching and communication to yield predictable results.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study sample consisted of 20 freshly extracted noncarious premolars. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) L*a*b* values of the tooth were obtained through a spectrophotometer, digital camera, and digital camera with a polarizer. Shade selection was carried out using VITA 3D Master and calculating the Euclidian distance. The fabricated metal ceramic crowns were then evaluated to check the shade replication by comparing the CIE L*a*b* values of the crowns with the reference shade tab images.

RESULTS

The three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and comparative analysis using Bonferroni test reveals that the difference in the mean L*a* values between spectrophotometer and polarization dental imaging modality (PDIM) was insignificant. The difference in the mean L*a*b* of spectrophotometer and digital camera was statistically significant. The mean ΔE for metal ceramic crowns and shade tabs was 4.2 that was greater than the clinically acceptable level (3.2).

CONCLUSION

A statistically significant correlation was found to exist between the spectrophotometer and PDIM for all CIE L*, a*, and b* color coordinates.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

The present study was undertaken to assess the shade-matching ability of three shade-matching devices, such as spectrophotometer, digital camera, and PDIM, in the accuracy of replication of metal ceramic restorations.

Five years of phenological monitoring in a mountain grassland: inter-annual patterns and evaluation of the sampling protocol

The increasingly important effect of climate change and extremes on alpine phenology highlights the need to establish accurate monitoring methods to track inter-annual variation (IAV) and long-term trends in plant phenology. We evaluated four different indices of phenological development (two for plant productivity, i.e., green biomass and leaf area index; two for plant greenness, i.e., greenness from visual inspection and from digital images) from a 5-year monitoring of ecosystem phenology, here defined as the seasonal development of the grassland canopy, in a subalpine grassland site (NW Alps). Our aim was to establish an effective observation strategy that enables the detection of shifts in grassland phenology in response to climate trends and meteorological extremes. The seasonal development of the vegetation at this site appears strongly controlled by snowmelt mostly in its first stages and to a lesser extent in the overall development trajectory. All indices were able to detect an anomalous beginning of the growing season in 2011 due to an exceptionally early snowmelt, whereas only some of them revealed a later beginning of the growing season in 2013 due to a late snowmelt. A method is developed to derive the number of samples that maximise the trade-off between sampling effort and accuracy in IAV detection in the context of long-term phenology monitoring programmes. Results show that spring phenology requires a smaller number of samples than autumn phenology to track a given target of IAV. Additionally, productivity indices (leaf area index and green biomass) have a higher sampling requirement than greenness derived from visual estimation and from the analysis of digital images. Of the latter two, the analysis of digital images stands out as the more effective, rapid and objective method to detect IAV in vegetation development.

Two low-cost digital camera-based platforms for quantitative creatinine analysis in urine

In clinical analysis creatinine is a routine biomarker for the assessment of renal and muscular dysfunctions. Although several techniques have been proposed for a fast and accurate quantification of creatinine in human serum or urine, most of them require expensive or complex apparatus, advanced sample preparation or skilled operators. To circumvent these issues, we propose two home-made platforms based on a CD Spectroscope (CDS) and Computer Screen Photo-assisted Technique (CSPT) for the rapid assessment of creatinine level in human urine. Both systems display a linear range (r(2) = 0.9967 and 0.9972, respectively) from 160 μmol L(-1) to 1.6 mmol L(-1) for standard creatinine solutions (n = 15) with respective detection limits of 89 μmol L(-1) and 111 μmol L(-1). Good repeatability was observed for intra-day (1.7-2.9%) and inter-day (3.6-6.5%) measurements evaluated on three consecutive days. The performance of CDS and CSPT was also validated in real human urine samples (n = 26) using capillary electrophoresis data as reference. Corresponding Partial Least-Squares (PLS) regression models provided for mean relative errors below 10% in creatinine quantification.

Conventional digital cameras as a tool for assessing leaf area index and biomass for cereal breeding

Affordable and easy-to-use methods for assessing biomass and leaf area index (LAI) would be of interest in most breeding programs. Here, we describe the evaluation of a protocol for photographic sampling and image analysis aimed at providing low-labor yet robust indicators of biomass and LAI. In this trial, two genotypes of triticale, two of bread wheat, and four of tritordeum were studied. At six dates during the growing cycle, biomass and LAI were measured destructively, and digital photography was taken on the same dates. Several vegetation indices were calculated from each image. The results showed that repeatable and consistent values of the indices were obtained in consecutive photographic samplings on the same plots. The photographic indices were highly correlated with the destructive measurements, though the magnitude of the correlation was lower after anthesis. This work shows that photographic assessment of biomass and LAI can be fast, affordable, have good repeatability, and can be used under bright and overcast skies. A practical vegetation index derived from pictures is the fraction of green pixels over the total pixels of the image, and as it shows good correlations with all biomass variables, is the most robust to lighting conditions and has easy interpretation.

Digital clinical photography: practical tips

Photographs are the most preferred and easiest way of documentation of patient visual features. In aesthetic and cutaneous surgery, there is an increased need for proper photographic documentation, from a medicolegal view point. This article discusses the basic aspects of camera and photography which a dermatologist should be aware before he/she starts with clinical photography.

Can Commercial Digital Cameras Be Used as Multispectral Sensors? A Crop Monitoring Test

The use of consumer digital cameras or webcams to characterize and monitor different features has become prevalent in various domains, especially in environmental applications. Despite some promising results, such digital camera systems generally suffer from signal aberrations due to the on-board image processing systems and thus offer limited quantitative data acquisition capability. The objective of this study was to test a series of radiometric corrections having the potential to reduce radiometric distortions linked to camera optics and environmental conditions, and to quantify the effects of these corrections on our ability to monitor crop variables. In 2007, we conducted a five-month experiment on sugarcane trial plots using original RGB and modified RGB (Red-Edge and NIR) cameras fitted onto a light aircraft. The camera settings were kept unchanged throughout the acquisition period and the images were recorded in JPEG and RAW formats. These images were corrected to eliminate the vignetting effect, and normalized between acquisition dates. Our results suggest that 1) the use of unprocessed image data did not improve the results of image analyses; 2) vignetting had a significant effect, especially for the modified camera, and 3) normalized vegetation indices calculated with vignetting-corrected images were sufficient to correct for scene illumination conditions. These results are discussed in the light of the experimental protocol and recommendations are made for the use of these versatile systems for quantitative remote sensing of terrestrial surfaces.