# Quanta Burst Photography

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2006.11840 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.11840/

## Key facts

- Cited by 25 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 21 Jun 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 25 of 25)

- [Passive Inter-Photon Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2104.00059/) (2021)
- [Progressive Joint Low-light Enhancement and Noise Removal for Raw Images](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.14844/) (2021)
- [SoDaCam: Software-defined Cameras via Single-Photon Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.00066/) (2023)
- [Photon-Starved Scene Inference using Single Photon Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.11001/) (2021)
- [Single-Photon Structured Light](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.05300/) (2022)
- [HDR Imaging with Spatially Varying Signal-to-Noise Ratios](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17253/) (2023)
- [Generalized Event Cameras](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.02683/) (2024)
- [Burst Imaging for Light-Constrained Structure-From-Motion](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.09895/) (2021)
- [Resolution Limit of Single-Photon LiDAR](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.17719/) (2024)
- [Event Cameras Meet SPADs for High-Speed, Low-Bandwidth Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2404.11511/) (2024)
- [Streaming quanta sensors for online, high-performance imaging and vision](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.00859/) (2024)
- [Radiance Fields from Photons](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.09386/) (2024)
- [Quanta Video Restoration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.14994/) (2024)
- [Panoramas from Photons](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.03811/) (2023)
- [bit2bit: 1-bit quanta video reconstruction via self-supervised photon prediction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.23247/) (2024)
- [Seeing Far in the Dark with Patterned Flash](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12570/) (2022)
- [Photon Inhibition for Energy-Efficient Single-Photon Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.18337/) (2024)
- [Joint Depth and Reflectivity Estimation using Single-Photon LiDAR](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.13250/) (2025)
- [PhotonSplat: 3D Scene Reconstruction and Colorization from SPAD Sensors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.21680/) (2025)
- [Fundamental Recovery Bounds for SPAD Signals under Stationary Flux](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.07599/) (2026)
- [gQIR: Generative Quanta Image Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.20417/) (2026)
- [Computer Vision with a Superpixelation Camera](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.26900/) (2026)
- [Imaging Hidden Objects with Consumer LiDAR via Motion Induced Sampling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2605.17865/) (2026)
- [Practical Noise Modeling for SPAD Intensity Imaging](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.00489/) (2026)
- [Optical Flow from Photons](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.00499/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

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.