Image Engineering

What Image Engineering does

Image Engineering GmbH & Co. KG, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Kerpen, Germany, manufactures image quality test equipment and provides professional image quality testing services for camera and lens manufacturers worldwide. The company is organized around three product pillars: a catalog of over 250 standardized test charts (TE series), a proprietary line of spectrally programmable LED illumination and measurement devices built on its core iQ-LED technology (including Arcturus, Vega, VLS, iQ-Flatlights, LE7, CAL integrating spheres, and the GEOCAL geometric calibration device), and the AI-powered iQ-Analyzer-X software that automates camera performance evaluation against international standards such as ISO 12233, ISO 14524, ISO 15739, ISO 16505, and IEEE-P2020. The firm serves camera manufacturers across automotive/ADAS, mobile phone, photography, security, broadcast, machine vision, medical/endoscopy, and archiving verticals, with reference customers including Leica and Panasonic and named end-customers across VCX consortium members and automotive Tier-1 suppliers.

The company operates as a subsidiary of the publicly listed Nynomic Group (since June 2021) with wholly-owned regional entities in the USA and Shenzhen, China, distributing through direct enterprise field sales and a global reseller network. Revenue is generated through hardware sales, one-time software licenses (iQ-Analyzer-X), recurring consumables such as test charts, and professional services delivered through the iQ-Lab independent testing laboratory and its camPAS automotive testing program. All pricing is quote-based, with multi-year contracts typical. The firm holds a unique position as a designated VCX Trusted Lab for mobile phone assessments and as a contributor to the IEEE-P2020 standard for ADAS image quality testing, with leadership transitioning in July 2025 from founder Dietmar Wüller to Nicola Best.

Name

Image Engineering

Legal name

Image Engineering GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://image-engineering.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Image Engineering manufactures image quality test equipment — test charts, spectrally programmable LED illumination devices, measurement instruments, and AI-powered analysis software — serving camera manufacturers across automotive/ADAS, mobile phone, photography, security, broadcast, machine vision, and medical verticals worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Camera Test Equipment

NAICS

Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (3345), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519), Testing Laboratories and Services (54138)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Laboratory Analytical Instruments (3826), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Test & Measurement Equipment (Oscilloscopes, DAQ, signal analyzers, calibration benches) (IMAGAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Machine Vision & Optical Sensing (Cameras, 3D vision, LiDAR, illumination) (IMAGAFAB), Machine Vision & Inspection Lighting (Ring lights, bar lights, backlights, strobed illumination) (IMAGAIAG), Machine Vision & Industrial Imaging Systems (IMAHAHAE)

Keywords

• Image quality testing
• Camera test equipment
• Test charts
• Illumination devices
• Camera calibration

Headquarters

HQ city

Kerpen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Test Charts: Sale of over 250 test charts for image quality testing including reflective, transparent, and specialized charts
2. Test Equipment: Illumination devices (Vega, Arcturus, iQ-Flatlights), measurement devices (LED-Panel, GEOCAL), and calibration equipment
3. Analysis Software: iQ-Analyzer-X software for image quality evaluation with AI-powered detection tools
4. Professional Testing Services: iQ-Lab professional image quality testing services including camPAS automotive testing and VCX mobile phone assessments

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Image Engineering manufactures and supplies image-quality test equipment, including over 250 test charts, spectrally programmable illumination devices (powered by proprietary iQ-LED technology), measurement devices, and AI-powered analysis software (iQ-Analyzer-X). The company also provides professional image quality testing services through its iQ-Lab, serving camera and lens manufacturers across automotive, mobile phone, broadcast, security, machine vision, medical, and photography industries.

Product overview

Image Engineering provides a comprehensive portfolio of image quality testing solutions consisting of test charts (over 250 charts under the TE/T prefix series), illumination devices (powered by proprietary iQ-LED technology including Arcturus, Vega, VLS, LE7, iQ-Flatlights, lightSTUDIO, CAL devices, and Octa Light Player), measurement devices (LED-Panel, GEOCAL, iQ-Trigger, EX2, camPAS, iQ-Climate Chamber, AEON Camera Calibrator), and analysis software (iQ-Analyzer-X with AI-powered detection). The products form an integrated ecosystem: test charts are illuminated by iQ-LED powered devices, measurements are captured by specialized devices, and analyzed using iQ-Analyzer-X software. Services include professional testing via iQ-Lab and specialized automotive testing (camPAS) per IEEE-P2020 standards. Founded in 1995, the company operates as part of the Nynomic group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• iQ-Analyzer: AI-powered image quality analysis software for evaluating camera performance metrics
• iQ-LED
• iQ-Lab
• camPAS

Products and services

• iQ-Analyzer-X AI-powered image quality analysis software that processes test chart images and camera output to evaluate resolution, noise, dynamic range, color accuracy, and other metrics according to ISO and IEEE standards. For camera manufacturers, automotive OEMs, and test labs.
• Test Charts (TE Series) Over 250 test charts for image quality testing, including reflective, transparent, and specialized charts such as TE42, TE252, TE188, TE292, TE269, TE42-LL, and TE300. Used by camera and lens manufacturers worldwide.
• Arcturus High-intensity sun simulator light source with maximum illuminance up to 1 Mcd/m² for testing automotive cameras under bright sunlight conditions. Flicker-free DC-driven LED with high stability per IEEE-P2020 standard. For automotive OEMs and camera manufacturers.
• LED-Panel V5 Precise timing measurement device for digital cameras that measures shooting time lag, shutter lag, autofocus time, burst frame rate, exposure time, rolling shutter speed, and startup time per ISO 15781. For camera manufacturers and test labs.
• Vega DC-driven LED light source for evaluating camera systems with extremely short exposure times. Used for dynamic range testing and flicker measurements per IEEE-P2020 standard. For automotive and camera testing labs.
• LE7 VIS-IR Uniform lightbox powered by iQ-LED technology with spectral range of 380-1050 nm for testing in visible and infrared ranges. Optimized for transparent targets including TE269 grayscale target. For camera manufacturers and test labs.
• iQ-Flatlights Diffuse light panels using iQ-LED V2 technology for illuminating reflective test charts. Spectral range 380-820 nm with 20 color channels, uniformity >90%, and +/- 1% illumination stability. For camera and display testing labs.
• Versatile Light System (VLS) Flexible illumination system combining up to seven Vega light sources with single control box. Generates high dynamic HDR test scenes for CTA and MMP measurements per IEEE-P2020. For automotive camera testing.
• GEOCAL Geometric camera calibration device using beam expanded laser and diffractive optical element. Creates grid of light spots from infinity for distortion measurements. For camera manufacturers and automotive testing.
• CAL1 0.3m integrating sphere with iQ-LED V2 technology for camera calibration. Uniformity >98% over 70mm opening. Performs defect pixel detection, luminance/color shading, exposure adjustment, and spectral sensitivity measurements. For camera manufacturers and production lines.
• CAL2 Compact integrating sphere optimized for production line camera calibration. 60x60mm opening with >96% uniformity. Supports multiple camera module calibration in under a second. For high-volume camera production lines.
• EX2 V2 Spectrometer Spectrometer combining visible and IR spectrum in single device. Spectral range 200-1100 nm with 2048 pixel resolution. NIST traceable calibrated with software for importing spectral distributions. For test labs and camera manufacturers.
• camPAS Testing Service Camera Performance for Automotive Systems testing service providing independent third-party test results for in-cabin and ADAS camera systems per IEEE-P2020 standards. For automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
• iQ-Lab Professional image quality testing laboratory offering objective, unbiased test results for cameras and lenses. Also trusted VCX lab for mobile phone assessments. For camera and lens manufacturers requiring independent third-party testing.
• VCX Testing Trusted laboratory for mobile phone assessments providing independent camera performance evaluation per VCX standards. For smartphone manufacturers and VCX consortium members.
• AEON Camera Calibrator Machine vision testing device for testing cameras according to EMVA 1288 standard. For industrial automation and machine vision camera manufacturers.
• Octa Light Player Multi-channel light source for illuminating color-critical work environments. For display manufacturers, color-critical work environments, and camera testing labs.
• lightSTUDIO Real scene lighting device for visual analysis of camera systems. Available in LED V2, AW (Adaptive White), LM (moving targets), and LH (HDR) versions for white balance, noise, and motion testing. For camera manufacturers and test labs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Independent third-party testing through iQ-Lab provides objective camera performance assessment

Named customers3 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Solectrix GmbHcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2025Strategic partnership focused on integrating Image Engineering's iQ-Analyzer-X software with Solectrix's SXIVE 2.0 rapid imaging prototyping system. SXIVE 2.0 now implements iQ-Analyzer-X for advanced image quality analysis of images and videos. The partnership provides users with a complete system to accelerate development of modern imaging systems.
• Nynomic GroupcoreOthers · 1 June 2021Image Engineering has operated as part of the Nynomic group since June 2021. Nynomic is a parent company providing strategic oversight and potentially shared resources across subsidiary companies.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Imatest: Imatest is a direct competitor providing image quality testing software and chart-based solutions for camera manufacturers, mobile phone companies, and machine vision integrators. It is the closest like-for-like competitor to Image Engineering's iQ-Analyzer-X and test chart business.
• Astrodesign: Astrodesign (Japan) manufactures video test equipment, signal generators, and image evaluation systems for broadcast and professional camera testing. It competes with Image Engineering's broadcast and machine vision testing solutions in the Asian market.
• Westboro Photonics: Westboro Photonics designs imaging photometers and colorimeters for display, AR/VR, and automotive camera testing. It is a direct peer in the camera/display measurement niche that Image Engineering addresses with its iQ-LED, Vega, and lightSTUDIO products.
• DxO Labs: DxO Labs offers image quality analysis software (DxO Analyzer) and standardized testing protocols for camera and smartphone manufacturers. It competes directly with Image Engineering's iQ-Analyzer-X and iQ-Lab services in the mobile phone and photography segments.
• Gamma Scientific: Gamma Scientific specializes in light measurement instruments, spectroradiometers, and calibration sources used in display and imaging test applications. Its products overlap with Image Engineering's EX2 spectrometer, integrating spheres, and LED-based calibration sources.
• Radiant Vision Systems: Radiant Vision Systems (a Konica Minolta company) provides imaging colorimeters, photometers, and light measurement systems used in display, automotive, and camera quality testing. Its ProMetric systems directly overlap with Image Engineering's iQ-LED and CAL integrating sphere products.

Broad incumbents

• Konica Minolta Sensing: Konica Minolta's Sensing business is a broad incumbent in light, color, and display measurement with extensive product lines serving automotive, display, and industrial customers. It overlaps with Image Engineering's illumination and measurement devices but serves a much wider measurement portfolio.
• National Instruments (NI): NI is a broad test & measurement incumbent offering modular instruments, data acquisition, and automated test systems. While not a direct specialist in image quality, its PXI and vision-based test platforms overlap with industrial machine vision and ADAS test workflows that Image Engineering's camPAS service also targets.
• Edmund Optics: Edmund Optics supplies optical components, test targets, and illumination products used in machine vision and imaging system integration. It is a broad incumbent that competes with parts of Image Engineering's test chart and illumination portfolio, particularly in machine vision and laboratory applications.
• Thorlabs: Thorlabs is a broad incumbent in photonics and optical test equipment, offering light sources, integrating spheres, spectrometers, and imaging components. Its products overlap with Image Engineering's CAL, LE7, and EX2 product families in industrial and research lab settings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IE_iQ_News
• Facebookfacebook.com/ImageEngineering

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Image Engineering