An imaging system (FIG. 3) is disclosed that has a wavelength dependent
focal shift caused by longitudinal chromatic aberration in a lens
assembly (203) that provides extended depth of field imaging due to focal
shift (213,214) and increased resolution due to reduced lens system
magnification. In use, multiple wavelengths of quasi-monochromatic
illumination, from different wavelength LEDs (206,207) or the like,
illuminate the target, either sequentially, or in parallel in conjunction
with an imager (200) with wavelength selective (colored) filters. Images
are captured with different wavelengths of illumination that have
different focus positions (208,209), either sequentially or by processing
the color planes of a color imager separately. Extended depth of field,
plus high resolution are achieved. Additionally, information about the
range to the target can be determined by analyzing the degree of focus of
the various colored images.