When there are sufficient 'good' points and photos in the project, and the camera optimization check box is checked in the Processing Dialog then the camera calibration process will run along with the global optimization.
In calibration PhotoModeler attempts to make minor adjustments to the camera parameters to account for changes in focal length, principal point and lens distortion as the camera lens is focused.
Camera Optimization (or calibration) can take serval forms. These are called Full, Field, Self, and Auto. Full calibration is when the project is set up as a specific Camera Calibration project. Field calibration is done during processing of a normal project (optimize the camera at same time as project data). Self-calibration is similar but can treat every photo’s camera parameter differently, and Auto calibration is field calibration that is carried out concurrently with Smart Orientation.
With the appropriate Preference setting (Preferences - Processing and Cameras), the camera optimization can be self-calibration. When one camera is shared between multiple photographs, self-calibration copies the camera (one for each shared photo) during processing so they can be independently adjusted. After processing is completed you can see the results of the individual calibrations by opening the Photo Table. These individualized camera settings will remain until the next processing or until a camera parameter is changed on the original camera for that photograph.