Abstract: Provided is an optical device such as a camera having an image sensor and a lens/mirror system or the like for capturing a very wide angle image such as a panoramic image and directing it towards a planar photo-sensitive surface of the image sensor. The image sensor converts the captured image, which may be a moving image, into an electrical or electronic signal or signals. The image sensor has a plurality of photo sensors or pixels arranged on a photo-sensitive surface thereof in a generally circular arrangement. The plurality of photo sensors or pixels is addressable or identifiable such that a window portion of a captured image can be defined by references to addresses or identifiers of respective photo sensors or pixels. The camera may form part of an integrated or distributed system including means for converting said electrical signal into digital image data and means for buffering or storing said digital image data.