Why am I unable to preview 16-bit image data from my camera?

If using MATLAB R2008b or later, a possible workaround is to use the following command before creating the videoinput object:

imaqmex('feature', '-previewFullBitDepth', true);

You can also configure the preview axes CDataMapping and CLim properties.

vid = videoinput('winvideo') 
h = preview(vid); 
a = ancestor(h, 'axes');
set(h, 'CDataMapping', 'scaled');
% Modify the following numbers to reflect the actual limits of the data
returned by the camera.
% For example the limit a 16-bit camera would be [0 65535].
set(a, 'CLim', [0 65535]);

Please ensure that the preview window remains open while setting the image properties.