A scanning lidar system comprising: a transmitter including a laser and a first optical switch configured to receive laser pulses from the laser; a first plurality of fibers each coupled to a different one of a plurality of outputs of the first optical switch; a first at least one optical element configured to receive the laser pulses from at least one of the first plurality of fibers and to redirect the laser pulses to illuminate at least a portion of a field of view; a receiver including a second optical switch and at least one detector; a second plurality of fibers each coupled to a different input of the second optical switch, an output of the second optical switch coupled to the at least one detector; a second at least one optical element configured to receive the laser pulses reflected from the field of view and to redirect received reflected pulses to at least one of the second plurality of fibers; and at least one controller (120, 162) configured to control the first optical switch to direct the laser pulses from an input of the first optical switch to each of the plurality of outputs in turn, to control the second optical switch to direct light from each of the second plurality of fibers in turn to the output of the second optical switch, and to process signals from the at least one detector to generate data representing the field of view, the system characterized in that: outputs of the first plurality of fibers are positioned in a first linear array and inputs of the second plurality of fibers are positioned in a second linear array orthogonal to the first linear array, the first at least one optical element is configured to form a pulsed output beam from each of the first plurality of fibers having an elliptically shaped cross-section, the second at least one optical element is configured to form received pulsed beams having elliptically shaped cross sections, and the data correspond to pixels, with each pixel corresponding to an intersection of the elliptically shaped cross sections of the transmitted and received pulsed beams. a transmitter including a laser and a first optical switch configured to receive laser pulses from the laser; a first plurality of fibers each coupled to a different one of a plurality of outputs of the first optical switch; a first at least one optical element configured to receive the laser pulses from at least one of the first plurality of fibers and to redirect the laser pulses to illuminate at least a portion of a field of view; a receiver including a second optical switch and at least one detector; a second plurality of fibers each coupled to a different input of the second optical switch, an output of the second optical switch coupled to the at least one detector; a second at least one optical element configured to receive the laser pulses reflected from the field of view and to redirect received reflected pulses to at least one of the second plurality of fibers; and at least one controller (120, 162) configured to control the first optical switch to direct the laser pulses from an input of the first optical switch to each of the plurality of outputs in turn, to control the second optical switch to direct light from each of the second plurality of fibers in turn to the output of the second optical switch, and to process signals from the at least one detector to generate data representing the field of view, the system characterized in that: outputs of the first plurality of fibers are positioned in a first linear array and inputs of the second plurality of fibers are positioned in a second linear array orthogonal to the first linear array, the first at least one optical element is configured to form a pulsed output beam from each of the first plurality of fibers having an elliptically shaped cross-section, the second at least one optical element is configured to form received pulsed beams having elliptically shaped cross sections, and the data correspond to pixels, with each pixel corresponding to an intersection of the elliptically shaped cross sections of the transmitted and received pulsed beams. outputs of the first plurality of fibers are positioned in a first linear array and inputs of the second plurality of fibers are positioned in a second linear array orthogonal to the first linear array, the first at least one optical element is configured to form a pulsed output beam from each of the first plurality of fibers having an elliptically shaped cross-section, the second at least one optical element is configured to form received pulsed beams having elliptically shaped cross sections, and the data correspond to pixels, with each pixel corresponding to an intersection of the elliptically shaped cross sections of the transmitted and received pulsed beams.