Return device for empties, comprising: an optical capturing apparatus for optically capturing features of an empty container, wherein the capturing apparatus comprises: • a plurality of light sources (110, 112); and • a plurality of cameras (106, 108); a processor configured to determine the features of the empty container, which features have been captured by means of the plurality of cameras and have been transmitted from the latter to the processor; a circuit connected to the plurality of cameras (106, 108); • wherein the light sources (110, 112) and the cameras (106, 108) are arranged around a capturing region in a horseshoe-shaped manner, with the empty container being brought into said capturing region for the purposes of optically capturing the features; • wherein at least one of the plurality of light sources and at least one of the plurality of cameras are arranged in such a way that the at least one camera is arranged in the beam path of the at least one light source such that, when an empty container has been brought into the capturing region, the at least one camera captures a change in a luminous energy from the at least one light source in comparison with the case where there are no empty containers in the capturing region; • a circuit configured to activate at least one additional camera of the plurality of cameras (106, 108) and/or at least one additional light source of the plurality of light sources (110, 112) on the basis of the change in the luminous energy captured by means of the at least one camera; • wherein the circuit is configured to deactivate the at least one additional camera of the plurality of cameras and/or the at least one additional light source of the plurality of light sources following the recognition of the features. an optical capturing apparatus for optically capturing features of an empty container, wherein the capturing apparatus comprises: • a plurality of light sources (110, 112); and • a plurality of cameras (106, 108); • a plurality of light sources (110, 112); and • a plurality of cameras (106, 108); a processor configured to determine the features of the empty container, which features have been captured by means of the plurality of cameras and have been transmitted from the latter to the processor; a circuit connected to the plurality of cameras (106, 108); • wherein the light sources (110, 112) and the cameras (106, 108) are arranged around a capturing region in a horseshoe-shaped manner, with the empty container being brought into said capturing region for the purposes of optically capturing the features; • wherein at least one of the plurality of light sources and at least one of the plurality of cameras are arranged in such a way that the at least one camera is arranged in the beam path of the at least one light source such that, when an empty container has been brought into the capturing region, the at least one camera captures a change in a luminous energy from the at least one light source in comparison with the case where there are no empty containers in the capturing region; • a circuit configured to activate at least one additional camera of the plurality of cameras (106, 108) and/or at least one additional light source of the plurality of light sources (110, 112) on the basis of the change in the luminous energy captured by means of the at least one camera; • wherein the circuit is configured to deactivate the at least one additional camera of the plurality of cameras and/or the at least one additional light source of the plurality of light sources following the recognition of the features. • wherein the light sources (110, 112) and the cameras (106, 108) are arranged around a capturing region in a horseshoe-shaped manner, with the empty container being brought into said capturing region for the purposes of optically capturing the features; • wherein at least one of the plurality of light sources and at least one of the plurality of cameras are arranged in such a way that the at least one camera is arranged in the beam path of the at least one light source such that, when an empty container has been brought into the capturing region, the at least one camera captures a change in a luminous energy from the at least one light source in comparison with the case where there are no empty containers in the capturing region; • a circuit configured to activate at least one additional camera of the plurality of cameras (106, 108) and/or at least one additional light source of the plurality of light sources (110, 112) on the basis of the change in the luminous energy captured by means of the at least one camera; • wherein the circuit is configured to deactivate the at least one additional camera of the plurality of cameras and/or the at least one additional light source of the plurality of light sources following the recognition of the features.