Apparatus for acquiring a two-dimensional image of the external surface of a three-dimensional object selected from capsules of the type used in pharmaceutical or healthcare applications, comprising: - displacing means for supporting and displacing the object along a path; - a single camera for capturing images of portions of the object surface; - rotating means for rotating the object about one of its axes along a section of said path, so as to expose successive portions of the object surface to said single camera, whereby the single camera is able to capture images corresponding to successive exposed portions of the object surface; and - the single camera is configured to sequentially capture the images as respective single frames and wherein it further comprises - electronic processing means adapted, for each successive single frame, to • read out a sub-frame from the single frame, said sub-frame corresponding to a respective individual portion of the exposed portion of the object surface, whereby said successive sub-frames correspond to successive and adjacent individual portions of the object surface with a pre-defined mutual overlap, • store said sub-frames; and • assemble the successive sub-frames into an assembled frame corresponding to a two-dimensional image of an unpeeled surface area of the object, wherein the displacing means comprise at least one carrier provided with a housing configured to receive the object and the rotating means comprise a friction bar arranged at a distance in a vertical direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, from the carrier and facing the housing and arranged to contact locally a top area of the free region of the external surface of the object when said object is placed in the housing of the carrier, the displacing means further comprising a driving member adapted to move the carrier relative to the friction bar. - displacing means for supporting and displacing the object along a path; - a single camera for capturing images of portions of the object surface; - rotating means for rotating the object about one of its axes along a section of said path, so as to expose successive portions of the object surface to said single camera, whereby the single camera is able to capture images corresponding to successive exposed portions of the object surface; and - the single camera is configured to sequentially capture the images as respective single frames and wherein it further comprises - electronic processing means adapted, for each successive single frame, to • read out a sub-frame from the single frame, said sub-frame corresponding to a respective individual portion of the exposed portion of the object surface, whereby said successive sub-frames correspond to successive and adjacent individual portions of the object surface with a pre-defined mutual overlap, • store said sub-frames; and • assemble the successive sub-frames into an assembled frame corresponding to a two-dimensional image of an unpeeled surface area of the object, • read out a sub-frame from the single frame, said sub-frame corresponding to a respective individual portion of the exposed portion of the object surface, whereby said successive sub-frames correspond to successive and adjacent individual portions of the object surface with a pre-defined mutual overlap, • store said sub-frames; and • assemble the successive sub-frames into an assembled frame corresponding to a two-dimensional image of an unpeeled surface area of the object,