A three-dimensional imaging system, comprising: an illumination subsystem comprising a transmission lens, the illumination subsystem being configured to emit a light pulse with a divergence sufficient to irradiate a scene; a sensor subsystem comprising: a receiving lens having a field of view and configured to receive a portion of the light pulse reflected or scattered by the scene, the receiving lens being connected to and responsive to a controller, the controller being configured to adjust the field of view of the receiving lens based in part on the divergence of the light pulse imparted by the transmission lens; a modulator configured to modulate as a function of time an intensity of the portion of the received light pulse to form a modulated received light pulse portion; and at least one imaging sensor array (528, 529) configured to generate a first image in response to the received light pulse portion and a second image in response to the modulated received light pulse portion; and a processor subsystem configured to obtain a three-dimensional image based on pixel intensities of the first and second images, wherein at least one of the first and second images contains a region of maximum intensity, wherein the imaging sensor array has a saturation limit, and wherein the system is configured to enhance a dynamic range of the three-dimensional image by increasing an energy of the light pulse so that the region of maximum intensity is above the saturation limit of the imaging sensor array. an illumination subsystem comprising a transmission lens, the illumination subsystem being configured to emit a light pulse with a divergence sufficient to irradiate a scene; a sensor subsystem comprising: a receiving lens having a field of view and configured to receive a portion of the light pulse reflected or scattered by the scene, the receiving lens being connected to and responsive to a controller, the controller being configured to adjust the field of view of the receiving lens based in part on the divergence of the light pulse imparted by the transmission lens; a modulator configured to modulate as a function of time an intensity of the portion of the received light pulse to form a modulated received light pulse portion; and at least one imaging sensor array (528, 529) configured to generate a first image in response to the received light pulse portion and a second image in response to the modulated received light pulse portion; and a receiving lens having a field of view and configured to receive a portion of the light pulse reflected or scattered by the scene, the receiving lens being connected to and responsive to a controller, the controller being configured to adjust the field of view of the receiving lens based in part on the divergence of the light pulse imparted by the transmission lens; a modulator configured to modulate as a function of time an intensity of the portion of the received light pulse to form a modulated received light pulse portion; and at least one imaging sensor array (528, 529) configured to generate a first image in response to the received light pulse portion and a second image in response to the modulated received light pulse portion; and