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; - a lower array of LED ; - rotating means for rotating the object about one of its axes (Y) along a section of said path, so as to expose successive portions of the object surface to said camera , whereby the camera is able to capture images corresponding to successive exposed portions of the object surface; and - the 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 member arranged to contact locally 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 member , wherein said lower array of LED is arranged in the longitudinal direction X underneath the conveyor to illuminate a bottom region of the external surface of the object , wherein the carrier is provided with an optical transmissive or diffuse window communicating with the housing , in the form of a through-hole , and wherein the assembled frame is defined by a number of sub-frames which is greater than 10. - displacing means for supporting and displacing the object along a path; - a single camera for capturing images of portions of the object surface; - a lower array of LED ; - rotating means for rotating the object about one of its axes (Y) along a section of said path, so as to expose successive portions of the object surface to said camera , whereby the camera is able to capture images corresponding to successive exposed portions of the object surface; and - the 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, <EOS>