A method generates depth maps at a camera having illuminators, a lens assembly, an image sensing element, a processor, and memory. The illuminators operate in a first mode to provide illumination, the lens assembly focuses incident light on the image sensing element, the memory stores image data from the image sensing element, and the processor executes programs to control operation of the camera. The method reconfigures the illuminators to operate in a second mode, where each of a plurality of subsets of the illuminators provides illumination of a scene separately. For each subset, the process activates the illuminators in the subset without activating illuminators not in the subset and receives reflected illumination from the scene incident on the lens assembly and focused onto the image sensing element. The measured light intensity of the received reflected illumination at the image sensing element is stored in association with activation of the subset.