Surveying instrument and method for acquiring image data by using the surveying instrument.

A surveying instrument, comprising a distance measuring unit (27) for measuring a distance to a collimating point, an angle measuring unit (37, 38) for measuring a vertical angle and a horizontal angle of the collimating point, an image pick-up means (33) for acquiring an image in a collimating direction, a driving unit (54, 55) for directing the image pick-up means in a direction of a predetermined object to be measured as selected based on an entire image data acquired by the image pick-up means, and a control arithmetic unit (41) for recording by associating an image of an object to be measured with survey data to the object, wherein the image is picked-up in the direction directed by the driving unit (54, 55) and the survey data is measured by the distance measuring unit (27) and the angle measuring unit (37, 38).