It is easy to calculate the distance a camera has to be to from a comb to look into all 
cells on a frame.

Assume that the camera lens is a point (it isn't).  
Assume that a cell is 5.2 mm across inside (it isn't)
Assume that a cell is 16 mm deep (it isn't)
Assume that a comb is 18" across or 9" either side of centre (it isn't)
Assume that if we can see 5.1 of those 5.2 mm at the bottom we can be content.

Then

The height to hidden bottom portion in the most outer cells we find acceptable is 16:1
Going back to the comb centre line, and building a congruent triangle, we see that
The distance from the comb centre to camera must be 16 x 9" or 12 feet

Therefore, if we place the camera 12 feet from the comb, we will see all but 1 mm 
of the bottom of the outer cells.

That is a little awkward, so what if we can accept seeing all but the inner 2 mm of the 
bottom of the outer cells?  

Then the above ratio becomes 16:2 and the camera distance is 
reduced to 6 feet.  

With the camera at 3 feet, 4 mm of the 5.2 mm would be eclipsed by one cell side 
and with the camera much closer than that, the entire bottom is hidden.

It seems obvious that larger cells are required if we wish to see the bottom without 
holding the camera an impractical distance away from the comb.

 

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