Since version 3.0, OpenCV source code remove the parts for feature matching with SIFT/SURF. This guide is about how to build OpenCV with them. It will indicate how to build the python binding.

Windows

1. Create a folder to hold both source code and build folder. For instance, G:/src/opencv/.
2. Clone OpenCV source code from https://github.com/Itseez/opencv.git to G:/src/opencv/src.
3. Check out the tag to 3.2.0.
4. Clone extra module's source code from https://github.com/opencv/opencv_contrib to G:/src/opencv/contrib.
5. Check out the tag to 3.2.0.
6. Open cmake.
   
   1. Set the source folder as G:/src/opencv/src.
   2. Set the binary folder as  G:/src/opencv/build/win32/vs2013/x64.
7. Click Configure, and then
   1. Turn OFF: BUILD_WITH_STATIC_CRT
   2. Turn OFF: BUILD_SHARED_LIBS
   3. Turn OFF: BUILD_PERF_TESTS
   4. Turn OFF: BUILD_TESTS
   5. Turn OFF: WITH_CUDA
   6. Turn OFF: WITH_CUFFT
   7. Turn OFF: WITH_LAPACK
   8. Turn OFF: BUILD_opencv_bioinspired
   9. Turn ON: BUILD_ZLIB
   10. Set OPENCV_EXTRA_MODULES_PATH: G:/src/opencv/contrib/modules
   11. Set CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX to where you want to install OpenCV
8. Also configure with Python2. I am using WinPython, which is installed under G:/usr/win32/WinPython-64bit-2.7.10.3/.
   1. Set PYTHON2_EXECUTABLE: G:/usr/win32/WinPython-64bit-2.7.10.3/python-2.7.10.amd64/python.exe
   2. Set PYTHON2_INCLUDE_DIR: G:/usr/win32/WinPython-64bit-2.7.10.3/python-2.7.10.amd64/include
   3. Set PYTHON2_LIBRARY: G:/usr/win32/WinPython-64bit-2.7.10.3/python-2.7.10.amd64/libs/python27.lib
   4. Set PYTHON2_PACKAGES_PATH: G:/usr/win32/WinPython-64bit-2.7.10.3/python-2.7.10.amd64/Lib/site-packages
   5. Set PYTHON2_NUMPY_INCLUDE_DIRS: G:/usr/win32/WinPython-64bit-2.7.10.3/python-2.7.10.amd64/Lib/site-packages/numpy/core/include
9. Configure.
10. Generate the Visual Studio projects/solutions.
11. Open H:/src/opencv/build/vs2013/x64/opencv.sln.
12. Build all projects.
13. Build INSTALL. Note that it will try to overwrite cv2.pyd in the site-package folder of python. Backup first if needed.

Ubuntu

1. Create a folder to hold both source code and build folder. For instance, ~/src/opencv/.
2. Clone OpenCV source code from https://github.com/Itseez/opencv.git to ~/src/opencv/src.
3. Check out the tag to 3.0.0.
4. Clone extra module's source code from https://github.com/opencv/opencv_contrib to ~/src/opencv/contrib.
5. Check out the tag to 3.0.0.
6. See commands below.

# Assume that current folder is ~/src/opencv/build]
$ mkdir linux
$ cd linux

# Use cmake to configure the files.
# Note: Do not use ccmake here! 
# Otherwise it cannot configure python correctly 
# and thus will not build cv2.so.

$ cmake \
-DBUILD_SHARED_LIBS=OFF \
-DBUILD_PERF_TESTS=OFF \
-DBUILD_TESTS=OFF \
-DWITH_CUDA=OFF \
-DWITH_CUFFT=OFF \
-DWITH_OPENCL=OFF \
-DBUILD_ZLIB=ON \
-DOPENCV_EXTRA_MODULES_PATH=/homes/tlee/src/opencv/contrib/modules \
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
-DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/homes/tlee/usr/linux/opencv \
-DWITH_LAPACK=OFF \
../../src/

$ make -j8
$ make install
# NOTE: Different from Windows,
# cv2.pyd will be copied to /homes/tlee/usr/linux/opencv/lib/python2.7/dist-packages
# because CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX is /homes/tlee/usr/linux/opencv.

Test?

# First set PYTHONPATH 
# by putting the path to the new-built cv2.so
# before original paths.

$ export PYTHONPATH=$PWD/lib:$PYTHONPATH
$ python
>>> import cv2;
# Confirm the path.
>>> cv2.__file__

# Confirm that SIFT can be used.
>>> sift = cv2.xfeatures2d.SIFT_create();

# Also confirm that videos can be opened.
# Replace the string by the file path of any video on your computer.
>>> cap = cv2.VideoCapture('/data/datasets/tmp/RecFile_6_20170122_153530_PointGrey2_output.mp4') 
>>> cap.isOpened()
True