This paper addresses image enhancement and 3D reconstruction techniques for dim scenes inside the vacuum chamber of a nuclear fusion reactor. First, an improved multi-scale Retinex low-light image enhancement algorithm with adaptive weights is designed. It can recover image detail information that is not visible in low-light environments, maintaining image clarity and contrast for easy observation. Second, according to the actual needs of target plate defect detection and 3D reconstruction inside the vacuum chamber, a defect reconstruction algorithm based on photometric stereo vision is proposed. To optimize the position of the light source, a light source illumination profile simulation system is designed in this paper to provide an optimized light array for crack detection inside vacuum chambers without the need for extensive experimental testing. Finally, a robotic platform mounted with a binocular stereo-vision camera is constructed and image enhancement and defect reconstruction experiments are performed separately. The results show that the above method can broaden the gray level of low-illumination images and improve the brightness value and contrast. The maximum depth error is less than 24.0% and the maximum width error is less than 15.3%, which achieves the goal of detecting and reconstructing the defects inside the vacuum chamber.