Tag Archives: cmos

Toshiba’s new dual camera module brings ‘deep focus’ imaging to smartphones

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Toshiba's new dual camera brings deep focus imaging to smartphonesRemember when dual camera modules on smartphones were all the rage? Toshiba is bringing them back -- only this time with technology that you're much more likely to use. Its new module uses two 5-megapixel cameras to record depth and images at the same time, producing a "deep focus" picture where everything is sharp. The technique offers a Lytro-like ability to refocus, even after you've taken the shot; it also provides gesture control and very fast digital autofocusing. You'll have to wait a while before you're snapping deep focus vacation photos, though. Toshiba doesn't expect to mass produce the sensors until April, and finished products will likely come later.

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Via: Fareastgizmos

Source: Toshiba

Visualized: Canon 35mm CMOS sensor captures fireflies in HD (video)

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Visualized: Canon 35mm CMOS sensor captures fireflies in HD

Canon impressed us back in March when it unveiled its 35mm full frame CMOS sensor, which is capable of recording footage in extremely low-light situations. This time around, the company set its sights on the Yaeyama-hime fireflies on Ishigaki Island off the coast of Japan. Shortly after sundown, the Canon team managed to capture a forest full of lightning bugs in full HD in near-dark settings. To watch the video in all its bioluminescent glory, mosey on past the break.

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: Canon

OmniVision details 10.5-megapixel Clear Pixel sensor inside Moto X

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OmniVision details 105megapixel camera sensor inside Moto X

Motorola has been hyping up the 10.5-megapixel Clear Pixel camera inside the Moto X, but it's been shy on the sensor's technical details and origins. We now have both: it's the OmniVision OV10820, a 1/2.6-inch sensor with a video-friendly 16:9 aspect ratio and large 1.4-micron pixels. Its strong low-light performance comes through a two-chip approach. The sensor captures RAW images using a sensitive RGBC (red / green / blue / clear) color filter, and a companion chip automatically converts the resulting shots into the Bayer format that most imaging processors expect. The result is a high-performance camera that slots inside the Moto X without requiring any special effort. Whether or not we see the OV10820 used outside of Motorola is another matter. OmniVision can't comment on the sensor's exclusivity, but it does note that RGBC is an "extremely viable option" for the future.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

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Source: OmniVision

Fujifilm and Panasonic’s organic CMOS image sensor boosts dynamic range and sensitivity

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Fujifilm and Panasonic's organic CMOS image sensor boosts dynamic range and sensitivity

We've all been enjoying the benefits of AMOLED displays for several years now -- high contrast ratios, wide viewing angles and vivid colors -- so it was only a matter of time until organic films ended up in image sensors. Fujifilm and Panasonic have been working on organic CMOS image sensors and just showed the results of their collaboration at the 2013 Symposium on VLSI Technology in Kyoto. By replacing the traditional silicon photodiode with an organic photoelectric conversion layer, researchers have created image sensors with a dynamic range of 88dB (the industry's highest), a 1.2-fold increase in sensitivity (compared to traditional designs) and a 60-degree range of incident light (vs. 30-40 degrees, typically). What does this mean in practice? Less clipping in bright scenes, better low-light performance and richer colors and textures. The companies plan to promote these new organic CMOS image sensors for use in a wide range of imaging applications, including next generation cameras and phones. We can't wait!

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Source: Fujifilm

Canon sensor records video in very low light, sees movie stars of a different sort

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Canon sensor records video in very low light, captures movie stars of a different sort video

Although there's undoubtedly been improvements to low light videography, it's still difficult or impossible for most cameras to record in near-total darkness. Canon has the solution with a video-only, 35mm CMOS sensor that can keep recording even when there's virtually no visible light at all. The prototype's pixels are about 7.5 times larger than in already light-sensitive DSLRs like the EOS-1D X, letting it get focus with as little as 0.03lux of illumination. The result is more than just the perfect camera for a horror movie -- the sensor can capture the Geminid meteor shower and other astronomical phenomena without special tricks. Canon hasn't said when it might ship a video camera toting the new imaging technology, but it's planning to show the sensor at a security expo this week; we may well see the sensor in the field, even if most of its work happens beyond the public eye.

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Via: Impress Watch (translated)

Source: Canon (translated)

Panasonic shows micro color splitters that double up image sensor acuity

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Panasonic shows image sensor that splits color to double up on sensitivity

Panasonic has developed a new type of imaging sensor that gets more photons where they need to be by foregoing the use of conventional CMOS debayering filters. Those can reduce sensor effectiveness by blocking 50 to 70 percent of the light, so researchers developed "micro color splitters" to do the job instead, which can separate hues microscopically using refraction. They did it by taking advantage of wave optic principals to create a new type of electronic "deflector" that can analyze and separate light wave frequencies much faster than previous methods. There's almost no loss of light during the process, and such devices can be made using conventional semiconductor fabricating techniques, too. There's no timetable for commercializing the tech, but Panasonic holds 21 domestic and 16 overseas patents on it -- meaning it's likely not just a science project.

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Via: Computerworld

Source: Panasonic

Olympus reveals SZ-15, SZ-16 superzoom cameras with upgraded sensors

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Olympus reveals SZ15, SZ16 superzoom cameras with upgraded sensors

It almost wouldn't be a camera introduction without a couple of superzooms, would it? Appropriately, Olympus is updating its lower-cost SZ models at CES with new sensors and a handful of extras to match the long-distance optics. The 24X zoom SZ-16 iHS makes the undeniably larger leap: its 14-megapixel sensor now relies on low light-friendly CMOS (instead of the SZ-12's CCD) and introduces a quicker TruePic VI processor. The added power leads to a multi-shot Hand-Held Starlight mode for would-be astrophotographers as well as 1080p video. Not that the very entry level isn't getting some love, however. The SZ-15 is a meaningful upgrade in its own right, extending to the same 24X zoom as the SZ-16 while replacing the SZ-10's 14-megapixel CCD with a 16-megapixel CMOS imager. Olympus includes a handful of options that the SZ-15's older TruePic III engine can handle, such as a Beauty Mode and SR Zoom (read: digital zoom). Both models ship in March, although the narrow pricing spread between the $200 SZ-15 and $230 SZ-16 leaves us leaning heavily toward the higher-end camera.

Continue reading Olympus reveals SZ-15, SZ-16 superzoom cameras with upgraded sensors

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Source: Olympus

Samsung NX300 Camera Price, Specs and Release Date Announced

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The newly-announced Samsung NX300 is going to be their flagship compact digital camera for 2013, offering interchangeable lenses. The NX300 is quite compact, and comes with an 20.3 MP APS-C CMOS sensor.

samsung nx300 camera 1

Having a bright and sharp AMOLED touch screen on a phone is pretty cool. Having one on a camera is just that much better, especially when the screen can tilt up or down, allowing you to properly use it as a viewfinder from your chest or any angle.

samsung nx300 camera 2

It can shoot photos in with a broad ISO range of 100-25600. With the available f1.8 45mm 2D/3D lens, it should also be good for low-light photography. In addition to still images, it can capture 1080p video at 60fps, or at 30fps in 3D.

samsung nx300 camera amoled

The 3.31-inch WVGA AMOLED touch screen serves as a viewfinder and offers lots of controls. There are plenty of physical buttons as well, which is good in my opinion. The camera can also shoot in 3D mode and has Wi-Fi, so it can automatically upload photos. The NX300 can be charged via a microUSB port, so you won’t need any special charging cable for it.

samsung nx300 camera 3

The camera will retail for $749.99(USD) when it’s released this March. It ships with a 20-50mm f3.5-f5.6 lens. The f1.8 45mm lens costs $599.99 extra, though.

[via Ubergizmo]

Toshiba preps 20MP, backside-lit sensor for point-and-shoot cameras

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Toshiba preps 20megapixel, backsidelit CMOS sensor for pointandshoot cameras

When smartphones are encroaching on compact cameras' turf, how does a company try to stay relevant making sensors for those cameras? By upping the resolution, of course. Toshiba has given a peek at the TCM5115CL, a 1/2.3-inch, backside-illuminated CMOS sensor that hits 20 megapixels -- a big jump from the 16-megapixel sensors in many point-and-shoots and some smartphones. To combat the noise and sensitivity problems that usually come with a denser design, the electronics giant is using pixels that can absorb 15 percent more of a charge, and therefore more light. Toshiba has primed the sensor for high-speed shooting and video as well, with the potential for 1080p video at 60FPS and 30FPS burst shooting at full resolution, provided the processor can keep up. We're not bracing ourselves for an imminent renaissance among dedicated cameras, however. Mass production doesn't start until August, which suggests we're unlikely to have 20-megapixel shooters in our pockets during summer vacation.

Continue reading Toshiba preps 20MP, backside-lit sensor for point-and-shoot cameras

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: Toshiba

Toshiba preps 13MP phone camera sensor that promises low-light shooting without the noise

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Toshiba preps 13MP phone camera sensor that promises lowlight shooting without the noise

Toshiba isn't the most vocal of mobile camera designers; it's often shouted out by the likes of OmniVision and Sony. It has reason to crow now that it's near launching a next-generation imager of its own. The 13-megapixel, CMOS-based TK437 sensor carries the backside illumination we already know and love for its low-light performance as well as color noise reduction that should fight the side-effects of such a dense, sensitive design. If we take Toshiba at its word, the visual quality of the sensor's 1.12-micron pixels is equal to that of much larger, less noise-prone 1.4-micron examples -- important when stuffing the sensor into 0.33 square inches. Photos will prove whether the achievement is more than just talk, although we'll have some time to wait when test samples will only reach companies in December. It's months beyond that before there's a production phone or tablet with a TK437 lurking inside.

Continue reading Toshiba preps 13MP phone camera sensor that promises low-light shooting without the noise

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Source: Toshiba