Sony’s stacked Exmor RS phone camera sensors detuned over quality worries

Sony Exmor RS camera phone sensor

Sony would still like you to get excited about its upcoming Exmor RS stacked CMOS image sensors -- just not too excited. Both the 8-megapixel IMX134 and 13-megapixel IMX135 are scaling back from their original RGBW (red, green, blue, white) coding to an ordinary RGB over concerns that they aren't meeting Sony's "image quality standards" as originally designed. Consequently, either sensor will be less sensitive to light and diminish some of that high dynamic range magic. The company also doesn't want to get our hopes up for a quick arrival on shelves and clarifies that there's a phased launch starting in January. Mobile shutterbugs may be crestfallen knowing that Sony won't have the best possible camera sensor in future Xperia phones, but the honesty at least guarantees that the company gets a timely return on its $994 million investment.

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Sony's stacked Exmor RS phone camera sensors detuned over quality worries originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Sep 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony pumps $994 million into building stacked CMOS that lets smartphones record HDR Video

Sony increases production on its stacked CMOS sensor, plans to make us all cameraphone Kubricks

Sony is pumping 80 billion yen ($994 million) into its Nagasaki Technology Center, the home of its innovative stacked CMOS. Unlike traditional versions, the image sensor and circuit are mounted on top of one another, rather than side-by-side across a supporting substrate. The tweak means it shaves valuable millimeters from its body while producing far clearer images and, best of all, HDR Video. With the investment (and some Government subsidy) the company aims to pump out 60,000 wafers per month by the end of 2013. Given that both Samsung and Apple both use Sony's imaging equipment in their flagships, we can hope that the 13-megapixel units find their way into the next generation of handsets.

Continue reading Sony pumps $994 million into building stacked CMOS that lets smartphones record HDR Video

Sony pumps $994 million into building stacked CMOS that lets smartphones record HDR Video originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 22 Jun 2012 06:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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