OmniVision, the company is responsible for the current cameras of the iPhone 4 and its older generations, has introduced the OV8820 - a new CMOS-image sensor designed for use in digital cameras of mobile phones.
The cameras equipped with this sensor are able to shoot high definition video (1080p at 30 fps and 720p at 60 fps), give better pictures in low light, edit directly on phones, support RAW format and auto focus. Besides, its system of image stabilization could make shots more accurate.
Here is the full list of OV8820′s features:
- Automatic black level calibration (ABLC)
- Programmable controls for frame rate, mirror and flip, cropping, windowing, and scaling
- Image quality controls: lens correction and defective pixel canceling
- Support for output formats: 10-bit RAW RGB (MIPI)
- Support for horizontal and vertical subsampling
- Support for images sizes: 8 MP, EIS1080p, 1080p, EIS720p, EISQ 1080p, Q1080p, EISVGA, VGA, QVGA, etc.
- Support 2×2 binning
- Standard serial SCCB interface
- MIPI serial output interface
- Embedded one-time programmable (OTP) memory for part identification, etc.
- On-chip phase lock loop (PLL)
- Programmable I/O drive capability
- Built-in 1.5V regulator for core
This sensor will go into mass production in March 2011. At the moment, OmniVision are sending the OV8820 to their partners for testing. Although the list of these partners is not disclosed, it absolutely includes Apple because they have worked together for a long time and still have a good relationship. Therefore, it is very likely that iPhone 5 will integrate the OV8820 with 8 megapixel camera.
Surely a good news. After this, we may can leave the pocket camera and only use our cell phone (iPhone) for photograph needs.
Yeah, I have a good camera but it is too big and not convenient to bring it around all the time. Getting a cell phone integrated with high quality camera is the best choice now and hopefully this one will be as good as the Nokia N8′s.
“Ricky has written 51 awesome articles for us at Tek3D Weblog” – Good Guest Blogger
Yeah, he has been an active blogger here since the first days and now I assign him as an editor of my blog.
Wow, this quite a good news for iPhone Fanboys and a greater invention for the whole mobile-kind
Hopefully Apple will decide to use the 720p 60fps mode for more fluent movements.
I can assure you that the Iphone 5 will start at 32gigs, dropping the 16 gig model mainly because of the 1080p hi-def recording.
I also predict this because memory has become super cheap now, which will drive the manufacturing cost down.
I hate my ihone 4 camera, takes bad pics and so so video…. My 3GS actually took better video!