OmniVision's New 5-MP 1080p Camera Sensor Opens Door to Thinner Devices

MacRumors · May 18, 2011

Apple's longtime camera sensor supplier for iOS devices, OmniVision Technologies, today announced the introduction of a new 5-megapixel sensor that could lead to thinner mobile devices while also offering the ability to shoot video at 1080p. The new sensor checks in at under 5 mm high, 20% thinner than other industry-leading sensors.

OmniVision Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OVTI), a leading developer of advanced digital imaging solutions, today introduced the OV5690, the first 5-megapixel image sensor to use OmniVision's proprietary OmniBSI-2 pixel architecture. The new 1.4-micron backside illumination pixel allows for a full five megapixels in a 1/4-inch optical format, and combines best-in-class image quality with a 20 percent reduction in camera module height, making it an effective solution for slimmer mobile handsets, smart phones and tablet computers.

While Apple has been claimed by several sources to be planning to use an 8-megapixel camera for the next-generation iPhone, up from a 5-megapixel sensor in the iPhone 4, many of Apple's other mobile devices such as the iPad and iPod touch utilize camera with significantly lower resolutions of under 1 megapixel. With the non-iPhone devices exhibiting thinner form factors than the iPhone, Apple has had to sacrifice on the camera quality and resort to thinner, lower-resolution sensors on those models.

Article Link: OmniVision's New 5-MP 1080p Camera Sensor Opens Door to Thinner Devices

goobot · May 18, 2011

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

There are also factors like cost, the iPhone is 3x more than the iPod touch. I don't know how much you can copy and keep it the same price.

ArtOfWarfare · May 18, 2011

goobot said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_3 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8J2 Safari/6533.18.5)

There are also factors like cost, the iPhone is 3x more than the iPod touch. I don't know how much you can copy and keep it the same price.

1.) I was under the impression that the camera cost was quite small compared to that of the screen.

2.) Apple has a pretty large profit margin, they can afford to stick in better parts without worrying that much about cost.

dgree03 · May 18, 2011

We dont want thinner! STOP THE OBESSION WITH THIN.

Especially when it handcuffs power.

Northgrove · May 18, 2011

5 MP or 1080p means nothing to me. Let's hear about the sensor resolution, not how big photos it can shoot. Nothing there says it's automatically better than a 3-4 MP camera. If the photos are soft in 5 MP, it's just a waste of space.

kevingaffney · May 18, 2011

Great so does this mean ipad3 gets 8mp cameras as well as improved screen resolution. Only ten months to wait to update my ipad1. Should be a good list of improvements by the time next March comes around

nagromme · May 18, 2011

Northgrove said:
5 MP or 1080p means nothing to me. Let's hear about the sensor resolution, not how big photos it can shoot. Nothing there says it's automatically better than a 3-4 MP camera. If the photos are soft in 5 MP, it's just a waste of space.

Agreed. 3PM is ideal for me, though Im OK with the current 5MP since the iPhone 4 cameras optics do deliver good results. But lets not climb towards 8MP and beyond! More MP often means a worse image (greater noise even when scaled down later) not better. Its a marketing number akin to the old GHz. Reading a number in a bullet list is fun... but not fun enough to make my photo library 40% bigger, slower, and more expensive! I care about image quality more than bullet points.

ufkdo · May 18, 2011

Northgrove said:
5 MP or 1080p means nothing to me. Let's hear about the sensor resolution, not how big photos it can shoot. Nothing there says it's automatically better than a 3-4 MP camera. If the photos are soft in 5 MP, it's just a waste of space.

That is so right, sensor resolution is more important than MP.

AAPLaday · May 18, 2011

Optical zoom > 12mp Phone camera

Born Again · May 18, 2011

AAPLaday said:
Optical zoom > 12mp Phone camera

Telephoto lens > *

skeep5 · May 18, 2011

nagromme said:
Agreed. 3PM is ideal for me, though Im OK with the current 5MP since the iPhone 4 cameras optics do deliver good results. But lets not climb towards 8MP and beyond! More MP often means a worse image (greater noise even when scaled down later) not better. Its a marketing number akin to the old GHz. Reading a number in a bullet list is fun... but not fun enough to make my photo library 40% bigger, slower, and more expensive! I care about image quality more than bullet points.

Amen and amen. I think apple got it right with the iPhone 4's camera, and 720p video is perfect for a phone.

dacapo · May 18, 2011

Born Again said:
Telephoto lens > *

Prime lens with image stabilization > Prime lens > *

Just kidding..

I highly doubt we'll get any of these... so bring on what you can, I say.

Micjose · May 18, 2011

Yessss, This looks promising. Can't wait to get ipod touch 5g!

abhimat.gautam · May 18, 2011

dgree03 said:
We dont want thinner! STOP THE OBESSION WITH THIN.

Especially when it handcuffs power.

Yes, I want to be carrying around an entire desktop computer because power shouldn't be sacrificed!

akbarali.ch · May 18, 2011

Keep 5MP increase quality

I dont think people want to replace their DSLR with iPhone or even need photo more than 5MP. BUT increasing the quality of the image sensor is really needed. iPhone 4 gives good picture. lets expect iphone 5 takes even better quality, less noise, more sensitive to low light.

dacapo · May 18, 2011

dgree03 said:
We dont want thinner! STOP THE OBESSION WITH THIN.

Especially when it handcuffs power.

Thinner, in this case, does not handcuff power. It enables that room to be used for something else.

Thunderhawks · May 18, 2011

ArtOfWarfare said:
1.) I was under the impression that the camera cost was quite small compared to that of the screen.

2.) Apple has a pretty large profit margin, they can afford to stick in better parts without worrying that much about cost.

Let me amend that statement so it's more realistic:

They have so much money, they should give the iphones away for FREE!

ThisIsNotMe · May 18, 2011

dgree03 said:
We dont want thinner! STOP THE OBESSION WITH THIN.

Especially when it handcuffs power.

Did making the iPad2 thiner handcuff "power"?
Nope, it doubled the "power" and is the fastest tablet on the market.

acslater017 · May 18, 2011

abhimat.gautam said:
Yes, I want to be carrying around an entire desktop computer because power shouldn't be sacrificed!

Once you get into the 10 mm pocketable range, a millimeter here or there makes less and less of a difference. The human hand and the size of our trouser pockets are the constants.

I'd rather have a bigger battery, better camera, and/or sturdier frame than shave down from 9mm to 7 mm.

baryon · May 18, 2011

Northgrove said:
5 MP or 1080p means nothing to me. Let's hear about the sensor resolution, not how big photos it can shoot. Nothing there says it's automatically better than a 3-4 MP camera. If the photos are soft in 5 MP, it's just a waste of space.

5MP and 1080p IS the resolution. 5MP = 5 million pixels. It is also how big photos it can shoot. It's the same thing. It doesn't mean it will make better pictures, of course, though. Quality depends exclusively on signal-to-noise ratio, dynamic range, and the lens.

wizard · May 18, 2011

Softness has a lot to do with optics.

Northgrove said:
5 MP or 1080p means nothing to me. Let's hear about the sensor resolution, not how big photos it can shoot. Nothing there says it's automatically better than a 3-4 MP camera. If the photos are soft in 5 MP, it's just a waste of space.

Interestingly if this sensor is thinner that would allow for more complex optics. Unfortunately I think they have terms mixed up as it looks like they are talking about the entire camera, not just the sensor. I do hate the quality of the reporting on this forum.

Sometimes just quoting a press release is a better idea. In any event I knida wish that Apple could manage a camera with 2X zoom in the next iPhone. Zoom is a far more useful feature than ultra high resolution.

acslater017 · May 18, 2011

ptysell said:
Did making the iPad2 thiner handcuff "power"?
Nope, it doubled the "power" and is the fastest tablet on the market.

Thinness and power are not ALWAYS mutually exclusive but they often do detract from each other. Your'e right, the iPad 2 is quite fast. But the iPad 2 also has a terrible camera. Apple made tradeoff because camera quality is not exactly the #1 feature of a tablet, but the end result is the same.

I own an iPhone 4 and it is plenty thin. There are 10 things I'd rather have (better camera, durability, longer battery, etc.) before shaving another mm or 2 off the thickness.

toddybody · May 18, 2011

dgree03 said:
We dont want thinner! STOP THE OBESSION WITH THIN.

Especially when it handcuffs power.

Power isnt my primary concern...its battery life. Battery tech isnt keeping up with component manu processes.

But hey, I aint one to scoff at an iPhone 5 with an A5, 1 GB RAM, 32GB Base Storage, and TB...with the same battery life as the iP4.

I totally agree with what you're sayin' though...the obsession with thin causes more harm than good. Ive never said to myself, "Dammit, if only my phone were 8.1mm rather than 9.3mm...then my life would be easier"

Jimmy James · May 18, 2011

nagromme said:
Agreed. 3PM is ideal for me, though Im OK with the current 5MP since the iPhone 4 cameras optics do deliver good results. But lets not climb towards 8MP and beyond! More MP often means a worse image (greater noise even when scaled down later) not better. Its a marketing number akin to the old GHz. Reading a number in a bullet list is fun... but not fun enough to make my photo library 40% bigger, slower, and more expensive! I care about image quality more than bullet points.

I was going to post the same thing. Thank you.

toddybody · May 18, 2011

acslater017 said:
the iPad 2 is quite fast. But the iPad 2 also has a terrible camera.

Agreed. Thats the only issue I have with my iPad2.

IMHO, it wasn't incapability that forced Apple's hands in giving it such ***** cameras...rather laziness and perceived acceptability ("folks wont know the difference" attitude).

Sorry, but I'm tired of my "magical" FaceTime calls looking like Monet Paintings.

OmniVision's New 5-MP 1080p Camera Sensor Opens Door to Thinner Devices

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