Samsung desires to show the telephoto modules on smartphones right into a “second major digital camera”. By that the corporate signifies that present tele sensors are smaller and decrease decision, they’re behind on options like HDR and video body charges too when in comparison with the cellphone’s major digital camera.
To be a correct second major digital camera, the tele module will want a sensor that’s ok for the primary digital camera – and Samsung thinks that its 200MP sensors just like the ISOCELL HP2 and HP3 are the appropriate instruments for the job.
ISOCELL HP2 and HP3 vs. ISOCELL sensors at the moment utilized in telephoto cameras
200MP sensors are already utilized in some telephones that don’t fairly have the funds for a separate telephoto lens. These sensors sometimes have 2x and 4x zoom capabilities on the similar decision (i.e. 12.5MP, which additionally tends to be the default for the primary digital camera too).
Right here is an instance what will be achieved with such a digital camera:
The native zoom capabilities of a 200MP sensor
They’ve loads of pixels to throw on the drawback and would possibly even beat a low decision sensor with a protracted lens in instances the place the consumer zooms in previous the lens’ focal size. Here’s a 4x zoom with a 200MP sensor and an 11MP sensor that mixes 3x optical and 1.3x digital zoom (for an in depth 3.9x whole):
200MP sensor with a large lens vs. 11MP sensor with optical and digital zoom
That is what we have now right now. For the long run, Samsung’s 200MP sensors would possibly discover themselves behind a 3x tele lens – then they’ll supply 3x, 6x and 12x zoom. Right here’s a demo of what is going to be potential:
12.5MP picture captured by 200MP in-sensor zoom and a few areas enlarged to indicate particulars
The ISOCELL HP2 and HP3 are 1/1.3” and 1/1.4” sensors, respectively, they usually have rather a lot in widespread. They use a 4×4 deep-learning remosaic algorithm, which is what takes the sensors’ 4×4 Tetra²Pixel association and reshuffles it into RGB. That is performed on the quick DSPs and GPUs of recent smartphone chipsets. These are premium sensors with superior autofocus and HDR capabilities besides, making them higher than the standard sensor utilized in telephoto cameras right now.
Efficient pixel measurement of the HP2 at totally different resolutions
Samsung additionally touts the significance of tele lenses for portrait pictures. For starters, the primary digital camera on right now’s telephones it solution to broad for a superb portrait and it causes distortion. This is the reason longer lenses are most well-liked.
Face distortion with a 24mm lens vs. 85mm lens
Tele lenses additionally naturally create a bokeh to separate the topic from the background. And whereas right now’s computational pictures bokehs are fairly good, they nonetheless mess issues up generally. Samsung notes {that a} bigger sensor will create a shallower depth of discipline than a smaller one on the similar focal size, so these HP sensors will probably be a boon for portrait pictures too.
You’ll be able to observe the Supply hyperlink to learn Samsung’s detailed publish on why 200MP telephoto cameras are the long run. Nevertheless, there you received’t discover any concrete plans to deliver them to market.
Proper now we’re listening to murmurs that the Galaxy S24 Extremely could have a 50MP 3x digital camera (up from 10MP 3x on the S23 Extremely), which can supply native 3x and 6x zoom, however that’s nonetheless in need of the hypothetical 200MP 3x digital camera demoed above. So we most likely received’t see it subsequent yr, but when the corporate is speaking about it right now, it most likely already has one thing within the lab.
That is, in fact, a substitute for Sony’s strategy, which makes use of variable focal size lenses like conventional cameras do. That has solely been seen on Xperia telephones for now, though different manufacturers are experimenting with such lenses too.
