You don’t need to follow the smartphone industry closely to know that cameras are slowly taking over our handsets. Camera modules are growing as the number of sensors increases and people are starting to ask: ‘How far will this go?’
Well, we have a glimpse of the direction Samsung is planning to go, at least as far as patents can be used as hints. The patent in question was spotted by LetsGoDigital and refers to a camera array system that can have up to 6 individual cameras.
If your mind jumped to the Nokia 9 and its 5-camera array, which ultimately proved unsuccessful, don’t worry, Samsung is going in a totally different direction. The new trick that Samsung has patented is that each camera will be able to tilt on two axes: a vertical one and a horizontal one.
The cameras can be combined in different arrays, from a 3-camera one all the way to a 6-camera one (probably depending on how high-end the model is). The tilting cameras can be controlled through the camera app, letting users adjust how wide and tall the picture will be. Basically, you’ll be able to frame your photo anyway you want without having to move.
Image showing the area each camera captures and how they overlap
Of course, after the images are taken, the phone will have to do some computational wizardry to combine the data from all sensors into one picture.
The array can’t be used only for super-ultra-wide pictures, however. The patent also shows that the cameras can be tilted inwards, which will result in something Samsung calls pano-Bokeh. Pano-Bokeh is basically a panoramic shot in which the background has the bokeh effect applied while the subject in the foreground is in focus.
The cameras tilted outwards and inwards, depending on the shot you're taking
The cameras included in the array don’t have to be the same either, the patent explains further. The sensors can have different sizes and the lenses different focal lengths. For example, a 5-camera array can have four wide-angle cameras and one telephoto camera.
Possible lens combinations depending on the array size (W is wide angle, T is telephoto)
That’s a really good thing since it means we won’t have to sacrifice the functionality we’re already used to in order to get these fancy tilting cameras.
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This technology doesn’t seem like something that’s too out there, so it’s very possible that we’ll see devices that use it within a couple of years.
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