Hasta La Gadget!

Toshiba is readying a Lytro-style camera that could allow photos taken on smartphones and tablets to be refocused after they’re captured, with a complex lens assembly creating data-dense adjustable images. The camera, which is expected to be commercialized in late 2013, grabs 500,000 pictures in one take, The Asahi Shimbum reports, thanks to an identical number of lenses in front of the sensor, each taking a shot with slightly different focus settings.

The resulting image can be refocused among each of those 500,000 focal settings, with the end result being a post-capture choice over what is crisp in the frame and what is blurred. Toshiba says the camera module can also be used for video capture, again with greater flexibility over what is kept in focus.

However, since the module is able to precisely gauge the distance between different objects within the frame, it’s possible to do some chromakey-style editing. The camera can retain a foreground subject, for instance, and replace the background with an alternative scene, something which usually requires post-processing if the effect is to be particularly believable.

The lenses themselves are a mere 0.03mm in diameter, and are arranged in front of a sensor 5 x 7 mm in size; altogether, the camera module itself measures roughly 1cm square. That’s considerably smaller than the “light field” technology Lytro developed for its eponymous camera, which is limited to stills not video, and while impressing early reviewers with its flexibility, was criticized for the generally underwhelming quality of its shots.

Toshiba is pushing the module among phone and tablet manufacturers; we’d also like to see it in life-logging systems like Google Glass and Kickstarter success Memoto, where being able to retroactively focus on different elements of the frame (and not bother with settings during filming) could be very useful. No word on how it compares in price to a typical module, nor indeed what resolution the final images are.

[via Engadget]

Toshiba reveals Lytro-style refocus camera module for 2013 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
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While Toshiba might not be in the forefront of the minds of consumers when it comes to Android tablets, we’re sure that there are probably a fair share of users out there who might own one of Toshiba’s Android offerings. Now the good news is that if you own the Toshiba Excite 7.7 Android tablet, it has been reported that the Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean update has begun to roll out for you guys. If you don’t see the update notification yet, fret not as it is possible that it is being pushed out in stages. You could also try manually fetching it by going to your phone’s Settings menu. The update is 348MB in size so it might take a while for it to update, but considering this is Jelly Bean with Project Butter and all, we expect that Excite 7.7 users won’t mind the slight wait. If you own the Excite 7.7 and have received the update, let us know in the comments below.

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Earlier today we reported that Toshiba had a 20MP image sensor planned for point-and-shoot cameras, and it looks like Toshiba’s foray into the photography industry isn’t stopping there. According to Asahi Shimbun, it seems that Toshiba is currently working on a camera sensor designed for smartphones that will allow smartphone cameras to perform the same function as the Lytro light field camera. For those who are unfamiliar with the Lytro camera, it is a camera introduced back in 2011 that allowed photographers to shoot the image first and focus on the subject later. This allowed photographers to capture in-the-moment photos and worry about the focus points during the editing process.

Unlike the Lytro, Toshiba’s camera module measures about 1cm on each side meaning that it should fit into a smartphone. It features a dense array of 500,000 lenses, each about 0.03mm in diameter which sits in front of a sensor that measures 5mm by 7mm. Each of the 500,000 lenses will capture a slightly different image from the others and will ultimately combine them to form one image from which users can choose which areas they want to focus on based on the previous images taken. Toshiba is planning to commercialize the module by the end of fiscal 2013 and are looking for smartphone manufacturers to adopt its technology. Sounds like an interesting idea – would you like to see such a feature incorporated into your smartphone?

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Toshiba today announced that it will launch a new 20Mpix CMOS image sensor, the TCM5115CL, as the latest addition to its sensor line-up for digital still cameras. TCM5115CL offers the industry’s highest resolution in the 1/2.3 inch optical format, using backside illumination technology (BSI) to improve sensitivity and imaging performance.
Continued advances in the resolution offered by compact digital cameras—now in the range of 10- to 16MP—have brought with them the challenge of …

Just when you thought that the megapixel wars are over, here we are with word that Toshiba’s spanking new TCM5115CL 20-megapixel image sensor is being prepared to roll out to the masses, with it being the highest-resolution ever image sensor constructed that will target point-and-shoot cameras. Hmmm, perhaps it is the dawn of a new megapixel war, and who are we to argue with the industry movers and shakers? Just when you thought that there was no longer any more point to cramming in additional pixels onto small image sensors, here we are with Toshiba’s version, where this new 1/2.3-inch image sensor will pack in 25% more pixels than usual.

Could this be a visual breakthrough for image quality? Who knows, until we see the actual devices released itself. Still, a 1/2.3-inch sensor is surely in need for better performance considering the amount of pixels that it already has. Let us wait and see what happens next August when these sensors ship out with a new batch of cameras. [Press Release]

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