Samsung may pick up a trick in a bid to beat the iPhone camera.
Samsung May Pick up a Trick in a Bid to beat the iPhone Camera
A new patent application now suggests that Samsung at the moment is working to move its stabilization from the lens of its camera all the way to its sensor. This move means switching from the present optical image stabilization to sensor stabilization could help to improve the quality of the image and thus reduce blur. Both the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and the apple iPhone 14 Pro make use of image stabilization on their cameras, but the iPhone stabilizes the sensor while the galaxy device on the other hand stabilizes the lens.
Originally we saw this as a rumor in 2021 while the Samsung Galaxy S22 was first getting its hints and leaks. It was reported back then that Samsung was testing out this feature and it also is part of the company partnering up with camera maker Olympus. That very partnership however never made light but we are now seeing possible fruits of that very labor.
What a Stabilizer on the Sensor Means
Apple was the first maker of smartphones to make use of sensor stabilization which is a technique that is closer to the way that some professional very high-end DSLR cameras such as the Canon EOS R6 stabilize an image in the body of the camera, and not only in the lens. On a smartphone, the distance between the sensor and the lens is very much shorter but apple, however, believed that stabilizing the sensor will help produce a better shot.
This also means a larger bump in the camera. The stabilization of image relies solely on tiny motors that actually move the lens or other sensor in response to an accelerometer also known as a gyroscope. It can however be responsive at an incredible rate but it takes up much space.
Adding the Hardware Closer To the Sensor Adds More Thickness
Adding the hardware closer to the sensor adds more thickness and you can also see the dramatic camera bump difference between the iPhone 11 Pro which also did not use sensor stabilization and the iPhone 12 Pro, a device which apple debuted the feature in question.
Rumors currently making the trend suggest that this patent could specifically apply to the telephoto lens but the actual patent makes no mention of this. Samsung already juices it’s telephoto lens with digital tricks that help to produce really amazing results even up to a jaw-dropping 100x zoom. That being said, better stabilization certainly would mean equal even bigger improvements here.
