The Future of Digital Camera

By Daniel Balsewicz

The future is always a time of uncertainty, at least when examining it from the present. With technology, and electronics in particular, it is very difficult to determine future developments with any certainty. We have seen many technologies fade into obsolescence instead of becoming the standard for the future. These would include the Zip disc, floppy disc, CRT monitor, and VHS and Betamax cassettes. At this point in time it appears that even hard-disc drives and compact discs may also be on their way out. However, some technologies seem to be relatively immune (or at least very resistant) to obsolescence. Digital cameras are relatively secure in their place as the standard for photography in the near (and possibly, far) future.

Unless some unexpected new development occurs between now and 2025 digital cameras, in most likelihood, will still be the standard for taking photographs. The basic idea of an electronic sensor capturing an image, rather than an analog piece of film, is most likely going to be used to construct cameras in the foreseeable future. However, other parts of the camera, and indeed the concept of a camera may change in the near future.

A change in camera lens design seems to be looming, just over the horizon. Modern camera lenses are all constructed with many glass elements (individual lenses). In order to focus the lens the distance between the elements needs to change, often changing the length of the entire lens when needed. This can result in long, thick, and often heavy lenses for professional use. Even small lenses, like on pocket-sized point-and-shoot cameras need to have complex lenses with multiple elements. A change in technology could simplify and miniaturize lenses without sacrificing quality. In fact, this new technology could vastly improve resolution and quality. The idea is to mimic the human eye as closely as possible. The human eye uses only one lens which can quickly and accurately focus light onto the back of the eye, the retina, which has a curved surface. The sensor in a camera however is flat. Some of the elements inside of a camera lens are assigned the task of flattening the image in order for a flat sensor to “see” properly. According to John Rogers, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois, “one can accomplish the same outcome with simple lenses by making the detector curved” (Rogers, 2008). This approach could be beneficial since each element in a lens contributes to a compound loss of quality. This is because each piece of glass will add diffraction to the image, since no piece of glass can be 100% transparent, resulting in a loss of sharpness and overall quality in the image before it even reaches the sensor. This camera design calls for a single lens which acts more like the lens in a human eyeball, and a curved sensor. Rogers mentions that creating a curved sensor is possible by manufacturing the sensing array on tiny ribbon cables which can be shaped into a hemisphere. This design approach alone may be way manufacturers can finally miniaturize lenses and at the same time provide improved image quality. This is only one of the possible developments on the horizon.

In the design of digital cameras there are only two main important components: The lens and the electronic light sensor. Everything else on the camera is merely there to assist those components in capturing images and storing them. As outlined above, camera lens technology still has much room for improvement. Likewise much effort is being put into revolutionizing the digital image sensor. Fujifilm has been developing a sensor they call the SuperCCD. CCD stands for “charge-coupled device,” which describes the way in which photons are converted into electrons. CCD sensors are one of the most popular types of sensor in digital cameras today. This new sensor design uses a honeycomb layout of octagonal pixels rather than a classic grid of square pixels. Fujifilm claims that this design provides “higher resolution, improved colour reproduction, a wider dynamic range and increased sensitivity.” (Fujifilm, 1999). Since the announcement of the SuperCCD in 1999 Fujifilm has developed and used several iterations of the SuperCCD in some of their camera models. In 2008 Fujifilm once again improved upon the technology, changing its name to SuperCCD EXR. A new feature of this technology is the ability to “switch modes” between high sensitivity and high resolution (Fujifilm, 2008). With current technology, a sensor cannot be good at both high sensitivity for low light conditions (without introducing incredible amounts of noise into the image) and high resolution. Fujifilm plans to continue developing the SuperCCD technology and hopes that it will allow for a sensor which allows for both high sensitivity and increased resolution.

Resolution, the number of pixels (or number of megapixels) is one of the most common ways to categorize cameras. Resolution determines the size of images and the maximum sized high quality prints which can be made from those images. Lately however, camera manufacturers have been producing inexpensive handheld cameras with the ability to record full 1080p high definition video. Even digital SLR cameras, such as the Canon 5D Mk II, have acquired this feature. It has taken a while for digital sensors to reach the level of resolution and sensitivity required to record such large video frames in relatively low or regular indoor lighting conditions. With continued development it is very likely that most, if not all cameras in the near future will feature high definition video recording. It is also likely that by 2025 consumer cameras, as well as Digital SLRs will have the ability to record 4K video (“quad-HD” at 2160p destined to replace the current standard of 1080p high definition video).

In the future, specifically around the year 2025, cameras will most likely be leaps and bounds ahead of today’s cameras in terms of image quality and features. Higher resolutions will allow not only for high definition amateur video recording but also for better views of distant objects in the solar system and beyond. Increased light sensitivity and better lens technology will also benefit many sectors of society, including consumer products, astronomy, x-ray scanners (security and medical), and satellite imaging. Of course, not all benefits (or in some cases, disadvantages) of new developments of technology can be predicted. Everything mentioned above is with respect to today’s technological environment and society. The full impact of better camera technology will have to be recognized when it is realized at some point in the future.

source : http://dab16.wordpress.com/2009/04/08/tech-post-3-the-future-of-digital-cameras/