Korean digicam chip could make flashes obsolete
By Brian White 
posted May 31st 2007 8:18AM
posted May 31st 2007 8:18AM
If you're oblivious to those generally-useless cellphone digicam flashes at this time, we hear ya -- we can't stand them either. But would it not be nice to capture quality images in dark spaces without being blinded by the light from a traditional flash and without seeing the blur of a phone cam that accompanies flash-less night or dark shots? The South Korean Electronic Technology Institute says it has the answer in a new low-light image sensor chip. The main feature? the chip allows digital cameras to snap great shots with hardly any light. Yes, we're talking 1-lux lighting levels here for both still and video capture, with a claimed low-light sensitivity level 2,000 times more than other sensor types. Nice, very nice -- though as usual, we'll have to reserve judgment until it finds its way into a shipping product.[Via Phone Scoop]
An interesting & very useful technology - I'm considering the Finepix F31 for this very reason, low light shooting.
Though - why is the flash being demonstrated by William Shatner?
the flash on my Ocean doubles as a flashlight... wicked bright... but i dont think it really does much for taking pictures
The only thing I'd worry about is noise distortion. Sure you can take the pic in low lighting, but you'd get all sorts of color bits sprayed throughout the picture.
That's not William Shatner, but it kind of looks like him