OmniVision, the world's leading developer of semiconductor solutions for advanced digital imaging, analog, touch screen and display technologies, released a new 50-megapixel image sensor OV50E.
According to reports, this sensor can provide industry-leading low-light image and high dynamic range (HDR) video capture capabilities for the rear main camera of mid-to-high-end smartphones. The OV50E features interleaved HDR and DCG™ technology that further supports HDR and crop scaling, 100% Quad Phase Detection (QPD) for enhanced autofocus, and better low-light performance than previous generation image sensors. The all-new OV50E combines 50-megapixel resolution and 1.0-micron pixel size in a 1/1.5-inch optical format.
The OV50E features interlaced HDR and patented DCG technology that extends dynamic range and reduces motion artifacts in challenging lighting conditions, plus a built-in dual-conversion gain combination for single-exposure HDR support. The maximum dynamic range can reach more than 100dB. In addition, the OV50E's second-generation QPD enables 2x2 phase detection autofocus (PDAF) across the entire sensor image array with 100% coverage, improving distance calculation accuracy, autofocus speed, and low-light performance. On-chip pixel reduction algorithms for QPD color filter arrays combined with full Bayer resolution further achieve high image quality.
James Liu, Senior Product Marketing Manager of OmniVision Group, said: "Video is increasingly becoming the most important source of information for people, and smartphones are gradually replacing professional video shooting equipment. However, the zoom performance of smartphones has always been less than ideal, and the OV50E image sensor supports video HDR. Crop and zoom to help users seamlessly switch between full and smaller resolutions, with full HDR capabilities. Combined with industry-leading low-light still image performance, consumers can be satisfied with just one phone various needs."
The OV50E image sensor combines a large 1.0-micron pixel size, built-in advanced noise reduction technology, and high-gain mode support to provide excellent low-light performance. The OV50E can achieve up to 64x analog gain (for full resolution) or 256x analog gain (for 4-in-1 binning resolution). Using OmniVision's PureCel® Plus-S die stacking technology, the OV50E can also output 12.5 megapixel images or 4K/2K video with four times the sensitivity using near pixel binning and achieve 2.0 micron equivalent performance for preview and video use. In any case, the OV50E consistently captures high-quality images, enabling 2x digital crop scaling and fast mode switching at smaller resolutions.
The output formats of the OV50E include 50 million pixels or 8K video (QPD auto focus, 30 frames/sec), 12.5 million pixels (QPD auto focus, 60 frames/sec), 4K/2K video (QPD auto focus, 60 frames/sec) , and 1080p video (240 fps). OV50E supports CPHY/DPHY MIPI interface and dual DOVDD (1.8V and 1.2V).
