Sony has just come out with a new Exmor RS camera sensor, the IMX318, which promises to be the Japanese company’s leading edge camera sensor for the year. Of course, Sony usually keeps the best mobile camera sensor for its Xperia line, so expect a slightly better one when Sony’s new phones come out. As of now, the IMX318 is probably the best manufacturers can get, and is really something that Sony needs to keep up with the mobile market.
The Exmor RS IMX318 is a type 1/2.6-inch stacked CMOS sensor, more compact than the previous generations. This is a boon to manufacturers because more compact means less space, and ultimately thinner and smaller cameras. It generates 22.5 megapixel images and a built-in hybrid autofocus that can give you sublime focus in as little as 0.03 seconds. That’s almost… nothing – so quick that people won’t notice the waiting time. Check out the autofocus video below.
Then you get 3-axis image stabilization for even better shots. Check out the feature video below. The IMX318 also gives you 4K recording at 30fps, while you can get 1080p and 720p at 120fps and 240fps. The sensor is pretty capable, and you would hope to see this in the flagship models that will be launching later in the year.
The sensor is scheduled to ship around May, so it will be on devices mostly around October to November, in time for this year’s holiday rush. Sony should also have something for all of us by the time MWC starts in Barcelona in a few weeks’ time, so watch this space.
SOURCE: Sony
