Radical Camera Maybe Coming to a Nokia Smartphone

Rumors are that Nokia is working on a smartphone that could include a radical new camera design — based around a 16 lens array.

Pelican Imaging, the inventor of the groundbreaking array camera recently raised US$20 million in additional funding, from a number of investors including Qualcomm and Nokia.

Nokia’s investment in the company may be a routine commercial decision, but Pelican Imaging also confirmed that it is in talks with an unnamed handset manufacturer to deploy its lens-array — leading to speculation that company is indeed Nokia.

As Nokia Growth Partners Managing Partner Bo Ilsoe noted, “Pelican Imaging’s computational camera solutions are at the cutting edge of mobile camera technologies. We believe they’re positioned to lead the next wave in video and image capture; they’re a great addition to our portfolio of innovators in the imaging space.”

Pelican Imaging’s computational camera technology provides depth mapping at every pixel, enabling “the perfect picture” every time and allowing users to perform an unprecedented range of selective focus and edits, both pre- and post-capture. The camera itself is also about 50% thinner than existing mobile cameras.

Nokia has form in developing radical new camera technologies, and its Pureview 42-megapixel camera is widely expected to be included in the company’s forthcoming Windows Phone based flagship handset.

Source: Cellular-News