Pelican Imaging opens a new web site named "Life After Megapixels" talking about its post-shot focusing feature. There is a promotional Youtube video downplaying the megapixel metric:
This is a good point although devoting a website for it is funny. I agree with the general point they try to make but it sounds like a lytro 2 case preparing the world for very low resolution. It should be like after the 10 Mpix. No one will settle for 800x600 pelican pics.
I would call that website "life with low resolution". Good luck with marketing stunts. Consumers are not stupid. They Apreciate good images. The 1 Mpix will never be embraced.
I think 3Mp is about the limit where resolution stops being a critical specification. Most printers and desktop displays have a hard time displaying more. A case can be made for 5Mp or even 8Mp if you consider resolution after some cropping and zooming.
Images 800x600 don't even fill a handset screen anymore.
I disagree. True, the difference between 3MP and 5MP might be not that big. But look at 272 Giga-pixel panorama of Shanghai:
http://www.shanghai-272-gigapixels.com/
Is the difference between 3MP and 272GP perceptible? I guess if somebody makes a true 272GP single-shot camera, it would be a smash success. The need in high resolution is here, it's just that nobody can't make it so far...
Interesting approach to trying to compensate for their failure to produce decent resolution from their cameras.
While it might be splitting hairs, it should be pointed out that Pelican doesn't have a true refocus. They simply have a very high DOF and the ability to apply a depth-dependent synthetic lens blur that tries to emulate real lens blur. If the synthetic blur isn't very good, they'll have unnatural-looking bokeh.
Well, as I once heard at Hughes (probably from Lester K) if you cant fix it, feature it. Amusing video, most likely staged, but amusing in a Jay Leno way. Infinite resolution without cost would be good, as Vlad tries to say. Until then, I like the 8Mp on my iPhone and will be happy to have 12Mp on my next camera phone. Now, if those brains at Pelican could just figure out how to make a good zoom with a thin form factor that would be an entirely different story. I guess will leave that to DOC if they can stay around a bit longer.
It's sad what these guys are spending Nokia's money on. Convincing that low res is cool while Nokia is promoting a 41 Mpix CMOS. If I was Nokia I would rather these clowns try to make a good camera rather than convincient us to settle for less. I must say the video is cool. I would consider conversion to commercial studios and skip the camera business.
This is a good point although devoting a website for it is funny. I agree with the general point they try to make but it sounds like a lytro 2 case preparing the world for very low resolution. It should be like after the 10 Mpix. No one will settle for 800x600 pelican pics.
ReplyDeleteI think their pics are 1024x768. Still low and indeed around 1 Mpix
DeleteBear in mind that thanks to computational imaging, the individual sub-matrix resolution will not be the output resolution.
DeleteSuper resolution might improve by 30% in ideal conditions. How does that solve the factor 4 reduction that occurs when moving to array of 4x4???
DeleteUsing same size silicon will actually lead to a factor of 1/16 on the resolution and not 1/4
DeleteI would call that website "life with low resolution". Good luck with marketing stunts. Consumers are not stupid. They Apreciate good images. The 1 Mpix will never be embraced.
ReplyDeleteI think 3Mp is about the limit where resolution stops being a critical specification. Most printers and desktop displays have a hard time displaying more. A case can be made for 5Mp or even 8Mp if you consider resolution after some cropping and zooming.
ReplyDeleteImages 800x600 don't even fill a handset screen anymore.
I disagree. True, the difference between 3MP and 5MP might be not that big. But look at 272 Giga-pixel panorama of Shanghai:
Deletehttp://www.shanghai-272-gigapixels.com/
Is the difference between 3MP and 272GP perceptible? I guess if somebody makes a true 272GP single-shot camera, it would be a smash success. The need in high resolution is here, it's just that nobody can't make it so far...
Interesting approach to trying to compensate for their failure to produce decent resolution from their cameras.
ReplyDeleteWhile it might be splitting hairs, it should be pointed out that Pelican doesn't have a true refocus. They simply have a very high DOF and the ability to apply a depth-dependent synthetic lens blur that tries to emulate real lens blur. If the synthetic blur isn't very good, they'll have unnatural-looking bokeh.
Well, as I once heard at Hughes (probably from Lester K) if you cant fix it, feature it. Amusing video, most likely staged, but amusing in a Jay Leno way. Infinite resolution without cost would be good, as Vlad tries to say. Until then, I like the 8Mp on my iPhone and will be happy to have 12Mp on my next camera phone. Now, if those brains at Pelican could just figure out how to make a good zoom with a thin form factor that would be an entirely different story. I guess will leave that to DOC if they can stay around a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteIt's sad what these guys are spending Nokia's money on. Convincing that low res is cool while Nokia is promoting a 41 Mpix CMOS.
DeleteIf I was Nokia I would rather these clowns try to make a good camera rather than convincient us to settle for less. I must say the video is cool. I would consider conversion to commercial studios and skip the camera business.