A 48MP MIPI CSI-2 Camera Module in The Making
There’s no denying that phone cameras have gone off the rails with increased specifications and sophisticated multi-camera systems.
What if, by bringing these phone cameras to certain embedded platforms, we can give people the hardware they need to build better applications? What if we can keep up with the trends? Where do we even start?
We took our thoughts to action and made a 48-megapixel camera board.
It’s the same Sony IMX582/IMX586 Exmor sensor you can find from phones released in recent years, the camera breakout we built can work with our camera development board for capturing still images.
Here’s some basic info about the sensor:
| Model name | IMX586 | |
| Number of effective pixels | 8000 (H) × 6000 (V)48 megapixels*2 | |
| Image size | Diagonal 8.000mm(Type 1/2) | |
| Unit cell size | 0.8μm(H)×0.8μm(V) | |
| Frame rate | Full | 30fps |
| Movie | 4K(4096×2160)90fps1080p240fps720p480fps(w/crop) | |
| Sensitivity (Standard value: f5.6) | Approx. 133LSB | |
| Sensor saturation signal level (minimum value) | Approx. 4500e | |
| Voltage | Analog | 2.8V, 1.8V |
| Digital | 1.1V | |
| Interface | 1.8V | |
| Main functions | Image plane phase-difference AF, HDR imaging | |
| Output | MIPI C-PHY1.0 (3 trio) / D-PHY 1.2 (4 lane) | |
| Color filter array | Quad Bayer array | |
| Image output format | Bayer RAW |
Some samples:
Want a test run of this 48MP beast?
Can it work on Raspberry Pi?
We are still working on a module with a CSI-2 connection along with proper camera drivers for Raspberry Pi and Jetson Nano/NX.
Since the 48MP sensor generates quite a hefty amount of data, it would be best for Pi/Jetson to take photos in RAW format so post-processing can be done elsewhere.
We will also have a photoshop action made for it.
How it compares to the Raspberry Pi V2 and HQ camera:
Benefits of The Resolution Shoot-Up (48 Megapixels)
This camera board offers nearly 2.3 times higher resolution than the 21MP (highest ) we have, 4 times higher than the RPi HQ module, giving sharper quality with extra details.
And a pixel count at that level (48 effective megapixels) gives you many advantages:
Digital Zooming or Cropping: You can easily zoom in for close-ups or crop the image for better framing without losing so much quality.
Simplified System Design: This camera can be the perfect replacement for old camera systems that use multiple camera units to offer more coverage for certain types of applications.
Large Printing and High-Definition Scanning: Having super high-resolution ensures that all the images you took will have enough PPI for large printing, and applications like OCR, book/3D scanning can easily make the most out of it for better results.
New Series of Ultra High-Resolution Cameras from Flagship Smartphones
We are not stopping at 48MP, when this camera module is finalized, we will be doing 68MP and 100MP camera modules in a row. We plan to launch a brand new series of camera modules that are based on sensors used in modern-day mobile phones.
We hope these new cameras will get Raspberry Pi or Jetson into more makers’ hands. We want the community to have low-cost camera solutions with the same specs as those you see and use in Android or Apple smartphones.
Ideally, we’d like to provide you with camera modules that are flexible enough for embedded/IoT systems of all sorts.
Wow! Is there a version with no IR filter?
Wow, that’s exactly what we need. When will it be ready ?
Hey cool project!! Do you already have a release date in mind? Best