Your smartphone might have a surprisingly capable camera in it, but it still has some physical limitations. The image sensor in your phone has a small sensor than the larger units used in profession DSLRs or the mirror-less cameras. Such larger sensors have capabilities to see more light which could capture great pictures even in low light.
A few attempts were made to increase the sensor size in smartphones like Panasonic CM1 which has a 1-inch sensor. Now, a company called Almalence has developed a software technology which has a potential to improve the image quality of our smartphones without the need for any new hardware.
Eugene Panich who is the CEO and Founder of Almalence enlighten the functioning of the technology in an interview with Forbes. The new tech is called as SuperSensor which could take control over the imaging sensor. The camera editing apps that are currently available on the app stores try to enhance the photos which are already been saved. SuperSensor works differently.
The popular post-processing apps can turn the images more appealing but can’t improve the image quality features such as loss in details from zooming or noise level. On the other hand, the SuperSensor works directly on the sensor. It samples the signals from the sensor multiple times for every frame for pictures and even videos. The multiple input frames create a final single image and thus more light is collected and rendered in a higher resolution.
This approach is capable of improving the resolution of the images as well as reduces noise and adds dynamic range; Seems like the technology could address two of the major camera issues.
According to a SuperSensor’s web page, the signal-to-noise ratio is increased by 5 to 10 decibels and it results in two-to-three-stop improvement in dynamic range.
SuperSensor app has shown a few sample images on the app store which appears that it could make a noticeable difference in the image quality. The SuperSensor Demo app is now available on the Google Play store to try, while the Super Mode is currently available only for the smartphones having a better camera such as Nexus 5, Nexus 6 and LG G Flex2.
