Raspberry Pi's are soon going to be rocking Sony 8-megapixel sensor cameras.
The old camera modules used in previous Raspberry Pi's boards, the OmniVision OV5647 has been discontinued in 2014.
Thankfully, Rasperry Pi and its partners bought big stockpiles of the component, but unfortunately, not enough to last forever.
Even if good things do come to an end, new things that come along are just as good if not better. In this case, they're definitely better.
The old OmniVision OV5647, which was equipped with a 5-megapixel visible light sensor costs $25. The newer Sony IMX219 packs an 8-megapixel visible light sensor or an infrared sensor for the same price.
Raspberry Pi's are famous for being small, cheap and accessible. It also has an enormous potential to compute tasks that make things like kite mapping, astrophotography and even hyper spectral imaging possible.
That's just with the plain Raspberry Pi with a camera on board. With all the accessories already available for the mini computing system, tons more have been achieved and all between $20 and $35.
As for the new camera component which will still require another $25 investment, it is available starting today for purchase via Raspberry Pi's partner RS Components and element14.
"The camera modules have been two of our most popular accessories and the upgraded versions will let users capture higher quality images in both day and low-light settings. Whether it's for CCTV, home automation, weather stations, drones or even sending into space, we're looking forward to seeing the photographs and videos from the next generation of Raspberry Pi cameras," says Claire Doyle, global head of Raspberry Pi.
Raspberry Pi says that the upgrade to the new Sony sensors are more than just a mere resolution upgrade. Considering the technology Sony has packed into its IMX219 sensor and its Exmor R back-illuminated sensor architecture (the same one used in its high-priced RX100 point-and-shoot), "it's a leap forward in image quality, color fidelity and low-light performance."
Raspberry Pi says resellers should have them in stock soon.
Photo: Clive Darra | Flickr
