The B617 programmable liquid lens integrates optical image stabilization and autofocus functionality in the same element, for use in mobile products such as smart phones. It is shock-resistant and uses up to 90% less power than a VCM actuator. It fits into typical phone cameras.
Varioptic
Lyon, France
www.varioptic.com
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PRESS RELEASE
Varioptic Announces Programmable Integrated Optical Image Stabilization and Auto-Focus Lens for SmartPhones
Low light indoor photography and stabilized image capture to be demonstrated during Photonics West, San Francisco, 25 - 27 January 2011
San Francisco, 24th January 2011 - Varioptic, the liquid lens leader, today announces its second generation Liquid Lens product family. The B617 programmable liquid lens is the first offering in the “Baltic” family of products that integrates Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and Autofocus (AF) functionality in the same element. Varioptic lenses have no moving parts and are ideal for high performance mobile products such as smartphones.
Varioptic’s Autofocus (AF) liquid lenses have been used since 2007 in consumer, medical, military and industrial devices including full HD DV camcorders, bar code readers, security & biometric cameras, dental cameras, machine vision cameras and other high performance products.
The new Varioptic liquid lens, B617, compensates for handshake blur, supports best-in-class Auto-Focus and substantially improves low-light image quality.
With no moving parts, the new liquid lens, B617, is very robust to shocks and uses up to 90% less power than Voice Coil Motor (VCM) actuator. The B617 liquid lens featuring both OIS and silent & smooth AF easily fits in typical mobile products and smartphone cameras.
“The B617 liquid lens combines both Auto-Focus and Optical Image Stabilization in a single element and represents a breakthrough for products such as smartphones that can now provide much higher still photo and video quality” stated Hamid Farzaneh, Varioptic CEO. “Liquid lenses with high performance OIS and Auto-Focus will enable mobile users to take non-blurry pictures even in low light conditions as well as capture high quality, stable and continuously focused videos. The next generations of smartphones will become much closer in performance to digital still cameras and camcorders”, added Farzaneh.
Meet Varioptic at Photonics West in San Francisco at booth 1522 (South Hall) – plus, Optical Image Stabilization will be presented on Wednesday 26th at 10:30am in Demo Area 2, South Hall C.
The B617 lens will start sampling in April 2011. For OIS developer’s kits please contact [email protected].
About Varioptic
Varioptic pioneered the development of Electrowetting Technology and is the world leader in cost effective high performance programmable liquid lenses. Varioptic’s lenses are used in a wide range of imaging applications from industrial vision to consumer cameras, and feature significant advantages over traditional focusing technologies in terms of robustness, power consumption, flexibility, size, cost and speed. For more information, please visit www.varioptic.com.
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Posted by Lee Mather
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