If you're a tech nerd like me, you may have seen the news about Sony's new mobile image sensor. But, if you missed the news, allow me to take you on a stroll thru Digital Imaging land!
Who Gives a Shit
Well, I do! I've been covering the evolution of digital imaging for a while now, and have written about the general state of the industry as well as the growth of the discourse that makes this all mainstream.
And if the numbers are to be believed, you care, too-- you just may not realize it! Currently, the internet consumes around 80 exabytes of video per month, which is only expected to increase in the coming years. And more of this content than ever before is being shot by everyday people on their everyday smartphones. Point is, even if you aren't using modern imaging tech to produce content yourself, you're almost certain to be enjoying that content produced by someone else. It's ubiquitous.
DSLR Parity
As the Engadget article linked above is quick to point out, smartphone sensors like these are chomping at the heels of DSLR sensors. This is a big deal because DSLRs have long been the gateway into professional content creation, separating pros from casuals both because of their price tags as well as their learning curves. But if everyone has a DSLR-quality camera in their pocket at all times of the day, it's no wonder content creation has mushroomed.
And sure, the debate will rage for some time if a dope phone camera can REALLY compete with a dope DSLR, but for the average consumer, shit like this simply wasn't possible a decade ago.
The Deets
So here are the details: as Engadget puts it,
Sony, which spun off its image sensor division in 2015, currently dominates sensor sales for both smartphones and premium DSLR/mirrorless cameras. Last quarter, it vowed to maintain that position by spending up to $9 billion developing new tech.
That's right. Sony's DSLRs are arguably the best on the market, and now here they come with a phone camera that's just as untouchable. However will the competition survive?!
Of course, high megapixel count and decent pixel size aren't the only variables that matter when producing an image-- dynamic range, color science, and zoom/depth of field all matter just as equally! And yet Sony is already hedging against critics like me, flaunting that this new sensor can pull down 4K90p video and capture four times the dynamic range. It sounds like this just might be as dope as the hypetrain wants us to think it will be!