When Light brought the Light L16 camera back in 2016, everyone was awe-inspired. The camera had a whopping 16 lenses and all of them were packed in a very compact body. That’s not all, the device back then was also capable of capturing images like top-tier DSLRs. And for the very reason, the device also received an award for its exceptional computational imaging and the cost-effective multi-camera imaging prowess. Some of the popular tech reviewers also saw the device as a replacement to bulky cameras.
After that, we did not hear much from that imaging company. But recently, when Nokia released the Nokia 9 PureView at an event in MWC 2019, the name of the company came into the light once again. Nokia 9 PureView create a buzz in the MWC because of the Penta camera setup at its back. And since Light was the one, who developed it, the company also received fair of attention and appreciation. All thanks to its sophisticated computational software and intelligent processing power.
Addressing the proficiency of the Light Company in computational imaging, different companies are reaching out to Light for collaboration. The company recently announced a partnership with Sony. When that’s still fresh news, Light further announced the partnership with the Chinese internet company Xiaomi. With this partnership, Xiaomi is positive on bringing multi-camera devices with Light and enabling them with DSLR-level capabilities.
“We are thrilled to partner with Light to leverage their advanced imaging solutions for our future devices,” said Zhu Dan, VP, smartphone division, GM of camera department, Xiaomi. “Xiaomi works tirelessly to remain at the forefront of smartphone innovation, and perfecting smartphone photography is a key focus for us. We are excited to work on devices using Light’s technology so our users can produce even more amazing photos.”
We saw multi-camera setups on various smartphones. Triple camera on Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, etc. and quad-camera setup on Samsung Galaxy A9 2018 are the few examples. All these smartphones used lenses with different focal lengths. However, the Penta-camera setup on recently announced Nokia 9 PureView has used five different lenses all with the same focal length. So we are yet to see, how the Xiaomi-Light smartphone will turn out to be. Will it focus on image quality, versatility or both? I guess, we should probably have to wait for the official launch of the smartphone to get the answer.
