In February the LG G5 was launched with a dual camera, and the upcoming Huawei P9 and iPhone 7 are both rumored to come with one. Now chip maker MediaTek has launched the Imagiq image signal processor (ISP) for the company's Helios smartphone chip sets and takes full advantage of increasingly common dual-camera hardware. The new ISP promises the following functions:

  • Real-time shallow depth-of-field simulation, visible in image preview
  • The ability to distinguish between background and foreground and create layers to which different effects can be applied
  • Better detail rendering and noise reduction based on the additional light and information captured by a second sensor 
  • Improved digital zoom quality by combining images from two cameras

The Imagiq ISP also supports simultaneous use of phase-detect and laser AF for faster focusing, especially in low light, contrast-detect AF at pixel level, and an image stabilization system that combines four exposures that are captured in quick succession into one image, in theory eliminating blur. More information is available on the MediaTek website.

The depth-of-field functions mentioned above might sound familiar, as we've seen them on devices like the HTC One M8 - with rather disappointing results. It is not known at this point when the Imagiq ISP will first appear in production devices but we hope Imagiq-equipped devices can significantly improve on the HTC's depth-of-field effects and provide high-quality digital zoom and lower noise levels at the same time.

Source: MediaTek | Via: Image Sensors World