OmniVision Launches High-End 5-Megapixel OV5680 CameraChip Sensor

After launching the slimmest 8-megapixel camera modules for smartphones and tablets, OmniVision is back with yet another camera sensor, the OV5680.

The OV5680 is the first 5-megapixel CameraChip sensor that uses OmniVision’s new 1.75-micron OmniBSI-2 pixel.

According to the company, the OV5680 was especially designed to combine high-end image quality and sensitivity with high frame rate 1080p high definition (HD) video.

Touted as the highest performance 5-megapixel sensor for mobile applications, the OV5680 utilizes an integrated scaler to offer 1080p HD video capture at 30 FPS for continuous shooting and without any lag.

“With the rise of video-centric smartphones, we have experienced a steep ramp in 5-megapixel sensor demand in the past 18 months, and we are continuing to see strong growth forecasts into 2012, and reports are projecting 5-megapixel production to nearly double within the next three years as smartphones have now overtaken feature phones in the US market,” commented Vinoo Margasahayam, product marketing manager at OmniVision.

Furthermore, the sensor’s binning functionality with post-binning re-sampling filter allows or 720p video capture at 60 FPS and minimizes spatial artifacts by removing image artifacts around edges.

In addition, the OV5680 sensor is fully capable of synchronizing exposure and frame for stereo cameras to meet 3D video capture requirements.

“The OV5680 is designed to meet and exceed the expectations of this highly video-centric market, bridging the quality and performance gaps between mobile phone cameras and dedicated digital video cameras,” concluded Margasahayam.

As OmniVision states, the OV5680 is built “using a 300mm copper process with 65 nm design rules."

Thanks to this building process that sensor offers optimized die size, lower power consumption, and significant performance and image quality improvements in comparison with the company's first generation OmniBSI pixel.

Although the OV5680 is now available for sampling, OmniVision stated that mass production is expected for Q1 2012.