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Camera Module Problems May Delay Samsung's Galaxy S5
concertina226 writes "There's less than a month to go before Samsung launches its new flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone worldwide on 11 April, and the new device has still not gone into mass production due to camera module manufacturing problems. The 16 megapixel camera module consists of six plastic pieces, one more piece than in the existing 13 megapixel camera modules in the Galaxy S4. The problem that Samsung is having is that even though the number of plastic pieces has gone up, the thickness of each piece has remained the same, so in order to fit the new camera module into the Galaxy S5, the lens makers will likely have to develop new technology to make thinner lenses. Not only that, joining six pieces together instead of five for the 13 megapixel camera modules increases the risk of optical faults surfacing at the lens manufacturers' plants dramatically."
Planned obsolescence. They expect you to replace the phone in two years anyway.
The true reason for the production problems is that it's difficult to fit the tiny NSA module in there.
If Pandora's box is destined to be opened, *I* want to be the one to open it.
Injection moulding allows for all aspheric lenses (which costs much $$$ in glass). They can realise better performance this way than they could with a similarly priced glass lens. A glass lens would also weigh more and cost much much more (even if you forgo the aspheric elements).
From your username, I'd suggest you are a little biased...
Personally, I don't really care about the camera in my phone. I've never seen a camera on a phone that takes anywhere close to to as good pictures as a decent point and shoot digital camera. At least not in all situations. They seem to work well outside in the summer when there is plenty of sunlight, but in low-light situations, the small pinhole phone cameras seem to perform poorly. Also, the led flash tends to work terribly compared to an actual camera flash. I really don't understand why smartphones are so popular. For the same price you could get a cheap feature phone, a tablet, and a camera. Use the phone for tethering the tablet, which works better for browsing the web and other such functions, and use the camera for taking pictures. That way you don't have to worry about your $600+ phone when you just want to go hiking or go for a bike ride where you don't really need internet connectivity anyway.
Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
For the same price you could get a cheap feature phone, a tablet, and a camera.
Maybe because we don't want to look like the friggin Batman everywhere we go?
"Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
I used to think the same, until I got video from my Samsung S4 and compared it to my Canon T2i. I can't tell the difference between video in a lot of cases.
Now, the T2i isn't primarily a video camera, but it has far better lenses and a far better/bigger sensor than the S4. It should perform substantially and irrefutably better than the S4. It doesn't.
As far as photos go, I'm either going to get out the big DSLR or I'm not. The DSLR obviously has superior image quality, but the camera is too big to carry around all the time, and is a significant theft risk if left unattended. If I have to wrangle 2 kids and whatever bags of stuff they require, I don't have a lot of patience for carrying around a camera bag too. Point-and-shoot consumer cameras are pretty much the same thing as cameraphones, unless you are talking about large models with big lenses (which have the same size problems as DSLRs). The cameraphone goes in my pocket. Of course it can be stolen but it is unlikely to be stolen if it is in my pocket. With the larger cameras you have to constantly be on guard and conscious of possible theft.
The best camera is the one you have with you. 1 device to rule them all is perhaps not the ideal solution but it is the most practical.
For the same price you could get a cheap feature phone, a tablet, and a camera. Use the phone for tethering the tablet, which works better for browsing the web and other such functions, and use the camera for taking pictures. That way you don't have to worry about your $600+ phone when you just want to go hiking or go for a bike ride where you don't really need internet connectivity anyway.
I have enough complexity in my life already without juggling 3 physical devices, managing all the interfaces (networking, file transfers, charging) between them, and upgrading/replacing them when needed.
Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.