OmniVision’s new image sensor brings low-light stills and ultra-high dynamic range video to smartphone rear cameras

OmniVision’s New 50-Megapixel Image Sensor Brings Industry-Leading Low-Light Still Images and Ultra-High Dynamic Range Video to Smartphone Rear Cameras

The OV50E image sensor features the industry’s best 1.0-micron pixel size and 1/1.5-inch optical format, low noise, 100% phase detection and single-exposure high dynamic range support for superior still image and video capture

Santa Clara, California – July 29, 2022 – OmniVision, a world-leading developer of semiconductor solutions for advanced digital imaging, analog, touchscreen and display technologies, today released the OV50E image sensor. This sensor provides industry-leading low-light image and high dynamic range (HDR) video capture capabilities for the rear main camera of mid- to high-end smartphones. The interlaced HDR and DCG™ technologies used in the OV50E can further support HDR and crop zoom, 100% quad phase detection (QPD) can enhance autofocus capabilities, and low-light performance is also better than the previous generation of image sensors. The new OV50E combines 50-megapixel resolution and 1.0-micron pixel size in a 1/1.5-inch optical format.

The OV50E uses staggered HDR and patented DCG technology to extend the dynamic range and reduce motion artifacts in challenging lighting conditions, plus a built-in dual conversion gain combination that provides single-exposure HDR support. The maximum dynamic range is over 100dB. In addition, the OV50E's second-generation QPD enables 2x2 phase detection autofocus (PDAF) across the entire sensor image array with 100% coverage, thereby improving distance calculation accuracy, autofocus speed, and low-light performance. The on-chip pixel restoration algorithm for the QPD color filter array, combined with full Bayer resolution, further achieves high image quality.

“Video is increasingly becoming the primary source of information for people, and smartphones are gradually replacing professional video capture equipment,” said James Liu, senior product marketing manager at OmniVision. “However, the zoom performance of smartphones has always been less than ideal. The OV50E image sensor supports video HDR cropping and zooming, helping users to seamlessly switch between full resolution and smaller resolutions and achieve full HDR functionality. Coupled with the industry-leading low-light still image performance, a single phone can meet the various needs of consumers.”

The OV50E image sensor combines a large 1.0-micron pixel size, built-in advanced noise reduction technology, and high-gain mode support to provide excellent low-light performance. The OV50E can achieve up to 64x analog gain (for full resolution) or 256x analog gain (for four-in-one pixel binning resolution). Using OmniVision's PureCel® Plus-S chip stacking technology, the OV50E can also use near-pixel binning to output 12.5-megapixel images or 4K/2K videos at four times the sensitivity and achieve 2.0-micron equivalent performance for preview and video use. In any case, the OV50E can continuously capture high-quality images and enable 2x digital crop zoom and fast mode switching for smaller resolutions.

OV50E output formats include 50MP or 8K video (QPD autofocus, 30 fps), 12.5MP (QPD autofocus, 60 fps), 4K/2K video (QPD autofocus, 60 fps), and 1080p video (240 fps). OV50E supports CPHY/DPHY MIPI interface and dual DOVDD (1.8V and 1.2V).