Toshiba’s new smartphone camera refocuses images after you’ve snapped them

Toshiba has revealed a new camera module which could bring Lytro-like refocusing to future smartphones.

Lytro’s camera uses an array of microlenses between the lens and a traditional sensor to capture a four-dimensional light field, but Toshiba’s gracefully-titled TCM9518MD module works a little differently.

It uses two separate 5MP sensors, combined with a dedicated image processor to capture images along with their depth data.

When this information is combined you can pull of a some refocusing magic after your shots have been taken.

You can, for example, change the focus of a shot to a different subject entirely, or keep the background in focus while shooting on a macro object, or blur different subjects and backgrounds independently.

Toshiba is showing off the new sensor to manufacturers as we speak, so here’s to hoping it’ll land in a few smartphones by the end of the year.

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[PR Newswire via Gizmodo]

Esat Dedezade Contributor

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Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.