[photokina] Sony's Camera Catches Natural Smiles w/ Auto Shutter, Framing

Sept 29, 2008 19:46 Tomohiro Otsuki, Nikkei Electronics

Sony Corp prototyped a digital camera that automatically detects and tracks human faces and releases the shutter after adjusting the framing, and presented it at "photokina."

The camera releases the shutter at the moment when it detects , for example, human smiles. It determines the framing primarily based on the direction and size of the face. In addition to optical zoom, a motor-controlled camera platform can be used for framing.

The prototype's major advantage is the fact that the subjects do not need to be conscious of the camera.

"After actually prototyping the camera and having some people try it, we could see that existing cameras could take only strained expressions," a Sony developer said. "This prototype can take amazingly natural smiles."

In fact, the prototype was continuously shooting photos of visitors' smiles while they were listening to the explanation of Sony's attendants at the show.

Sony has not determined a schedule for commercialization of the camera or its specifications. The company exhibited the camera at photokina to research needs for it.

Although whether consumers will find it attractive remains to be seen, it is highly likely that the camera can offer new photo experiences to users if combined with a high ISO sensitivity low noise image sensor (to reduce blurring of the subject by increasing the shutter speed), a certain level of high-speed burst shooting (to avoid missing the optimum shooting timing), several Gbytes of flash memory (to ease the problem of image misrecognition) and a device able to quickly replay JPEG files (for the same reason as described for flash memory).

Other exhibits that drew interest at Sony's booth are as follows.

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