Camera technology leader Light has off lately raised $121 million during a D round funding by SoftBank’s renowned Vision Fund. Leica Camera AG also participated in the financing. With this, the aggregate fund raised by Light till date is estimated to fall somewhere around $186 million.
Light, the global competitor in high tech cameras and shooter technology, kicked off business in 2015 with the launch of 950 L16 camera at mere $1 price. As of 2018, the firm is regarded among best in the business and stands at par with Fujifilm and Nikon.
How will Light’s Camera technology benefit smartphones?
Light’s first camera, the tiny and portable 950 L16, combined 16 camera sensors with different lenses to fetch a 52-megapixel high-quality image. The idea was to shoot DSLR grade images from a more compact device that combines smaller sensors to make up for the lack of a big one.
Using multiple sensors with different sensors allows Light cameras to brandish features like 5X optical Zoom, ability to shoot high-quality 52MP shots, and precise depth of field control – all in a compact form factor.
Now that smartphone makers are experimenting with multiple sensors, Light’s expertise can prove to be very handy.
The company claims to outweigh consumer expectations in the mobile camera domain with its nine rear camera phone design.
Also Read: Nokia 3.1 with Android One and 5.2-inch Display Launched In India
In a statement released by Light recently, it said “In this era, pocketable, connected cameras can reconstruct the world in three dimensions and superhuman detail, cars are able to perceive the objects around them without the need for special sensors, and robots are able to thread the elusive needle autonomously”.
When will we see Light’s Camera technology in phones?
The release of Light’s smartphone camera business is due for the year-end. With this, Light bids to completely change the fate of smartphone cameras in the coming years.
There are also whispers about Leica and Light’s partnership in developing consumer products that will use Light’s technology. Although, these are barely rumours for now.
Looks like Light’s foray into mobile technology and its fund-raising have deeper links than was pictured. The company mentioned that it plans to spread its technology footprint, which up until now was limited to consumer space, into security, robotics, automotive, aerial and industrial imaging divisions.
With chipset firms like ARM and Nvidia becoming a part of SoftBank’s Vision Fund beneficiaries, Light is expected to channelize the opportunity and knock new doors.
Also Read: Xiaomi’s Mi Max 3 with 6.9-inch screen and 5500mAh battery goes live
