NormanHarley Loc: Colorado

I'm pretty sure we will say goodbye to glass and all of it's limitations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_lens
There are advances already with this design.
http://petapixel.com/2015/02/20/this-new-flat-lens-captures-perfect-colors-without-chromatic-aberration/

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

Samsung is not going belly up, but they are leaving the camera business. They are a big company and cameras are a small piece of the business. They are still pushing the limit on tablets, smartphones, monitors, tvs, washing machines, and medical test gear.

Blasthoff Loc: Life halved NY and IN

Optical design can not advance that much more. Lens design, I suppose might see changes. I don't know the limits of sensor density, but some progress will still come in that area. After that it's, "Well boys, your gonna have to "suck it up" and improve your work, cause that's the only improvement there's gonna be." Of course, I would be the first to bet I'm wrong.

Personally, I'd be all for the end of GAS and seeing it replaced with education.

wjames Loc: Australia

i think all cameras in the future will be to the order of hallographic. sorry about the spelling

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

I think there might be something to that. Why not let the sensor do the focusing instead of the lens?
Is it physically possible?

will

JohnFrim Loc: Somewhere in the Great White North.

Your post was in response to a statement about having the sensors on a curved plane and a "simple" lens like the eye.

I don't think the eye has a really simple lens. It does not have multiple elements, but it does change its shape to do the focussing. Further, the brain does a lot of processing to correct for aberrations in the retinal image (curvature effects, out-of-focus areas, color, motion, etc). I don't know how you think the sensor can do the focussing unless you expect each pixel to move closer or farther from the lens. DLP chips can move tiny mirrors, but those are rotational movements and not linear positioning. But maybe someone will figure out something novel, so you may be onto something.

NormanHarley Loc: Colorado

We may need to end our thinking in terms of the light needing to be inverted before being recorded on the sensor. Same with depth of field. With a flat lens, (links above in my comment) there is no inversion, the image is recognized and transferred digitally. There is no depth of field. We may find ourselves using PP to limit the depth of field for artistic use only since everything will be in focus. A program that allows us to choose what we want in focus, for example, enter between 6' and 7 1/2' to be in focus, and then use a slider to increase or decrease the bokeh on all other distances. And can you imagine a sensitive, enhanced flat lens that has an f stop value of f/0.2 ?

chazz4623 Loc: Prairieville, La

I dont know the myriad of details in each area of light capture in my "eyeball camera", but I believe its easily (relatively) resolved. We now have numerous materials which change shape, color, level of transparency, etc. It isnt hard to imagine the elements of a camera being developed based on the eye, all the elements exist already, we just need to figure out how to construct one which will control all the variables to allow it to function. A lens which flattens and swells in the central portion can be accomplished the same way a biological element does it, along with controlling its curvature as needed. I didnt post because I have the answers, although I have some ideas, I dont know what it will take to create this animal. I posted in order to allow just what we're doing, talking and thinking. Remember the transistor radio? who'da thunk it before it happened, just like airplane flight. I think it would/will be fascinating to watch if some people decide to invest their thoughts and efforts in it. We would certainly be in the infancy of this way to make cameras. That would be quite a feat to observe and/or be involved with. Thanks for posting y'all.

Soul Dr. Loc: Beautiful Shenandoah Valley

Maybe future cameras could use organic processes such as OELD technology, that is being used now in electronic displays, as a type of sensor that could actually be manipulated to move electronically.
Combined with a lens such as the one the previous poster described, one that could actually change shape to focus like the one in the human eye.
The more a camera could be made to operate and behave like the human eye, the better I think it could be.
I think in the future we will see more of the combining of organic matter and electronics to make things that we can not even imagine now.
Just my thoughts.

will

chazz4623 Loc: Prairieville, La

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Carl D Loc: Albemarle, NC.

Another idea would be to use side scan sonar to develop images in 3d much like the submarines use now.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Bill you are right. After thinking more about the question the science would be more firmware then optics. Thanks.

wj cody Loc: springfield illinois

the law of optics are immutable. lenses, such as those designed by Walter Mandler, will continue to provide superior results.

Lucky Jim Loc: San Diego, CA

The Light company (www.light.co) has a novel approach to this problem. They are now developing a camera based on 16 small modules, each using a plastic lens and a small 13Mpixel sensor. They expect to end up with large, 52 Mpixel images where the ISO, DOF, bokeh, and exposure can be changed by the user AFTER the picture has been taken.

A 10-page description of this camera is attached.

Attached file:
(Download)

Marionsho Loc: Kansas

Thanks Lucky.