Nokia may introduce Lytro-like camera on its Lumia phones

By Joshua Pramis April 30, 2013

Pelican-Imaging-800x596 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: for so many smartphone users, the quality of the camera is one of the top features considered when deciding which device to purchase. And manufacturers are constantly trying to one-up the competition, coming out with new, innovative features to help retain, and draw in, customers.

Once the leader the pack, and working hard to make a comeback in a major way, Nokia is supposedly working on a way to take the lead in the smartphone camera world, according to an earlier report by Bloomberg.

As it is, the Finland-based company is already working on integrating a whopping 41-megapixel camera into its flagship Lumia phones. But this camera could potentially outshine even that. (Particularly since so many people argue that that so many megapixels are unnecessary in a phone’s camera.)

It appears that Nokia is investing in Pelican Imaging, a company that is working on array cameras, which uses multiple optics and combines them together to form a single image. It’s a process that isn’t all that much unlike what the Lytro camera does, except it’s, of course, much more slimmed down.

Not familiar with Lytro? It’s a camera that was introduced to the market late 2011 and completely changed the way people think about digital photography. Essentially, you point and shoot a photo, and then focus later. The camera captures all aspects of the image it’s taking, and lets you choose (and later change, if wanted) the area of focus, after the fact.

And this feature may be coming to Nokia phones down the road. (How great would that be, considering how many blurry images we all manage to take while quickly trying to snap a shot of something we stumble upon before it’s too late?)

Will it be enough to help put the mobile company back on top? Who knows? But for those that have stayed loyal to the brand, their mobile upload photos just may end up looking a whole lot better than they have.

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