Wafer level camera?

Thanks, interesting. But I am afraid it may lead to even less picture quality. When I look at "modern" Web Cams it's the pits.

There are better quality ones out there, but not surprisingly most people will choose the $30 Wal*Mart special over a $130 model with a better lens. (And some web cams are

have a look at this, the other end of the market

martin

I got a Logitech that used to retail around $60-70, from a liquidator sale. Compared to the CCD camera that I built from scratch as a masters project way back in the mid-80's the image quality is horrible.

You think quality is their goal?

It's apparent that miniaturization is their goal: single-chip spy cameras smaller than a bugging microphone, preferably with no pcb. Ant robots with eyes! Add a bit of solar cell area to the die, plus some piezo-driven whisker-legs for motors. Or to spy on spouses, sprinkle on some camera dust (similar to those sub-mm RF tag chips, but with video.) It's the first stage in creating Warren Ellis' floating clouds of "bacteriacam"

((((((((((((((((((((((( ( ( (o) ) ) ))))))))))))))))))))))) William J. Beaty Research Engineer beaty a chem washington edu UW Chem Dept, Bagley Hall RM74 billb a eskimo com Box 351700, Seattle, WA 98195-1700 ph425-222-5066

I'm willing to wager that the lens alone from your masters project camera would not retail for more than $60-$70. :-)

^^^ would NOW retail

Sorry...

Actually it was already about $400 back then. However, we had a similar discussion coming up. So I brought in a really cheap lens from a freebie camera, the kind where the whole camera can be had for $10 if bought in a store. Not after betting a whole lotta beers though :-)

Lo and behold while there was a difference in geometrical aberrations that cheap lens produced a remarkably nice image. I had to walk my bicycle home that night (fell off when trying to ride).