How many of you still use a camera that shoots on film? I’m sure there are a few of you, but I’m guessing the vast majority shoot using some flavor of digital camera. And for many people, they use the camera on their smartphone far more often than other types of digital cameras. Part of this is because the quality of smartphone cameras is pretty darned good these days.

Originally digital image sensors used the CCD (charge-couple devices) technology to capture an image. Then they moved to the CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology that is used in most devices today. A new technology has been in the works at InVisage that they feel provides another big leap forward in quality.

This new technology is called “QuantumFilm” and it uses an extremely thin layer of quantum dots to capture an image. The graphic below (from the InVisage site) shows a very much enlarged cross section of the technology.

Supposedly there will be new smartphones released in early 2016 that use this new technology. One of the biggest benefits is the range of light that this new technology will capture. Of course it is also smaller which means the lenses on smartphones could shrink even more.

I don’t know if it will take over the industry or if it is just another interesting idea that never materializes. It is definitely something of interest and I’ll be anxious to see what happens.