True VGA display for cameras (UPDATED)
updated 10:25 am EDT, Thu August 10, 2006
First VGA Camera Display
One reason why professionals still insist on optical viewfinders in higher-end cameras is the sharpness of the image: the only detail lost is through the slight distortion of the lens. LCDs on digital cameras are often very low-resolution; they're good enough to assist with framing and spotting obvious problems, but it's impossible to spot some color and focus problems at a glance. Samsung has developed a new display that might solve a lot of the problems associated with previewing photos on cameras. While even the larger LCDs on cameras stop at a 320x240 resolution, Samsung has found a way to produce a 3-inch LCD that manages a dramatically improved 640x480. This is large enough for some point-and-shoot camera models, and it could display some smaller shots without any lost detail. The new design can display 260,000 colors and maintain a good 350:1 contrast ratio. Set to be previewed in Korea on August 23rd, we'll see these displays in production cameras during the first half of 2007. UPDATE: see a photo of the LCD after the jump.
