Metalinzy: the future of photography or just a fashion trend?

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What is this miracle technology and why is it so important?

Metal lenses, previously considered a fairly highly specialized optical technology, are now attracting the attention of major players. Canon is entering this sector, starting not only the production of metal lenses, but also the equipment for their manufacture.

Metal lenses are flat surfaces designed to replace full-size optics. They simplify the complex optical structure of a standard camera lens, turning it into a much more compact system. This technology uses nanoparticles and metasurfaces to refract light instead of curved optics. One of the goals of metalins is to eliminate the protruding camera on smartphones.

Just two years ago, MIT scientists created a prototype of a metal lens that can adjust focus without moving parts. Major players in this area include Metalenz and Samsung. The latter expressed interest in using the technology in smartphones.

Metalenz, in turn, is actively engaged in research and production of metalenz. This startup raised an additional $ 30 million in funding last October.

Japanese publication Mynavi News reports that Canon has demonstrated its support for metalens technology at Canon Expo 2023. Historically, many of the innovations introduced at Canon Expos have quickly found application in the market.

The fact that Canon is actively engaged in metal lenses makes this technology particularly attractive. The company not only created a prototype of metalinza, but also used its latest nanoimprinting system, announced earlier this month.

With the active involvement of a major player such as Canon, Metalins technology is becoming more recognized in the business, and the likelihood of its appearance in consumer devices seems much closer.

However, Canon declined to provide details about its metalens technology and photos of its developments. The only available images can be found in the Mynavi News article.
 
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