What are the sensor dimensions in the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 cameras?
Asked 3/14/2011
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I'm trying to find the physical CMOS sensor size, in millimeters, used in the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 cameras. Specifically, I want the imaging area width and height of each sensor, not just the megapixel count or marketing-style sensor format.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
15y ago
2 Answers
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The iPhone 4 uses the Omnivision OV5650, and the 3GS uses either the OV3650 or a very similar model.
The 3GS has a 1/4" sensor, which, using the bizarre industry standard, means a sensor diagonal of about 4mm. The OV3650 has an array measuring 3.626mm × 2.709mm, giving a diagonal of about 4.5mm, so that fits the spec. (Presumably some small portion of the edge of the sensor is not used in imaging — see this question). The overall iPhone 3GS sensor area is about 9.8mm².
The iPhone 4 uses the much improved OV5650 sensor module, which is classified as a 1/3.2" sensor, with measurements of 4.592mm × 3.423mm, again presumably not all used. The overall sensor area is about 15.7mm².
Interestingly, the number of photosites per cm² is about the same between the two — the iPhone 4's increase in pixels is just about exactly the same as the increase in sensor area. But the iPhone 4 sensor is constructed differently, using "backside illuminated CMOS", which is probably what accounts for the very dramatic increase in image quality between the two models.
Originally by user1943. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1943
15y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Based on teardown information and the sensor models cited in the community answers:
- iPhone 4: uses the OmniVision OV5650. Its sensor array is about 4.592 mm × 3.423 mm.
- iPhone 3GS: uses the OmniVision OV3650 or a very similar sensor. Its array is about 3.626 mm × 2.709 mm.
These correspond roughly to the common optical-format labels:
- 3GS: about 1/4-inch class
- iPhone 4: about 1/3.2-inch class
A useful caution: those inch-type sensor formats are legacy naming conventions and do not equal the actual measured diagonal. Also, the full silicon area may be slightly larger than the effective imaging area actually used in the camera.
So if you need approximate physical sensor dimensions in mm, the best figures from the provided answers are:
- iPhone 3GS: 3.626 × 2.709 mm
- iPhone 4: 4.592 × 3.423 mm
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