LG's New Smartphone Boasts Laser-Guided Auto Focus

By Joel Lindsey

The photographic capabilities of LG’s newest smartphone, the G3, have made headlines recently thanks to the phone’s use of laser-assisted focusing technology.

“The real star of the show is the laser-assisted focus system. And if there’s one technology that will make even the most cynical tech journalist salivate, it’s lasers,” technology columnist TJ Donegan wrote in his USA Today review of the new phone. “In the G3’s case they’re used to map out the distance of subjects that are being photographed. The technology is evidently borrowed from LG’s robot vacuum division, which wanted to use the tech to help the robo critters move around your apartment without bumping into things.”

The camera lens and infrared laser emitters are mounted to the back of the new smartphone, and have been designed to work in tandem as a way of overcoming some of the focusing challenges typically faced by digital cameras.

Most smartphone cameras attempt to focus on a photographer’s subject by detecting differences in contrast between the subject and the surrounding environment. This can sometimes be a clumsy approach, especially in low-light when differentiating between objects is more difficult.

While the new LG G3 smartphone still uses the traditional contrast-based focusing technique, LG researchers and developers have attempted to avoid the problems associated with this approach by adding the laser-guided autofocus system to supplement the focusing process. By precisely measuring the distance of subjects from the camera rather than relying solely on detecting contrast between objects in the camera’s field, the new laser-guided autofocus system may enable better pictures — particularly in low-light situations..

“Once you get around to capturing an image, the G3 isn’t much different from other flagship phones, either. The camera can produce some very sharp images in bright light, with nice color reproduction and white balance,” wrote Donegan. “The G3’s laser focus does pay dividends in the one place where smartphone photos usually go to die: a dimly lit restaurant. In this typically treacherous setting, the G3 locked onto and focused on subjects easily in limited light.”

According to LG’s website, the G3’s new laser autofocus could allow the camera to focus more accurately, effectively, and quickly, especially when the subject is moving or when lighting is poor.

Image Credit: LG G3