Somo Vision Supplies Modules to American Action Cam Company
Super-wide angle camera that can film image in 240° is developed. It is expected that it will be used in security or safety fields in various ways as blind spots that cannot be seen by eyes or regular cameras disappear greatly. It will be easier to make virtual reality (VR) contents that require 360° shooting and it is possible to develop black boxes that can capture not only front of cars but also sides of cars.
Somo Vision (CEO Shin Seung Jong) made an announcement on the 22nd that it has developed camera modules that support 240° of coverage. Its characteristic is that it can film areas that cannot be seen from one’s sight.
Angle (both eyes’ field of view) that can be seen by an eye and angle of overage of fisheye lens that are used for special shooting are about 120 to 150° and 180° respectively.
Usually fisheye lens are considered as super-wide angle, but Somo Vision’s camera modules can see 60° more than fisheye lens. Wider angle of view means that it can film areas that usually cannot be seen by an eye.
Due to these reasons, Somo Vision’s camera modules are advantageous in making images with 3D effects like VR or in surveillance and security areas. Its use in 3D videos that are recently receiving attention is anticipated.
Because it records wide scenes that are viewed from 240° at the same time, it supports direction or a spot that users want to see rather than current videos that are fixed from a recorder’s point of view.
This indicates that this camera module can also express 360° video that CEO Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook recently had shown on his Facebook.
Because its angle of coverage is wide, it can also be grafted into surveillance cameras or black boxes for security or action cams for sports and leisure activities.
Somo Vision’s camera modules were supplied to American action cam company ‘360fly’, and 360fly recently started selling action cams at Best Buy. Somo Vision is planning to supply 50,000 camera modules to 360fly by end of this year.
Although Somo Vision is an unfamiliar business in South Korea’s camera module industry, it is an affiliate of Somo Group, which is a matrix of 1968 Donghwa Oil. Established in December of 2011, it develops camera modules and designs, manufacturers, and evaluates lenses. It has its manufacture facilities in Hoengseong in Gangwon-do.
Somo Vision is planning to expand its business to black box, action cam, and vehicle areas.
Staff Reporter Yun, Kunil | benyun@etnews.com