Raspberry Pi announces $25 camera module

After becoming a hit on the low-end PC market, Raspberry Pi is now targeting the camera industry with an unbelievably cheap image sensor.

Raspberry Pi became famous after announcing a $35 PC. Although not many people thought the company could deliver, the Model B computer was launched last year for the exact price of $35 in the United States.

Additionally, the company released a Model A version of the computer which was priced at only $25. Now, Raspberry Pi has announced plans to tackle the camera industry with a $25 camera module.

Raspberry Pi’s Model A $25 camera module features a 5-megapixel image sensor with HD video recording support.

Is the Raspberry Pi $25 camera module real?

This is a similar question asked by people before the release of the $35 computer and it is natural for the same question to be asked again, when it comes down to such a cheap camera module. Well, Raspberry Pi kept its promises in the past, therefore there are no reasons not to believe the company for the second time.

In a blog post, Raspberry Pi explained that the “Model A” camera will most likely feature a 5-megapixel image sensor that will be capable of recording 720p HD videos. A 14-megapixel sensor was tested, but the engineers gave up on it because it was too big and too expensive.

“Pretty good” images, but they are working on it

Developers confirmed that the $25 camera module can capture “pretty good” photos, however, they are working on the drivers, in order to make the images “bleedin’ marvelous”. For this reason, the release date is “at least” one month away, as Raspberry Pi is looking to polish the image sensor.

Although it can record HD videos, the camera does not support physical filters or zooming. Still, for a $25 camera module so small, this is a pretty impressive achievement. According to Raspberry Pi, such modules could be used in robotics, home automation and aerial surveillance devices.

It remains to be seen whether the company will be able to repeat the success of the $35 and $25 computers, which have been sold in about one million units since their introduction.