Nidec Copal, the world’s biggest manufacturer of camera shutters, has developed the smallest, thinnest and lightest camera module for mobile devices. It measures just 8.5 x 8.5 x 4.2 mm and weighs 0.57 g. The new camera module is about half the size of Nidec Copal’s previous module.
 
The new camera module has a 16 megapixel, 1/3.1" CMOS image sensor with a pixel size of 1.0 µm. The focal length of the lens is 3.6 mm, and the maximum aperture is f/1.9 for high light sensitivity. The module has autofocus capability with a focus range of 10 cm to infinity. Series production of the new module is planned to start in the fall of 2016.
 
Nidec Copal, better known as Copal, is a Japanese manufacturer of optical, electronic and mechanical devices, mainly for the photographic industry. Copal started in 1946 with the small-scale production of camera shutters, which are now used in virtually all Japanese cameras. These shutters are still one of the best known products of the company.