

If the data of the light waves gathered from the photodiodes all match up, then the light profile is in phase and therefore the picture is in focus. Using data from all the phase-detecting pixels spread across the sensor, the PDAF algorithm determines if the image is in focus. This is similar to how we receive light separately through our left and right eye to create one image in our brains. Some of these pixels with phase-detection photodiodes receive light from the right side of the lens while others do so from the opposite side. These special pixels are made specifically for focusing and are scattered across the sensor. With PDAF, a small amount (roughly 10 percent or less) of the pixels on a sensor are set aside and embedded with a phase detection photodiode (a device on the image sensor that converts light into electric current).
Phones with ufocus software#
This method of focusing relies more on software and algorithm than mechanically adjusting the lens position. Apple devices, for example, refer to this technology as ‘Focus Pixels’. Phase-detection auto-focus is a faster form of auto-focus than CDAF that goes by a few different names.

The camera doesn’t know when it has reached its maximum contrast, so it moves the focus motor back and forth, even past the focal point, in search of the highest contrast between the pixels.
Phones with ufocus trial#
This light-dependent method achieves focus by means of trial and error. This is because the pixels on the image are not in sharp focus, therefore they have low pixel contrast.Ĭontrast-detection autofocus uses this information to figure out the correct point of focus. If a digital photo is out of focus, then it will appear blurry. In other words, an image that is in sharp focus will have high contrast pixels. If the image is in focus, the pixels will be clear and well-defined. And just like the name says so very obviously, CDAF relies on using the contrast between the light and dark areas in a scene to bring the picture into focus.Ī digital image is made up of pixels that correspond to photosites on the camera’s image sensor. This is the oldest and most popular method of auto-focus found on smartphone cameras.
