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April 13, 2005* — Kopin Corporation announced a new electronic viewfinder for compact digital cameras yesterday. The company consulted with several camera manufacturers to create the CyberEVF 230K, a ready-to-use viewfinder solution. Included in the package is "a full-color microdisplay with QVGA (320 x 240) resolution, ultra-thin backlight, optics, and housing with an easy-to-use focusing mechanism," the company’s press release stated.
"Previously we had sold just the display and the customers that put them into the camera would design their own plastics and lenses and focus mechanisms and gears and wheels," said Alan Richard, director or technical marketing at Kopin Corporation. "In this case, we’ve integrated everything they need except the outer cosmetic housing in order to speed the product to the market."
The complete CyberEVF 230K will not only shorten design time for new products, but will reduce assembly costs. The 17 x 23.5 x 25 mm device will be able to magnify images up to 15x and will have a 100 percent field of view through the lens, so photographers can frame shots in the viewfinder without having to worry about accidentally cropping subjects’ heads off. The viewfinder can do all this on low power consumption.
Kopin Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of digital imaging technologies, has created digital displays for Panasonic, Samsung, and Konica Minolta in the past. Kopin has collaborated with several unnamed manufacturers to design the CyberEVF 230K "with the goal of making it the standard EVF for the new generation of high-zoom, high-resolution (6+ megapixel), extra-slim cameras," the company’s press release stated.
"Until now, an EVF system with all the necessary components was unavailable to digital camera manufacturers who previously had to design and assemble their own EVF system one component at a time," said Dr. John C.C. Fan, president and CEO at Kopin. "Our complete viewfinder solution…enables OEMs to quickly introduce slim, high-zoom digital cameras."