Camera Hardware Evaluation (DXOMARK RAW)

Selecting the right components plays an important role in the ultimate performance of a camera module. DXOMARK RAW is a new standard for camera modules that can help component makers design better parts and can help phone manufacturers select better modules for their devices. The test protocol is based on objective measurements of sensor, lens, and module sensitivity on RAW data.

This new addition to the Analyzer testing suite contains a dedicated testing setup and RAW scripts that generate an overall score for module performance, as well as a detailed report containing test data for various attributes of image quality.

ISO standards ensure good communication between OEMs and suppliers. However, until now, no report has gathered objective metrics and reflects the whole hardware performance with one single scalar metric. The new standard DXOMARK Raw allows a comprehensive comparison of camera modules, is based on hardware specifications (focal length of optics, sensor size, etc.) and on objective measurements (distortion, luminance, color shading, etc.).The better the imaging hardware, the better the final processed image and the less effort needed for ISP. Tradeoffs between IQ attributes define the limits of the ISP — for example, noise versus detail.