Raspberry Pi gets 14MP camera add-on

The people behind the Raspberry Pi super mini computer have a camera add-on waiting in the wings. It's a monster 14-megapixel effort, although it may well be downgraded before it gets a consumer release.

That's it up there, and as you can see, it's a pretty diddy little thing, so at least it won't bulk up your Pi too much. It attaches via a ribbon cable, and is ideal for home automation applications or even advanced robotics, if you're feeling up to it.

It's due for release later in the year, according to the blog post, though there's no word on specifics or a price. The developers are very active on the forums though, so head over for a chat if you're curious.

"We may downgrade the super-duperness of the camera to something with fewer than its current 14 megapixels before release. We need to keep things affordable, and a sensor of that size will end up pricey," reads the post.

Exciting stuff. The £22 Pi went on sale back in February, though there were a few hiccups along the way. It sold out within two hours, and then there was a problem in the manufacturing process that held everything up. Shipments were finally ready to go at the end of March, but it then had to undergo CE testing to ensure it was safe as a finished product, even though the whole point of it is that it's open to tinkering and playing with. The testing was completed last month and it was cleared for sale. Yay!

This camera opens up a whole raft of possibilities. What will you use it for? And what do you think the ideal resolution should be to balance detail and cost? Higher than that of a camera found on a phone perhaps? Let me know in the comments below, or over on our Facebook page.