Illustration: Harry CampbellIn early 2004 the average point-and-shoot model we tested had a little more than 4 megapixels. Now the average is nearly 6.5 megapixels. And that number may climb: Companies like Adobe are dreaming up concepts that will require much greater resolution--and point-and-shoot cameras could benefit from this megapixel mania.
Adobe's Advanced Technology Labs showed us a prototype lens that incorporates 20 smaller lens elements (each with 10-megapixel resolution, for a total of 200 megapixels) in a honeycomb pattern. Each element captures the same image but with a different depth of field and focus; you can then select the image with the depth and focus you want, or use Adobe's skunk-works software to combine portions of each element.
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