In its short existence, the Raspberry Pi has powered games, musical instruments, and even pyrotechnic stage shows, but there have been few applications for photographers — until now.

The Raspberry Pi foundation just announced a new camera module that will allow shutterbugs and makers to focus on developing new applications that will expose the low-cost board to a whole new audience.

Technical details are blurry. The exact sensor size is unknown, but five megapixels is the likely size according to official comments on RPi forums. Makers won't be able to change lenses, add physical filters, or even zoom, but the camera module will be capable of HD video capture. Proposed applications for the new module are focused on robotics, home automation, and aerial applications where potential crashes favor low-cost solutions. Priced at $25, it will cost the same as the newly released Model A board — much cheaper and easier to replace than an iPhone or DSLR should an airborne project inadvertently "zoom in" to a crash landing.

The announcement also leaves the release date unclear. It will likely be a month or more before it's ready to ship. The delay, however, is actually a good thing for picture purists. According to the Raspberry Pi foundation, they're building in time to keep refining the drivers and hardware.

"The picture quality is 'pretty good' at the moment, but we’re hoping to get it to 'bleedin’ marvelous' before we release the hardware".

Photos: Raspberry Pi Foundation