That might be about to change, though, as South Korea's state-owned Korea Electronics Technology Institute has announced a new image sensor chip that promises to take "vibrant photos" in extreme low-light conditions -- all the way down to 1 lux, which is the equivalent light output of a candle shining one meter away.

ENGADGET: South Korean image-sensing chip enables 1-lux photography

With a smaller image sensor, a lens designed for a 35mm camera captures only the inner part of the image, cropping off the edges that the sub-size sensor chip can't see.

ECONOMIST: A die-hard analog photographer goes digital