These are still from the navigation cameras. The main camera, not yet deployed, can take 1600x1200 full-color pictures and HD video at 10fps. There's actually two of it, so it can also make 3D images/video. Other features are wide/telephoto lens, panorama stitching and 8GB flash storage.
Before complaining about resolution, this is like having a GoPro 3D on Mars, it has plenty of detail.
One of the articles mentions that the cameras are provided by the same manufacturer as the Viking missions, so they must certainly have improved. Expect some awesome images in the coming months!
3D images are not possible since the two cameras have two different (fixed) focal lengths (for wide and tele shots). There were plans to add zoom lenses (which would make 3D images possible) but they couldn’t make it happen (mostly because of technical issues, it seems).
(Hm, well actually, technically 3D images are possible, just not because there are two cameras. Since rocks tend to not move, Curiosity could just snap one image, drive a bit and snap a second picture.)
I remember reading the zoom lenses weren't possible because of having to keep a lubricating fluid wet. This posed challenges (heating from mar's extreme cold, etc) so it was scrapped for the time.
These are still from the navigation cameras. The main camera, not yet deployed, can take 1600x1200 full-color pictures and HD video at 10fps. There's actually two of it, so it can also make 3D images/video. Other features are wide/telephoto lens, panorama stitching and 8GB flash storage. Before complaining about resolution, this is like having a GoPro 3D on Mars, it has plenty of detail.
One of the articles mentions that the cameras are provided by the same manufacturer as the Viking missions, so they must certainly have improved. Expect some awesome images in the coming months!
More info: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/mission/instruments/cameras/mas..., http://msl-scicorner.jpl.nasa.gov/Instruments/Mastcam/, http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20110531.html