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 You would probably have to be the ruler of Dubai to be able to afford one of these but it’s impressive either way. That tiny little spec to the right of the gigantic sensor is the embarrassingly small ‘full frame’ sensor found in a camera like the 5D Mark II, Nikon D3 or Sony A900. Canon makes no mention of the resolution of this beastly sensor but it certainly doesn’t sound like it’s that high considering the improvements in sensitivity.
When can I get one? I’ll have a view camera ready by the end of the week.
TOKYO, August 31, 2010—Canon Inc. announced today that it has successfully developed the world’s largest*1 CMOS image sensor, with a chip size measuring 202 x 205 mm. Because its expanded size enables greater light-gathering capability, the sensor is capable of capturing images in one one-hundredth the amount of light required by a professional-model digital SLR camera.
At 202 x 205 mm, the newly developed CMOS sensor is among the largest chips that can be produced from a 12-inch (300 mm) wafer, and is approximately 40 times the size of Canon’s largest commercial CMOS sensor.*2
In the past, enlarging the size of the sensor resulted in an increase in the amount of time required between the receiving and transmission of data signals, which posed a challenge to achieving high-speed readout. Canon, however, solved this problem through an innovative circuit design, making possible the realization of a massive video-compatible CMOS sensor. Additionally, by ensuring the cleanest of cleanroom environments during the production process, the sensor minimizes image imperfections and dust.
Because the increased size of the new CMOS sensor allows more light to be gathered, it enables shooting in low-light environments. The sensor makes possible the image capture in one one-hundredth the amount of light required by a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor, facilitating the shooting of 60 frame-per-second video with a mere 0.3 lux of illumination.
Potential applications for the new high-sensitivity CMOS sensor include the video recording of stars in the night sky and nocturnal animal behavior.
Through the further development of distinctive CMOS image sensors, Canon will break new ground in the world of new image expression, in the area of still images as well as video.
*1 As of August 27, 2010. Based on a Canon study.
*2 The approximately 21.1 megapixel 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor employed in the company’s EOS-1Ds Mark III and EOS 5D Mark II digital SLR cameras.
*3 Approximately one-half the brightness of a moonlit night.
 If you thought the resolution jumps were over you might want to brace yourself because Canon clearly doesn’t agree with that train of thought. Their latest and greatest exhibition of pixel packing shoves 120mp in to a sensor. You might be thinking that with such resolution it must be a “full frame” sensor, but no, it’s APS-H sized. If it were full frame you’d be talking over 200 megapixels. For comparison Canon’s current best full frame sensor rocks 21.1 megapixels and their 1D mark IV runs an 18mp APS-H sensor.
I’d certainly love to see what an image from this sensor looks like and what lenses Canon would want to pair it with. With its two micron photo sites you can get a full color sampling beyond the resolving power of your average lens. So that’s a good thing, right? Sensor resolution on currently available consumer SLR cameras isn’t close to that yet and while Foveon has tried to colocate full color sampling by stacking the colors, if you just made the pixels small enough you’d be side-stepping the issue a different way.
That says nothing of what the well capacity and resulting dynamic range of this 120mp behemoth is but as a technological exercise it’s impressive.
 Pellicle mirrors are back, but this time it’s not just to allow higher FPS in continuous shooting [drive] mode. Sony has brought back semi-transparent mirrors to take a portion of the light and direct it towards phase detection AF sensors for use while shooting video. Compared to contrast detection based AF using the image sensor, phase detection is faster and more accurate. This should definitely help address many of the AF concerns found in DSLRs (which use contrast detection AF) when shooting in video mode. Sony’s three new cameras sporting this design are the A33, A55 and A55v (has GPS built in). [...]
Continue reading Sony brings pellicle mirrors back with the SLT-A33 and SLT-A55
Canon must have spoiled me with the SD4000. Their first back-illuminated CMOS (I’ll call this BICMOS for short) camera was a surprise and I had hoped we’d be seeing that sensor technology creeping in to other cameras soon. While Canon is updating the SD4000 with the new SD4500, using the same sort of Canon-made sensor, it seems it may not be moving to anything else just yet. [...]
Continue reading I was hoping for a G12 with BICMOS
 Another day, another bizarre camera concept from Yanko Design. Actually there have been a lot of good ideas out there for improving the ergonomics of cameras by tweaking grip angles, positions and control locations. This, clearly, is not one of them. [...]
Continue reading Crazy Camera Concept Friday – your camera is now a bent pipe
From the beginning of photography through the most recently botched BP public relations images, manipulation is as old a tool as the camera itself. The tools might be more accessible and more powerful now but that doesn’t necessarily mean all modern manipulations are well hidden, it still takes skill to successfully pull the wool over someone’s eyes. [...]
Continue reading Uses and abuses of photographic manipulation
 This isn’t the first time a product like this has come to market. I remember seeing something similar from Horseman a couple years ago at PDN PhotoPlus. Accessories like this are pretty neat and I do like the way this opens up some flexibility when using DSLRs that even tilt-shift lenses can’t provide. Unfortunately I just can’t personally see justifying the cost and they’re too bulky which would make systems like this a poor replacement for my tilt-shifts. [...]
Continue reading Sinar p-slr lets your DSLR act like a view camera
 But the bruises, scrapes and limps will continue on. Sunday, August 1st was the last day of the big yearly meet in Rochester, NY when people from all over converge to hang out, see the sights and take a picture or two. I didn’t see a lot and I didn’t shoot a lot but I’ve got the bruises, scrapes, bandage and hobble to make it look like I did a lot. [...]
Continue reading Summer in the ROC 2010 is over…
 I had wondered when someone might take advantage of the proliferation of cheap and small inertial measurement sensors like this. These senors are already in everything from Wiimotes to cellphones and using them to improve the deconvolution techniques that help to reduce the appearance of blur in images makes sense. In the battle against camera shake every little bit helps and some cameras already ship with accelerometers (like Sony’s fancy panorama sweep stitching cameras) so it seems something like this might be closer to mass market reality than not. Hooray! Until then, lay off the coffee and maybe the jitters will subside. [...]
Continue reading Microsoft merges motion sensors with cameras to help with your shaky hands
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