New Canon CMOS sensors
Nov 19, 2020 01:16:01 #
Canon has announced their new color and monochrome APS-H size CMOS sensors (29.4 mm by 18.9 mm) that offers 250 megapixels. The pixels are 1.5 um square which provides a spatial sampling frequency of 333 lp/mm. The readout rate is about 1.25 gigapixels per second or a frame rate of about 5 frames per second.
Canon cleverly included the ability to sample the image over a ROI (region of interest) which allows faster frame rates. For example, 4K video can be run at 30 fps and HD at 60 fps.
Lenses are bandlimited which means that even a perfect lens cannot propagate information above a spatial frequency given by 1 / (wavelength * F/#). Should one have a lens that is diffraction limited operating at say 500 nm and F/2.8, the cutoff spatial frequency is just over 700 lp/mm. The diffraction spot size for such a lens is 3.4 um (diameter). These sensors can make a beautiful imaging system that can mitigate spatial-phase vacillations and capture the extent of the information in the scene.
At its full data rate, it will fill a terabyte drive in about 6 minutes!
It will be interesting to see if and when Canon introduces this sensor in a professional photographer's camera. Model numbers are LI8020SAC and LI8020SAM.
Canon cleverly included the ability to sample the image over a ROI (region of interest) which allows faster frame rates. For example, 4K video can be run at 30 fps and HD at 60 fps.
Lenses are bandlimited which means that even a perfect lens cannot propagate information above a spatial frequency given by 1 / (wavelength * F/#). Should one have a lens that is diffraction limited operating at say 500 nm and F/2.8, the cutoff spatial frequency is just over 700 lp/mm. The diffraction spot size for such a lens is 3.4 um (diameter). These sensors can make a beautiful imaging system that can mitigate spatial-phase vacillations and capture the extent of the information in the scene.
At its full data rate, it will fill a terabyte drive in about 6 minutes!
It will be interesting to see if and when Canon introduces this sensor in a professional photographer's camera. Model numbers are LI8020SAC and LI8020SAM.
Nov 19, 2020 06:17:03 #
I know they've had the 250 megapixel APS-H sensor since 2015. There's a 120 megapixel sensor also. It won't be used in DSLR or mirrorless cameras. It will be used for surveillance, inspection, and scientific purposes.
Nov 19, 2020 16:21:31 #
CO wrote:
I know they've had the 250 megapixel APS-H sensor since 2015. There's a 120 megapixel sensor also. It won't be used in DSLR or mirrorless cameras. It will be used for surveillance, inspection, and scientific purposes.
Actually, as you mentioned, Canon announced they had a prototype 250 megapixel APS-H sensor back in 2015, but it was not available for purchase then. It was mid-2018 before they offered for sale (B2B only) the 125 megapixel sensor. In late October 2020, Canon offered the 250 megapixel version for sale, but still B2B only. Canon has made a prototype movie camera that had generated some nice promotional video. I expect they used one of their excellent UHDTV broadcast lenses.
Canon has indicated they expect this sensor will be used for specialty camera in the movie industry. Actually, this may make light-field photography practical for the movie industry. It will be, as they say, a game changer if it does the job. It has been tried before with smaller density sensors and lower processing power with marginal results. Many directors liked the promise of being able to take a scene and then in post adjust the area to be in focus and the depth of focus. The attempts at light-field cameras were not successful (Lytro). But note that Apple purchased Lytro and made it vanish. Hmmm ... the iPhone 12 Pro MAX is loaded with computational optics. Think about it.
Nov 20, 2020 12:49:58 #
I did not know that Apple purchased Lytro. And yes.. Hmmmm. They are maybe up to something.
The new Canon sensors are all very interesting. Even if their direct applications will be very specialized, I wonder if some of the technology will trickle down to us regular photographers.
The new Canon sensors are all very interesting. Even if their direct applications will be very specialized, I wonder if some of the technology will trickle down to us regular photographers.
Nov 21, 2020 00:14:09 #
Mark Sturtevant wrote:
I did not know that Apple purchased Lytro. And yes.. Hmmmm. They are maybe up to something.
The new Canon sensors are all very interesting. Even if their direct applications will be very specialized, I wonder if some of the technology will trickle down to us regular photographers.
The new Canon sensors are all very interesting. Even if their direct applications will be very specialized, I wonder if some of the technology will trickle down to us regular photographers.
Pardon my bad recall Mark. Google purchased Lytro for about $40 million and should show up in their Pixel cameras at some point.
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