Canon U.S.A., Inc. today announced that its parent company, Canon Inc. announced that it has developed a CMOS sensor with 410 megapixels (24,592 x 16,704 pixels), which is the largest number1 of pixels ever achieved in a 35mm full-frame sensor. It will be available in both RGB and monochrome versions. This sensor is expected to be used in applications that demand extreme resolution in various markets including surveillance, medicine, and industrial imaging.
The newly developed CMOS sensor features a resolution equivalent to 24K (198 times greater than Full HD, and 12 times greater than 8K). This enables users to crop any part of the image captured by this sensor and enlarge it significantly while maintaining high resolution. While many CMOS sensors with a super-high pixel count are medium-format or larger, this extreme resolution sensor is compacted into a 35mm full-frame format. This allows it to be used in combination with lenses for full-frame sensors and is expected to contribute to the miniaturization of shooting equipment.
As data readout of a CMOS sensor tends to take longer as the number of pixels increases, achieving a CMOS sensor with a super-high pixel count requires advanced signal processing technology. This newly developed sensor employs a back-illuminated stacked formation in which the pixel segment and signal processing segment are interlayered and also includes a redesigned circuitry pattern. As a result, the sensor is capable of achieving a super-high readout speed of 3,280 megapixels per second, delivering video at 8 frames per second2.
The monochrome version features a “four-pixel binning” function that virtually treats four adjoining pixels as one, thereby improving sensitivity and making it possible to capture brighter images. When this function is in use, the sensor can capture 100-megapixel video at 24 frames per second.
By leveraging the technology it has accumulated over many years as a leading imaging company, Canon has developed breakthrough products including CMOS sensors with super-high pixel count and ultra-sensitivity, and SPAD sensors, which detect faint traces of light even in dark areas. Canon will continue to advance its technology and contribute to the transformation and further development of society.
via photorumors
