Fujifilm Launches the X-H2S: 26.16MP, 40 FPS Burst Photos, 6.2K Video

#equipment #news #apsc #backsideilluminated #flagship #fuji #fujifilm #fujifilmxh2s #stackedsensor #xh2s #xseries #xtrans

OM Digital Unveils OM-1 Camera with a New Sensor and Quad Pixel AF

#equipment #news #20megapixel #backsideilluminated #bsi #computationalphotography #microfourthirds #olympus #om1 #omdigital #omdigitalsolutions #omsystem #quadpixelautofocus #stackedsensor

New Full-Frame 49MP Sensor Can Shoot 8K at 120FPS, 4K at 240FPS

Sensors are the main battleground in the camera industry, and Gpixel's latest appears to be well aware of that fact. The company has created a 49-megapixel, HDR, backside-illuminated, stacked sensor capable of up to 8K at 120 frames per second.

Gpixel has been producing sensors for the security and industrial applications space since 2012, but in the last year it has produced at least three sensors that look extremely promising for the consumer imaging space. In August, the company said it had developed a new global shutter 4/3-inch 10-megapixel sensor that it claims will be capable of shooting 4K video at up to 2,000 frames per second. In September, it launched what it billed as the world's highest-resolution global shutter sensor: 152-megapixels.

More recently, Gpixel announced what it calls a next-generation sensor: a full-frame, backside-illuminated (BSI), stacked sensor designed specifically for photography and cinematography. While not a global shutter design, that's still an impressive-looking sensor.

The GCINE4349 is the first in what Gpixel says will be a flagship family of sensors and features a 49-megapixel (35.2 x 25.8 mm) full-frame image sensor with 4.3 μm2 BSI pixels. It has a maximum resolution of 8,192 by 6,000 pixels and several readout modes that can support 8K or binned 4K with maximum frame rates of up to 120 frames per second at 8K resolution and up to 240 frames per second at binned 4K resolutions, all with a pixel bit depth of up to 16 bit/pixel interfaced over 64 sub LVDS channels at 1.2 Gbps/channel.

In full-frame, Gpixel says the sensor provides full 8K DCI widescreen (8,192 pixels), but also supports 2.4:1 8K wide or scope format, 8K open gate, and various other creative imaging formats. The native 8K resolution at its 3:2 aspect ratio allows filmmakers to shoot oversampled in a way that ideally fits a finished 6K or 4K film.

"GCINE4349 is developed using a two-wafer level stacked BSI architecture. The top layer consists of a BSI pixel array with 49M 4.3 um pixels achieving a maximum QE of up to 75% at 525 nm. The bottom digital CMOS layer consists of an array of core cells each including 16-bit ADC blocks and SRAM memory blocks which are used to sum and store up to 4 subsequent sub-frames with seamless exposure, enabling an in-pixel full well charge of up to 160k e- for a dynamic range of 80 dB," Gpixel explains.

The architecture allows for two HDR modes that Gpixel says allows it to achieve excellent image quality in a variety of lighting conditions. The first is a proprietary "Variable Slope High Dynamic Range" method that the company says lets the sensor achieve 110 dB of dynamic range (what it says is "exceptionally high"). The second is a classic dual gain read out that achieves up to 87 dB of dynamic range. Gpixel also has a dedicated still camera mode with low noise readout and a dedicated shutter controller.

Gpixel's GCINE4349 looks, on paper, to be one of the more impressive high-resolution, low noise sensors to be developed, but it's unclear who the company intends to sell its product to. Sony and Canon make their own sensors, and Nikon generally works with Sony to produce the sensors in its cameras. Still, hopefully, Gpixel's continued investment in the space will result in continued gains in performance, and perhaps even more impressive capabilities are to come to the next generation of cameras.

#equipment #news #technology #49megapixel #backsideilluminated #bsi #gcine4349 #gpixel #lowlight #sensor #sensordevelopment #stackedcmos

Pixii Unveils New 26MP APS-C Rangefinder with ‘Interactive’ Viewfinder

Pixii, the company behind the Pixii Camera originally announced in 2018, has unveiled an upgraded version of the APS-C M-mount rangefinder that boasts a new 26-megapixel sensor, USB-C support, a new "interactive" viewfinder, and a $3,000 price.

The new Pixii camera uses a new backside-illuminated CMOS sensor with increased resolution that the company says will allow it to capture finer details. The design also supposedly enhances the "angular response to perform with wider focal lengths and modern optical designs." The 26-megapixel sensor offers photos at 6,244 x 4,168 pixels and has 14-stops of dynamic range.

On that note, Pixii says that the new sensor has extended dynamic range over its predecessor and an ultra-low noise floor that will allow it to work more reliably in difficult lighting situations. The new ISO range starts at 160 and extends up to 12,800 natively, with higher sensitivities available in software post-processing.

The new interactive viewfinder integrates a miniature display that Pixii says projects key information directly into the optical viewfinder. This information includes data points like exposure speed, compensation, or white balance. Pixii says that the settings are presented at the periphery of a user's field of view, which helps keep the new information from becoming distracting. Pixii also says that, for the first time in a rangefinder camera, photographers can interact with camera settings and menus without leaving the viewfinder, which it says results in a more immersive experience.

According to Pixxi, the rangefinder assembly combines four distinct optical paths together. The wide view in the viewfinder is overlaid with frame lines, interactive settings, and the rangefinder patch in the center.

The new Pixii Rangefinder camera also has upgraded USB-C connectivity, a better battery meter, and faster charging speeds. As was the case with the original Pixii, the new rangefinder doesn't support removable media storage. This new model comes standard with 8GB of internal storage that can be increased up to 128GB.

Pixii says that other features that were built into the original Pixii camera and are still not available on other digital rangefinders make a return here, such as LUT-based color profiles, a fast and silent electronic shutter (that can shoot as fast as 1/32,000 of a second), native iOS and Android support along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity, and GPR compression support that results in up to ten times smaller RAW files.

"We listened to photographers using the camera and we addressed their feedback with this newmodel." David Barth, Founder of Pixii, says. "Crucially, we also engineered the upgrade path to let A1112 model owners upgrade their camera to the new sensor."

The new Pixii camera will start at $2,999 with upgraded 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB versions available for $3240, $3380, and $3540 respectively. Pre-orders will begin on September 30 and the first orders are slated to ship starting on November 10.

#equipment #news #apsc #backsideilluminated #bsi #digitalrangefinder #interactiveviewfinder #internalstorage #mmount #pixii #rangefinder #viewfinder

Why Camera Sensors Matter and How They Keep Improving

What is the most important aspect of a camera to consider when looking to buy a new one? In this video, Engadget put camera sensors in the spotlight and reviewed how they have improved and what role they play in today's photographic equipment.

Camera brands regularly release new cameras, with each model improving on its past versions. However, video producer Chris Schodt from Engadgetpoints out in the company's latest YouTube video that it may appear camera sensors haven't progressed as rapidly in the recent past, although resolution has increased. This is because modern-day cameras -- such as the Canon EOS 5D released in 2005 -- were already able to produce high-quality images over a decade ago and still continue to do so.

Camera sensors, in technical terms, can be described as a grid of photodiodes which act as a one-way valve for electrons. In CMOS sensors -- which are widely used in digital cameras that photographers use today -- each pixel has additional circuitry built into it aside from the photodiode.

These on-pixel electronics help CMOS sensors quick speed because they can read and reset quickly, although, in the past, this characteristic could also contribute to bringing up fixed-pattern noise. However, with the improvement of manufacturing processes, this side-effect has been largely eliminated in modern cameras.

Schodt explains that noise control is crucial to a camera's low light performance and dynamic range, which is a measure of the range of light captured in the image between the maximum and minimum values. In a photograph, those are between white -- such as when pixel clips or is overexposed -- and black, respectively.

Clipped or overexposed pixels in an image

In an ideal scenario, camera sensors would capture light, which is emitted as photons, in a uniform way to reconstruct a perfectly clear image. However, that isn't the case because they hit the sensor randomly.

One way to deal with this is to produce larger sensors and larger pixels, however, that comes with a large production cost and an equally large camera body, such as the Hasselblad H6D-100c digital back which has a 100MP CMOS sensor and a $26,500 price.

Other solutions include the development of Backside Illuminated sensors (BSI), such as the one announced by Nikon in 2017 and Sony first in 2015. This type of sensor leads to improved low-light performance and speed. Similarly, so does a stacked CMOS sensor that provides even faster speeds, such as the Sony Micro Four Thirds sensor published earlier in 2021.

Smartphones, on the other hand, use multiple images and average them together to improve noise and dynamic range, like the Google HDR+ with Bracketing Technology, which is also a direction that several modern video cameras have taken, too.

Looking towards the future of sensor development, Schodt explains that silicon, which is the material currently used to make sensors, is likely to stay, although some alternative materials have been used like gallium arsenide and graphene. Another possible direction is curved sensors, although they would make it difficult for users as curved sensors would need to be paired with precisely manufactured lenses. In practical terms, photographers would have to buy into a particular system with no option of using a third-party lens.

It's likely that in the future focus will be on computational photography. Faster sensors and more on-camera processing to make use of smartphone-style image stacking might make its way to dedicated cameras, for example, in addition to AI-advanced image processing.

In the video above, Schodt explains more in detail the technical build of sensors and how their characteristics correlate to the resulting images. More Engadget educational videos can be found on the company's YouTube page.

Image credits: Photos of camera sensors licensed via Depositphotos.

#educational #technology #backsideilluminated #bsi #camerasensor #cmos #cmossensor #curvedsensor #digitalbacks #engadget #sensor #smartphonecamerasensor

Fujifilm’s First Stacked, Back-Illuminated, X-Trans Sensor Coming in 2022

Fujifilm has announced that it is currently developing a new flagship camera that will feature the company's first back-illuminated, stacked layer X-trans CMOS sensor.

The company has said that to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the X-system, it plans to bring out not only new lenses (which were announced as part of a lens roadmap) but will also launch a new flagship camera that features the company's first combination stacked layer and backside-illuminated X-trans CMOS sensor.

While Fujifilm's current fourth-generation 26.1-megapixel image sensor that is featured in the X-T30, for example, is already backside-illuminated, the company has never used a stacked structure before.

Back-illuminated, also referred interchangeably as backside-illuminated or BSI, sensors are a type of image sensor that uses an arrangement of imaging elements that increase the amount of light captured and therefore improve low light performance. Typical front-side illuminated sensors are constructed similarly to how a human eye works with a lens in front and the photodetectors in the back. While easier and simpler to manufacture, the way the parts that make up the sensor are arranged will actually cause some of the light that hits it to reflect back outwards and reduce the amount of light signal that it is capable of actually recording to make an image.

Image by Cmglee, CC BY-SA 4.0

In contrast, back illumination rearranges the same elements behind the photocathode layer so that the wiring no longer is in front, which improves the light-gathering capabilities from about 60% efficiency to over 90%.

A stacked CMOS is considered a next-generation backside-illuminated sensor and was first developed by Sony in 2012. In this design, the supporting circuitry that was moved behind the photodiodes in a standard backside-illuminated sensor are further moved below the active pixel section and adds an additional 30% improvement to light gathering capability. Because parts have been rearranged on a stacked CMOS sensor, designers can do more with the space. Sony, for example, has built RAM directly into the sensor which has resulted in dramatically improved readout speeds, a system that has allowed the Alpha 7R IV, Alpha 9 II, and Alpha 1 cameras to perform extremely fast frames per second bursts at ever-increasing resolutions.

Generally speaking, this sensor design doesn't improve image quality but instead focuses the benefits at pure speed of data transfer.

In the case of Fujifilm, the company hasn't indicated how much resolution should be expected out of what is likely to be the fifth-generation X-trans sensor, but even if the company chooses to stick around the mid-20-megapixel range, the performance gains from adding that stacked design will very likely be considerable when compared to the fourth-generation sensor currently available.

#equipment #news #backsideilluminated #bsi #cameradevelopment #developmentannouncement #fifthgeneration #flagship #fujifilm #newflagship #stackedcmos #xtrans

Nikon Z9 To Feature 45MP BSI Sensor, 160 FPS Burst Capture: Report

Nikon's Z9 has concluded its testing at the Olympics and a new report has surfaced that promises some rather impressive specifications for Nikon's forthcoming sports-focused camera, including a 45-megapixel sensor and somewhere between 120 and 160 frames per second burst shooting.

Nikon Rumors is reporting a set of new details that promise significant performance out of Nikon's forthcoming camera. The report includes a long list of new details and an official announcement window for somewhere in the next two months.

Firstly, the report says that the Z9 will feature a 45-megapixel (8256 x 5504 pixel resolution) and it will be a stacked sensor. Additionally, in low-resolution mode, it will be capable of firing 120 frames per second, while Nikon Rumors says that some other reports that have come in claim it can get as high as 160 frames per second. Considering the 120 frames per second is cited as being files no larger than six megabytes in size, 160 frames per second may only be a specification that will be used to tout capability, but will likely not be actively used by many professionals.

The report also claims that the Z9 will feature some kind of global positioning system, which is likely to be the recently-unearthed Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology. If that rumor holds true, it would be a major upgrade in how geolocation coordinates are obtained for the metadata of photos.

Nikon Rumors also reports that it will be able to use the same battery as the D6 as well as a new one that can be charged through the USB port on the camera. Additionally, the Z9 will supposedly use a new leaf blade protective shutter system that will automatically cover the sensor when the camera is switched off or when a lens is being changed in order to prevent dust or dirt from hitting the sensor. It appears to be similar to what Canon currently does with its focal plane shutter, but will be separate from the one used to capture images; this mirrors a patent Canon recently applied for.

The Z9 will also reportedly see significant autofocus performance improvements such as dedicated automobile AF (like Canon announced for the R3) as well as for animals and people. It will also gain improved 3D tracking.

Nikon is apparently improving the articulating screen -- which explains the odd tape situation that was visible on the back of the camera seen at the Olympics -- and adding new features to the menu to make it more customizable. The company is also apparently adding a different style of locking flap for the CFExpress memory card port. Also seen in those photos from the Olympics is the new third joystick which is supposedly designed to be used when a photographer's eye is pressed up against the camera. The sound of the shutter will also apparently support various volumes, and can be adjusted from silent to loud.

Nikon originally announced that it was developing the Z9 in March but provided scant little information about the device. Nikon's team does seem to understand the grand expectations for the camera, however. While the Z9 may be announced in the next couple of months, it is unlikely that it will be easily obtainable for some time, as Nikon has struggled with its supply chain due to the coronavirus pandemic and since it made several changes to its production line including moving camera manufacturing out of Japan. The Z9 will very likely be extremely challenging to purchase for some time after its official release.

#equipment #news #rumors #120fps #160fps #45mp #backsideilluminated #bsi #burst #burstcapture #fast #gnss #nikon #nikonrumors #nikonz9 #rumor

Canon Rebuffs Rumors That Its R3 Sensor is Made by Sony

Since Canon's initial development announcement for the EOS R3, rumors have swirled that the company -- despite its statement otherwise -- was not the manufacturer of the backside illuminated sensor at its core. A report published on June 17 stated factually that the R3 sensor is made by Sony, and Canon has responded.

As PetaPixel reported on April 13, Canon stated that the upcoming EOS R3 sensor "will feature Canon’s first-ever full-frame backside-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor that it designed in-house."

Nearly a month after Canon's R3 development announcement, Canon Watch noticed that some language had been adjusted on Canon UK's website. What once stated "designed and manufactured by Canon" was adjusted to "developed by Canon." This was the first in a set of reports that would surmise that Canon was not the maker of the sensor.

Two days later, Canon Watch followed with a translation of an interview with Russian Andrey Tishchenko, Canon Russia's Head of Product and Consumer Expertise. In it, Tischenko stated that the R3 was "the first backlit Stacked Sensor BSI we have developed ourselves" and when asked if it was Canon's first stacked sensor, he responded that "the Canon G7x Mark III has a 1-inch Stacked CMOS sensor."

This statement was taken to mean that since the G7x Mark III sensor was made by Canon and Tischenko counted it as among a Canon device, therefore it was possible that the R3 was also made by Sony.

On June 17, these rumors finally culminated in a story published on EOSHD that definitely stated based on documentation of a new Sony sensor -- the IMX554DQC -- the EOS R3 sensor would not be made by Canon but instead would be a Sony product.

The report points to a product sheet from Sony that describes a 35mm full-size 30.38-megapixel back-illuminated sensor capable of capturing 36.6 frames per second in still picture mode.

"This is the first time Canon has had to go to Sony for a modern flagship EOS camera, to tap the company’s back-illuminated stacked sensor technology," the report reads. "It must work out more economical to buy the sensor from Sony than to develop the same thing themselves and license all the patents. Still, a sign of the times."

EOSHD alleges that because of this, the images taken with the R3 are not Canon photos, but Sony ones.

"This means that essentially the images coming out of the Canon EOS R3 are Sony images. Although image processing and colour science do count for a lot, the fundamental capture is by Sony. Politically, this must be hard to take at Canon."

Canon historically does not respond to rumors, but perhaps the nature of this particular report changed the company's mind as it does not treat the report as a rumor or as speculation, but rather as fact.

In a statement to PetaPixel , Canon has reiterated in no uncertain terms that it is not only the designer of the new sensor but also its manufacturer.

The sensor in the upcoming EOS R3 camera is Canon designed and manufactured.

This is the same statement that the company said to journalists in briefings in early April ahead of the EOS R3's official development announcement. Why there have been continued reports that conflict with that messaging is unclear, but there should be no question now -- Sony is not making the R3 sensor, Canon is.

#equipment #news #backsideilluminated #cameradevelopment #canon #canoneos3 #canoneosr3 #canonsensor #development #eosr3 #highendcamera #inhouse #professional #professionalcamera #r3 #response #rumors #sportscamera #sportsphotography