Connect: Sensor maker Omnivision has announced two smartphone-targeted CMOS camera modules. The OV5645 is built on an affordable 1/4″-type 5MP sensor built around a standardized MIPI interface, allowing processing functions to be passed to the host processor, rather than having to include JPEG compression in the device. The OV8835 uses a higher-end, 1/3.2″-type 8MP second-generation BSI CMOS sensor with claimed ‘best-in-class pixel performance.’
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Pentax has announced the X-5, a 26x superzoom built around a 16MP backlit CMOS sensor. The X-5 is designed to closely resemble the company’s K-5 DSLR, despite being based around a 1/2.3″-type sensor. The lens offers a 22.3-580mm equivalent range, backed up with sensor-shift image stabilization. It can capture 1080p30 movies and features a selection of the multi-shot and image processing modes that have become common on CMOS-based cameras. It features a tilting 460k dot rear LCD and 230k dot electronic viewfinder. It is powered by AA batteries, giving around 500 shots per charge when used with NiMh rechargeable cells.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Nikon has refreshed its line of S series style compact cameras, which ranges from $ 140 6x zoom models through to bells-and-whistles-including 18x compact superzoom. The range is topped by the S9300 which offers that 18x, 25mm-450mm equiv. stabilized lens, 16MP back-lit CMOS sensor, 1080p30 with stereo sound recording and built-in GPS. The S6300 is a slim, 10x 25-250mm equiv camera built around the same sensor. The S4300 and S3300 are more modest, CCD-based affairs with 6x, 26-156mm equivalent zooms.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Canon has launched the PowerShot SX40 HS – a 12MP CMOS-based superzoom with 35x zoom. The SX40 steps into the place of the SX30 and offers a 24-840mm equivalent zoom range. It can shoot at up to 10.3 frames per second for 8 shots and can capture 1080p24 HD video. An ‘Intelligent IS’ system attempts to assess the shooting conditions and use the most appropriate stabilization mode, to make the camera’s huge lens range usable.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Canon has announced the PowerShot S100 – the latest in its line of small enthusiast compacts. The S100 features a broader, 5x lens range (24-120mm equiv.), the company’s latest image stabilization and built-in GPS. The interesting specification, from our perspective, is the 12MP CMOS sensor. It’s the company’s second compact camera sensor, following the slightly disappointing example in 2008’s PowerShot SX1. As with the S95, the sensor remains of the larger 1/1.7" type used in high-end compacts.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Sony has announced the TX55 touch-screen card-style camera. The 16.2MP camera features a backside illuminated CMOS sensor and stabilized 5x zoom lens (which we calculate to offer a range of approximately 26-130mm equivalent). The TX55 can capture 1080i60 movies and store them on the MicroSD/SDHC or Memory Stick Micro cards it uses to keep the body size down to an impressively slim 12.2mm deep. Beyond this it has a 3.3" OLED touch screen, the now-standard Sony features such as 3D Sweep Panorama and gains the ‘Picture Effects’ image processing filters that debuted in the NEX C3. It also uses a ‘By Pixel Super Resolution’ digital zoom mode that applies image processing to try enhance the image back up to full pixel-count (more details when we get them).
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Fujifilm has unveiled the FinePix Z900EXR premium ultra-compact incorporating the company’s latest 16MP EXR CMOS sensor. Featuring the same the 460K dot 3.5" LCD of the Z8000EXR, it offers a more useful image-stabilized 28-140m equivalent lens and full 1080p HD movie capture in the H.264 (MOV) format. The camera will be available from May 2011, at a price of 9.95 / £219, in Brilliant Black, Gloss Red, Hot Pink and Royal Blue
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Sony has announced it is investing .2 billion in production of CMOS sensors. The announcement includes the purchase and refurbishment of a a production facility it previously operated as a joint venture with Toshiba. With this move and other recent investments, the company aims to double its total monthly production from approximately 25,000 wafers to approximately 50,000 wafers per month by the end of March 2012.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Canon has announced it has developed a 120 megapixel 29.2 x 20.2mm APS-H CMOS sensor – the same size used in its EOS-1D series of professional DSLRs. The sensor, for which Canon has announced no production plans, has a pixel count nearly 7.5 times larger than the company’s highest pixel count commercially available sensor. It offers full HD recording (using 1/60th of its surface area) and can deliver 9.5fps continuous shooting. This follows a 50 million pixel sensor of similar format the company developed in 2007.
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)