Canon has developed a 35mm full-frame CMOS image sensor designed for low-light video capture. The 16:9 sensor features a 1920×1080 pixel array, meaning each pixel measures a huge 19 microns along each edge – 7.5 times larger than the ones in the EOS-1D X. The large pixels and low readout-noise circuitry allow the sensor to capture light around 10 times less bright than current CCDs used for astronomy. The sensor will first be shown in public at a security show in Japan.
US technology company Rambus has unveiled ‘Binary Pixel’ sensor technology, promising greatly expanded dynamic range for the small sensors used in devices such as smartphones. Current image sensors are unable to record light above a specific saturation point, which results in clipped highlights. Binary Pixel technology gets around this by recording when a pixel has received a certain amount of light, then resetting it and in effect restarting the exposure. The result is significantly expanded dynamic range from a single-shot exposure. The company has demonstrated the technology using a low resolution sensor, and says it can easily be incorporated into CMOS sensors using current manufacturing methods.
Much ado has been made about the sensor technology rumored to debut along with HTC’s newest handset launched today, the HTC One. While rumors of stacked sensors were predictably wide of the mark, HTC is taking a clever approach to improving camera phone quality by betting on fewer but larger pixels captured by a 4.0MP 1/3″ sensor, which are similar in size to those found in enthusiast compact cameras, and which HTC is calling ‘ultrapixels’. Combined with a fast F2.0 lens and optical image stabilization, the HTC One’s specs hold promise for better low-light photography – an area where mobile phones have fallen notoriously short. Click though for our detialed preview on Connect.
Nikon has posted a firmware update for its 1 V1 enthusiast small sensor mirrorless camera. Firmware version 1.21 resolves a minor bug related to live view performance immediately after a lens is attached. The firmware is available immediately for download. Click through for more details and a link to the update.
Nikon has posted a firmware update for its 1 V1 enthusiast small sensor mirrorless camera. Firmware version 1.21 resolves a minor bug related to live view performance immediately after a lens is attached. The firmware is available immediately for download. Click through for more details and a link to the update.
Nikon has posted a firmware update for its 1 V1 enthusiast small sensor mirrorless camera. Firmware version 1.21 resolves a minor bug related to live view performance immediately after a lens is attached. The firmware is available immediately for download. Click through for more details and a link to the update.
A Vietnamese site is sharing what it claims are sample images from Sony’s new Xperia Z smartphone, compared with shots from both the Apple iPhone 5 and the Oppo Find 5, both of which will feature Sony’s new 13-megapixel Exmor RS stacked CMOS sensor. Although we can’t vouch for the integrity of the sample shots, if they’re genuine, the comparison provides an interesting look at what the Xperia and Oppo Find 5’s cameras may be capable of. Click through for the full story, and images, on connect.dpreview.com.
Sigma has announced the DP3 Merrill, the latest iteration of the company’s enthusiast large sensor compact camera. Nearly identical to the earlier DP Merrill models, this camera features the familiar 15x3MP APS-C Foveon X3 sensor, but it is now mated with a 50mm (75mm equiv.) F2.8 lens. The lens lends itself to portraiture and, with a minimum focus distance of 22.6cm, offers respectable 1:3 magnification. Video recording is still limited to VGA resolution but the DP3M can shoot at up to 4 frames per second for 7 frames in Raw.
Fujifilm has announced the X20 – a substantially upgraded re-working of its high-end enthusiast compact. The biggest changes over the X10 are the adoption of the X-Trans color filter pattern from the company’s mirrorless cameras, along with an LCD added to the optical viewfinder to allow shooting information to be overlaid. A faster processor and on-chip phase detection elements promise fast focusing while the addition of a ‘Q’ quick-menu button should also improve the camera’s usability.
Howdy folks! We get a lot of questions here at SOPHA, and high on the list is how to clean your camera. In this video, Bud will show you how to clean your camera, and specifically, the methods he uses to clean DSLR sensors. Yes, this is service we have here at SOPHA – we clean cameras and sensors. But folks asked for a video, so here it is. If you have ideas for more videos, send us a line. You can find out more about SOPHA at theSOPHA.com.
Video Rating: 4 / 5