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BSI Sensor

Canon’s new HDR sensor shoots multiple images simultaneously for over 24 stops of dynamic range

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Canon has developed a new 12.6-megapixel CMOS sensor designed primarily for monitoring and industrial applications. What’s special about this sensor is that it shoots multiple exposures simultaneously each time it takes a photo to maximise dynamic range.It’s a 1-inch backside-illuminated sensor, that overcomes the limitations of existing sensor technology by splitting the image up into 736 areas.

Each of these different areas automatically determines the best exposure range for that part of the image, allowing it to shoot high and low-exposure shots simultaneously. These are then brought together in the final result, allowing it to have a massive dynamic range of 148 decibels. With one stop of light equating to 6.02dB, this means an overall dynamic range of around 24.6 stops.

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Nikon patents “sensor and camera” – is it that weird square 4K 1,000FPS BSI CMOS from 2021?

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Nikon has been granted a new patent entitled “Image Sensor and Electronic Camera”. It was accepted at the end of December but filed back in April 2021. The filing may be related to that strange 4K 17.8-megapixel 1,000FPS CMOS sensor announced back in February 2021, although YM Cinema reports that it’s not explicitly mentioned in the patent. In fact, the patent doesn’t seem to give that much away at all.

While Nikon appears to have patented the design, Nikon doesn’t actually make sensors. They make equipment for making sensors but not the sensors themselves. Most Nikon DSLR and mirrorless cameras over the years have contained sensors designed by Nikon but manufactured by other companies, such as Sony, Toshiba and TowerJazz. I wouldn’t expect that to change now.

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Watch: Video explains why your camera’s sensor sees the world like an octopus

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Camera sensor technology has come a very long way since it was first developed in the 1970s. And while they’ve gotten much smaller and faster since Steven Sasson’s original 3.6kg, 0.01-megapixel digital camera, the basic principle of how a sensor records an image is still pretty much the same – as explained in this wonderfully technical and geeky video from IMSAI Guy.

In it, he begins by explaining the difference between standard sensors and rear-illuminated (BSI) sensors – and how the latter is basically the way an Octopus’ eyes work. He illustrates how a pixel “sees” the light that hits it and how a sensor arranges all these pixels using just a standard (albeit very large) matrix array in order to make up the final image.

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Nikon has announced a 17.8-megapixel square CMOS HDR sensor that shoots 1,000fps

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With as many sensors as Nikon buys from companies like Sony, TowerJazz, Toshiba, etc. it’s easy to forget that Nikon can and does actually design their own imaging sensors, too. That’s exactly what they’ve done, though, announcing a new, slightly odd square format 4224 x 4224 pixel CMOS HDR sensor that they offers “the industry’s highest level of HDR”.

While the idea of a square sensor of this resolution and frame rate sounds like it would be a lot of fun for things like Instagram and other square format social media, though, it seems this sensor might be destined more for industrial use.

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Canon patents a Dual Pixel AF Back-side Illuminated sensor (finally)

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It’s taken a while for Canon to jump on the whole BSI train, although the company appears to have filed a patent in for what appears to be a method of manufacturing a stacked back-side illuminated sensor. And not just any BSI sensor, this one features Canon’s Dual Pixel Autofocus tech, too.

The patent takes a long-winded way to describe the system, essentially stating that it will both make the sensor easier to manufacture and also offer all of the usual benefits of a BSI sensor – like increased light-gathering abilities for high ISO performance (although the EOS R5 doesn’t suck, even without BSI).

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Sony RX100 VII sensor isn’t as good as previous generation models, DxO mark says

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The Sony RX100 VII is the latest in Sony’s line of popular RX100 compact cameras. DxOMark recently posted their review of the RX100 VII’s sensor in Sony’s latest iteration and found it to be a little lacking compared to previous generations.

Released in July 2019, the RX100 VII is an update to the RX100 VI. It was a welcome update, particularly for vloggers thanks to the addition of the microphone socket. It features the same 24-200mm equivalent lens introduced in the RX100 VI, but it also came with a new stacked BSI CMOS sensor, which DxOMark says doesn’t stand up to the earlier model.

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