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How sensor size affects depth of field

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Can you achieve beautiful background blur with a small sensor? Yes, you can. According to this video by the Koldunov Brothers, small sensors produce more background blur than larger ones. However, you may not fully appreciate this blur because too little of it fits into the frame.

But of course, it’s more complicated than that. Small sensors often require shorter focal length lenses, which don’t blur the background as effectively. In this video, the Brothers shed light on this controversial subject.

Chinese manufacturer Gpixel announces 8K 60 fps APS-C/Super35 BSI CMOS Image Sensor

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It’s not often you hear about image sensor breakthroughs – of almost any size and type – except from the likes of big Japanese companies like Sony and Samsung. But Chinese manufacturer Gpixel has just announced a new 8K 60fps APS-C sensor.

The Gpixel GCINE3243 is a 43-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor with a pixel resolution of 8192 x 5232 pixels, which is a hair wider than 3:2 aspect ratio. It supports 8K video at 60fps, 4K video at 120fps, with up to 14 bits of colour per channel.

Sony adds two 44.72MP and 61.17MP full-frame 8K sensors to product list

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Sony has added two new image sensors to its product list. Both sensors are full-frame, with one having a resolution of 44.72 megapixels and the other being 61.17 megapixels. Both sensors mention the ability to shoot 8K video, with the 44.72-megapixel sensor specifically talking about “high-speed 8K” capabilities, listing 12-Bit 8K resolution at up to 61.25 frames per second in its max readout speeds.

Sony says that both the Sony IMX366AJK (44.72MP) and Sony IMX455AQK (61.17MP) sensors are destined for “use in consumer use digital still camera and consumer use camcorder”, which means they’re likely coming in future Sony bodies, but may also go up for sale for use in cameras from other brands, too.

This is how your camera’s sensor sees the world

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The humble image sensor. They are so ubiquitous these days that there are literally billions of them out there. Many of us rely on them either to create an income and to document family vacations or the daily goings on in our lives. But how many of us know how they actually work? How do they “see” light? Or colour?

In this video, Asianometry does a very deep dive into image sensors, taking a look at their initial origins and seeing how they’ve developed over time into the sensors we have at our disposal today. Whether they’re in our cameras, our phones or the webcams in our laptops, it’s impossible to escape them.

Panasonic has finally developed its 8K organic global shutter OPF CMOS sensor

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This has been a saga and a half. Way back in February 2018, Panasonic announced an organic 8K global shutter CMOS sensor. Later that year, they announced the first camera containing this sensor. Although, they didn’t really announce them. Neither the sensor nor the camera actually existed. It wasn’t until September 2019 that we were finally told what was going on when they made a development announcement for the sensor.

A prototype camera was spotted at a show in Japan in November 2021, but there was still no information on availability or prices. Now, though, it seems that Panasonic has finally, officially, fully developed the sensor, according to a new announcement this month. Do they finally have an 8K camera on the way?

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.

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

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.

Nitecore BB2 – The best fan for your sensor

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When I made the move from Nikon to Sony, dust became an issue for me. I was not only moving from one brand to another but also from a DSLR to a mirrorless system. While my Nikons were not immune to sensor dust, it was never a big issue. I suspect that the mirror protected the sensor from stray particles. With the mirror gone1, dust seemed to be magically attracted to the sensor every time I swapped a lens.

I used to fight dust with a Rocket Blower. But recently, I also started carrying a small Nitecore BlowerBaby BB2 fan. It’s about the same size as the Rocket but can do a bit more. Actually, I like it so much that I think it’s the number one sensor fan in the world2.

Canon has a new 19-megapixel global shutter full-frame CMOS sensor to be released in 2023

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Canon has announced that they’ve developed a 19-megapixel global shutter full-frame CMOS sensor. There are four different models of the same LI5030S sensor in colour, black and white, colour/near-infrared and full spectrum, all capable of shooting full resolution at up to 58 frames per second. Canon says that the new sensor will be ready to go on sale in January 2023.

But don’t get too getting too excited just yet. It looks like we probably won’t be seeing this come in an EOS R mirrorless camera. At least, not anytime soon. At the moment, it appears that this sensor is targeted more towards scientific and industrial use, rather than photographic. Use cases where being able to see full unwarped and undistorted images shot in rapid succession is often mission-critical.

Sigma full-frame Foveon still delayed but it may come with phase detection autofocus

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In an interview with Imaging Resource, Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki has announced that there is a new delay with Foveon sensor development. It sounds like the same old story we’ve been hearing since 2018, but it seems as if it’s not so much the technical challenges that Sigma is facing now. The technical development issues that have caused delays in the past seem to be resolved for the most part. It’s simply a matter of production.

The global silicon shortage has a lot to answer for across many industries, but that seems to be the only thing that’s really holding Sigma back now. Prototypes take too long to create and the sensor itself is still seeing development while waiting for those prototypes to happen. This makes them pretty much obsolete before they get close to production. But, it sounds like we’re close to full-frame Foveon becoming a reality.

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