Dual Pixel AF Archives

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

Dec 10, 2020 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

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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Nikon mirrorless camera may have dual pixel autofocus tech according to new patent

Jan 25, 2018 by John Aldred 3 Comments

I have to be honest here, I’m actually starting to get a little excited about the idea of a Nikon mirrorless camera. I know I probably shouldn’t. I know it’ll be lots of hype and when it finally arrives I’ll be disappointed. But, still, the more little bits of information about it come out, the closer I get to certain that I will want one. And this latest development just brings me that bit closer.

NikonEye are reporting on two new patents Nikon have published describing a new autofocus system. It combines dual pixel AF technology similar to Canon, as well as “time of flight” tech similar to new Sony sensors. The new autofocus system appears to be destined for the new mirrorless system.

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Adobe to add 5D Mark IV’s dual pixel RAW functionality to Lightroom and Photoshop

Aug 30, 2016 by John Aldred 5 Comments

The dual pixel sensor of the 5D Mark IV has two main functions. One is to improve the accuracy of the autofocus. The other gives you slight focus adjustment capabilities in post – a bit like Lytro. The latter is called dual pixel raw. At the moment (well, for those who already have a 5D Mark IV), the dual pixel raw feature is only available to users of Canon’s own software; Digital Photo Professional.

However, Cnet are reporting that Adobe have confirmed they’re adding the 5D Mark IV’s dual pixel raw technology into Lightroom. Presumably, this also includes Adobe Camera Raw. Adobe’s spokesman, Roman Skuratovskiy said “We’re working on it”, but did not specify when this update might be available.

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After months of speculation the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV is finally here with 4K video and dual pixel RAW

Aug 25, 2016 by John Aldred 7 Comments

So, the guesswork and speculation can end. Canon have now officially announced the 5D Mark IV DSLR. As expected, some photographers are a little underwhelmed, if the comments I’m seeing on Facebook are anything to go by. The video guys seem happy, though, mostly.

But it does have a few fairly significant upgrades for stills photographers. The new 30.4MP CMOS sensor is one, sure it’s not the 50MP of the 5DS, but it’s still a nice jump over the Mark III’s 22.3MP. Dual pixel RAW files are another great feature, albeit at the cost of storage space. This works on a similar principle as Lytro, allowing you to slightly adjust your focus in post. But let’s have a look at the full specs.

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