Canon announce 120MP APS-H format CMOS sensor
Canon have just reported the development of the world's highest resolution APS-H format sensor, with 120 MP and a resolution of 13280 x 9184 pixels. This gives an average pixel spacing of around 2.2 microns and a resulting theoretical resolution of 228 lp/mm.
However, before you get carried away expecting this sensor to appear in a new DSLR, be reminded that back in 2007 Canon reported the development of a 50MP APS-H sensor and still, after 3 years, the 1D MkIV has "only" 16 MP. I'd presume that noise suffers when such small pixels are used. Readout remains fast though as Canon claim the ability to run the sensor at 9.5 frames/sec.
HD video capability is built in, and the high pixel count means that full 1080p HD video can be recorded from any 1/16th sized area of the sensor (video crop/zoom mode).
My only question is why APS-H? Why not APS-C where they have a lot of products or full frame? I guess APS-H still has some advantages when it comes to chip fabrication since it's only 60% of the area of a full frame sensor.
While I doubt that we will see such a sensor in a camera anytime soon, it does show what can be done and where we may be heading. Perhaps the main advantage of such a high pixel count sensor would be the ability to either crop the image or shoot with a subset of the pixels (to give a real "digital zoom"), while still keeping very high image resolution. At 220+ lp/mm resolution and an estimated JPEG size of maybe 60MB and a RAW file size around 250MB, this sensor would far outresolve the practical capabilities of lenses and put a severe strain on current memory technology.
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Canon successfully develops world's first APS-H-size CMOS image sensor to realize record-high resolution of 120 megapixels
TOKYO, August 24, 2010—Canon Inc. announced today that it has successfully developed anAPS-H-size *1 CMOS image sensor that delivers an image
resolution of approximately 120 megapixels (13,280 x 9,184 pixels), the world's highest
level*2 of resolution for its size.
Compared with Canon's highest-resolution commercial CMOS sensor of the same size, comprising approximately 16.1 million pixels, the newly developed sensor features a pixel count that, at approximately 120 million pixels, is nearly 7.5 times larger and offers a 2.4-fold improvement in resolution.*3
With CMOS sensors, while high-speed readout for high pixel counts is achieved through parallel processing, an increase in parallel-processing signal counts can result in such problems as signal delays and minor deviations in timing. By modifying the method employed to control the readout circuit timing, Canon successfully achieved the high-speed readout of sensor signals. As a result, the new CMOS sensor makes possible a maximum output speed of approximately 9.5 frames per second, supporting the continuous shooting of ultra-high-resolution images.
Canon's newly developed CMOS sensor also incorporates a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) video output capability. The sensor can output Full HD video from any approximately one-sixtieth-sized section of its total surface area.
Images captured with Canon's newly developed approximately 120-megapixel CMOS image sensor, even when cropped or digitally magnified, maintain higher levels of definition and clarity than ever before. Additionally, the sensor enables image confirmation across a wide image area, with Full HD video viewing of a select portion of the overall frame.
Through the further development of CMOS image sensors, Canon will break new ground in the world of image expression, targeting new still images that largely surpass those made possible with film, and video movies that capitalize on the unique merits of SLR cameras, namely their high mobility and the expressive power offered through interchangeable lenses.