Canon has developed a new 1-inch type, 4K, backside-illuminated stacked CMOS sensor that can provide up to 24 stops of dynamic range, the company has revealed.
Announcing the new sensor design on its global website, Canon said its new sensor divides an image into 736 areas, and within each area it will automatically determine the best exposure settings for that part of the scene. This prevents motion artefacts and allows for better accuracy.
The new design achieves an effective pixel count of approximately 12.6 million pixels (4,152 x 3,024) and provides a dynamic range of 148 decibels2 (dB).
The new sensor effectively eliminates the need to synthesise images when producing HDR imagery, Canon says. As well as potential benefits for creative photography, the new Canon sensor offers immediate business applications for facial or license plate recognition in low light areas.
The new Canon sensor’s high dynamic range allows for image capture in environments with brightness levels ranging from approx. 0.1 lux (the brightness of a full moon at night) to approximately 2,700,000 lux (500,000 lux is equivalent to vehicle headlights).
The new sensor is only slated for industry applications for now, but this technology tends to trickle down into consumer products over time.
Via PhotoRumors