Skip to main content

Canon’s 250-megapixel sensor can read the side of a plane from 11 miles away

Each time a new, higher-resolution sensor is introduced, there is speculation that we’ve reached the theoretical limit of what is possible with today’s technology. As pixels get smaller, image quality suffers. In particular, smaller pixels mean a lower native ISO, and in turn a decrease in low-light image quality. Small pixels also start to be effected by the diffraction of light as it passes through the camera’s aperture. Pushing these two constraints to the limit, Canon has created a stunning 250-megapixel sensor prototype that could be used in a DSLR.




It is an APS-H-size sensor, about 80% of the length and width of a full-frame sensor, and slightly larger than the popular APS-C format. Given its 19,580 x 12,600 pixel resolution, that means each pixel is about 1.5 microns — almost the same as in an iPhone 6. So you could imagine the new sensor as an array of 30 perfectly-aligned, very-high-speed smartphone sensors. It shows its high speed by being able to write out over 1 billion pixels per second, enabling it to capture 250MP video at 5 fps.
Canon’s feat of using the sensor, coupled with a prototype camera, to read the lettering on an airplane at something over 11 miles away is quite impressive. However, since it hasn’t disclosed anything about the camera or lens used, it is a little hard to tell how much of that magic is the sensor. For example, DARPA’s Argus can perform similarly amazing visual feats using a massive array of traditional smartphone-quality sensors.




This may be exactly what Lytro and the lightfield photography business needs


While Canon is looking to eventually market the new sensor to specialized audiences including surveillance, measuring instruments, and industrial equipment, it may also help pave the way for practical lightfield cameras. The big problem with lightfield products to date, like those from Lytro, is how much resolution they give up to gain their ability to capture dimensionality and alter focus in post-production.
Lytro founder Ren Ng has made it clear that the company was built on the premise that sensor resolution would continue to improve, making that tradeoff more reasonable. Depending on how much of the lightfield a camera is designed to capture, it can cut the native sensor resolution by anywhere from 10% to 90%. With a 250MP native resolution, though, even a 90% reduction would yield a very respectable 25MP image.
Source : Extremetech

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Solar car hits U.S. in round-the-world jaunt

Last October, the SolarWorld GT solar-powered car set out from Darwin, Australia on a drive around the world. It has since driven 3,001 kilometers (1,865 miles) across Australia, logged 1,947 km (1,210 miles) crossing New Zealand and been shipped across the Pacific Ocean. This Friday, it will embark on the U.S. leg of its journey, as it sets out across America from the University of California, Santa Barbara.   The SolarWorld GT is the result of a collaboration between solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld, and Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The four-wheeled, two-door, two-seat car gathers solar energy through photovoltaic panels built into its roof, with its solar generator offering a peak performance of 823 watts. Custom hub motors are located in both of the front wheels. The vehicle manages an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), with a claimed top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). In order to demonstrate that solar powered cars needn't be a radical...

Biocomputer, Alternative To Quantum Computers

A team of international scientists from Canada, the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden announced Friday that they had developed a model biological supercomputer capable of solving complex mathematical problems using far less energy than standard electronic supercomputers. The model “biocomputer,” which is roughly the size of a book, is powered by Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) — dubbed the “molecular unit of currency.” According to description of the device, published in the  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , the biocomputer uses proteins present in all living cells to function. It uses a strategy similar to that of quantum computers, which use qubits — the quantum computing equivalents of bits — to perform “parallel computation,” wherein  computers are able to process information quickly and accurately by performing several calculations simultaneously, rather than sequentially. In the case of the biocomputer, the qubits are replaced with ...

Qualcomm showcases the Snapdragon S4 ahead of Mobile World Congress

We’ve already heard about Qualcomm’s latest processor, the Snapdragon S4 , which will be quad-core and utilize LTE. Qualcomm took the time to give us some details ahead of Mobile World Congress. The new SoC now supports up to three cameras (two in the back for 3D and one front-facing), 20-megapixels, and recording video at 1080p (30fps). We can also expect zero shutter lag, 3A processing (autofocus, auto exposure and auto white balance), and improved blink/smile detection, gaze estimation, range finding and image stabilization. Last but not least, it supports gesture detection/control, augmented reality , and computer vision (via Qualcomm’s FastCV). Hit the break for a couple of videos featuring image stabilization and gestures.