Canon has developed what it regards to be the world’s largest CMOS camera image sensor.
The chip measures 202 x 205 mm and is said to be capable of capturing images in one one-hundredth of the amount of light usually required by a professional-model digital SLR camera.
Canon believes the sensor is “among” the largest chips that can be produced from a 12-inch (300 mm) wafer, and is approximately 40 times the size of Canon’s current largest commercial CMOS sensor.
A statement from the company said: “In the past, enlarging the size of the sensor resulted in an increase in the amount of time required between the receiving and transmission of data signals, which posed a challenge to achieving high-speed readout.
“[We have], however, solved this problem through an innovative circuit design, making possible the realization of a massive video-compatible CMOS sensor.”
Canon hopes the new sensor will help the company to “break new ground in the world of new image expression” in both stills and video photography.
Potential applications include the video recording of stars in the night sky and nocturnal animal behavior.
At the same time, Canon has updated its EOS Movie plug-in that converts DSLR camera footage to Apple’s ProRes 422 codec for use in Final Cut Pro.
Version 1.1 will include support for the Canon EOS 60D, the latest addition to the EOS range, and allow users to view metadata and EXIF data for movie files.
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