Canon introduced a 35mm image sensor with a record resolution of 410 megapixels

Canon Inc. announced the creation of a 35 mm CMOS matrix with a resolution of 410 megapixels, which is a record for sensors of this format. The new product will be available in RGB and monochrome versions, and the manufacturer expects that it will be used in industrial and scientific products where extremely high resolution is required.

Image source: petapixel.com

Canon’s new sensor produces images with a huge resolution of 24,592 x 16,704 pixels. This is equivalent to 24K resolution, which is 198 times higher than Full HD and 12 times higher than 8K. This high resolution will allow you to crop any part of the image while maintaining an exceptionally high level of detail.

«While many ultra-high pixel count CMOS sensors are medium or large format, this extreme resolution sensor fits into the 35mm full-frame format. This allows it to be used in combination with lenses for full-frame sensors and is expected to help reduce the size of camera equipment,” Canon says.

With a 410MP sensor in such a compact format, the logical question is how quickly the sensor processes data. With Canon’s new CMOS sensor, this happens surprisingly quickly because the sensor has a back-illuminated stack design. The data readout speed is 3280 MP/s, making it possible to shoot in full resolution at a speed of 8 frames per second.

In addition, the monochrome version of the sensor supports 4-in-1 pixel binarization technology, which allows you to combine four adjacent pixels into one. Due to this, the level of sensitivity is increased and the ability to shoot 100-megapixel video at 24 frames per second is realized, which looks very impressive.

Of course, photographers shouldn’t expect this 410-megapixel sensor to appear in Canon’s EOS R line of mirrorless cameras anytime soon, or ever. However, the emergence of such a CMOS sensor could be an important step for image processing technologies. Such industrial sensors are not well suited for consumer applications for various reasons, including cost and ease of use. At the same time, there is no doubt that they will find application in video surveillance, medicine, science and industry.