Aug 24th was the
press release for Canon's newly developed CMOS sensor with approximately 120 megapixels.
120 megapixels! Some top pro digital cameras have 21 megapixels. This is just
nuts. In a good way.
What is the benefit? Examining a fashion model’s skin pores? Actually
there are many. For example it enables cropping images and videos with
relatively no loss of resolution.
The press release states, “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.”
Imagine a wide view video of a soccer match with the ability to
zoom in on any one player and still maintain HD.
The August
31st press release is also notable - an 8 inch x 8 inch CMOS sensor
with ultra high light sensitivity.
- Full Daylight is about 10,000 LUX
- Cloudy day is about 1,000 LUX
- A lighted parking lot at night is about 10 LUX (average)
- A full moon is about 1 LUX
This sensor can record shooting with a mere 0.3 lux or half the
light of the moon!
“The sensor makes possible the image capture in one one-hundredth
the amount of light required by a 35 mm full-frame CMOS sensor, facilitating
the shooting of 60 frame-per-second video with a mere 0.3 lux of illumination.”
Have you ever seen a beautiful moonlit mountain range or
valley?Imagine low light underwater
photography in lifelike detail and clarity. These beautiful scenes can now be
captured in a large, large format. Think “Ansel Adams already has one on order”.
But on another note, this mad rush to capture images that are
“lifelike” has what motive? Because we can? Or because the beauty of this world
will soon be gone?
A long
time ago when cameras used film, I was a wedding photographer. When shooting an
afternoon wedding we often had a photo session before the dinner. By that time the
wedding party had had a few drinks and everyone finally started to relax.
Summer
evenings in Vancouver are magical. The sun bathes everyone in a golden glow and
light breezes caress like fine silk. But it is at this fleeting moment that
wedding photographers have to work as fast as possible, burning through film and
profit, hoping to capture 2 or 3 truly memorable moments. I can remember daydreaming
about a digital camera that could capture in a few seconds hundreds of images
of a glowing bride. Then afterwards pull an image from this brief “video” (or
series of images rapidly taken) at the exact moment everything was perfect. All
without film.
At
that time I was shooting formals with a Bronica 6x6 SQ system and my candids
with a Canon EOS 1n and L lenses. Generally we shot 20 rolls of 36 with the
Canon and 10 rolls with the 6x6. At a pro lab, this cost about $300 for processing
and print proofs.
Old
news, but guess what, pro-series cameras can now do just that, rapid shooting
and HD video. Engadget reported that the last season of the TV series “House”
was shot with a canon 5D Mark ii. The 5D Mark ii can also shoot 30 frames a
second!
Until
recently, this has come at pro price of about $3000.
While
watching the 2010 US Open tennis (http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html ) an
Olympus EP2 video ad caught my eye, it stated that this little camera was used
to film the ad in HD video. It can be bought for about $550. Amazing stuff. My
dream came true quicker than I thought.
