Since I was looking in my
crystal ball about what the future of the Leica M might bring, I thought it
might be a good idea to see if anything new has been reported by CMOSIS, the manufacturer
of the sensor for the Leica M. Indeed
there is some exciting news. They have
developed a 70 megapixel full frame (35mm) sensor.
The CHR70M is a high
resolution CMOS image sensor with 10000 by 7096 pixels. The image array
consists of 3.1μm x 3.1μm size pixels.
It offers a dynamic range of 63 decibels, which is relatively high and
comparable to other high end sensors. CMOSIS
states on their website that the sensor is in production. Another interesting fact is that this sensor
apparently is being made in both a monochrome and RGB version.
No indication was given if
this will find its way into any digital cameras soon, but the ‘what if’ question
immediately turned to the Leica. Several
competing manufacturers are offering cameras with full frame sensors of a
higher resolution than the Leica M, and the rumor mill is mentioning even
higher resolutions of over 40 and even 50 megapixels.
Leica has obviously decided
to bring their cameras into direct competition with the market leaders. Subsequently a sensor of 70 megapixels in the
Leica M and Leica M Monochrom would definitely quiet a lot of the
nay-sayers. Of course there is nothing
official, but it is nice to dream ‘what if’?
Does this indicate that CMOSIS is ahead of other manufactures in sensor technology?
ReplyDeleteNot at all. Canon, Sony etc. have certainly proven to be very capable in this field. There is no way of knowing what they might be working on this very minute.
ReplyDeleteWouldn't an M camera with such a high pixel count cut into the sales of the Leica S?
ReplyDeleteThat would depend on the overall performance of the sensor. Let's not forget that the sensor in the Leica S cameras is substantially larger. This generally leads to better signal to noise ratios. In addition, on the new CMOSIS sensor, the individual pixels are noticeably smaller than on full frame sensors with a lower pixel count, they have to be. That might lead to a higher noise level. Finally, as sensor technology progresses, it is certainly conceivable that the pixel count on the Leica S sensor will go up as well. I also think that this discussion is premature because so far there has been no indication that the new CMOSIS sensor will even be used by Leica.
DeleteWill there ever be an end to the race for ever larger pixel counts?
ReplyDeleteGood question. I guess this will continue as long as the average consumer is under the impression that higher pixel counts will automatically mean better performance. The fact that this isn't necessarily the case eludes most.
DeleteLEICA WITH 70 MEGAPIXEL FULL FRAME SENSOR = SENSATIONALISM
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you report on items that can be that are proven to be correct.
This stinks of yellow journalism.
Before you get overly critical, you should examine your reading comprehension. I clearly market the headline "LEICA WITH 70 MEGAPIXEL FULL FRAME SENSOR" with a question mark. That should have indicated right there that I was not making a statement that such a camera exists. As I further wrote, "No indication was given if this will find its way into any digital cameras soon" and "Of course there is nothing official..." How this could possibly be misconstrued as yellow journalism and sensationalism is beyond me.
ReplyDelete