sensor

Patent Shows That Nokia is Working on Graphene-Based Camera Sensors

Photos and details of Nokia's upcoming Lumia 920 smartphone leaked earlier this week, revealing that the new flagship Windows phone will feature a 8-megapixel sensor, a 4.5-inch display, 32GB of storage, and wireless charging via a special pad.

Although the camera specs seem rather pedestrian compared to the 41MP 808 PureView, patents published last month reveal that the company is working on some special sensor tech for future devices. More specifically, Nokia is working on developing camera sensors that use layers of graphene -- one-atom-thick layers of carbon -- for big performance advantages over existing sensors.

Is This the Difference Between CCD and CMOS Camera Sensors? Nope

Virtually all digital still cameras capture light using either a CCD or a CMOS sensor. Most consumers don't know the difference, and -- given the rate at which CMOS sensors are improving -- both sensors perform equally well in most cases (Leica is rumored to be switching over to the CMOS camp with its upcoming M10).

However, that's not what a PC World store in Ireland wants you to believe. The photo above shows an informational placard that was on display recently in one of its stores. The top image shows a scene shot with a CCD sensor, and the bottom image allegedly shows the "same scene" shot with a CMOS sensor. Hmmm...

Unscrambling The Egg: The Leica M9 Monochrom

When Leica announced “Henri”, the M9 Monocrom on May 10th, it caused a lot of fervor on blogs and photography websites. The all black camera, named after the legendary black and white Leica photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson was devoid of almost all Leica markings and seemed niche even for the niche camera maker.

Panasonic May Be Working on a Sensor with a “Built-In Graduated Filter”

A new Panasonic patent uncovered earlier by Egami shows some exciting new sensor technology that may be heading our way soon. The new tech allows for the exposure values to be adjusted for each individual row of pixels. Essentially, the sensor could automatically apply a graduated ND filter to your images without the need for an actual filter.

Nikon D800 Resolution Compared to the Canon 5D Mark III

Last week camera testing service DxOMark announced that the Nikon D800 had earned the highest sensor quality score ever awarded. Roger Cicala of LensRentals wanted to see for himself how much of an advantage the D800's 36.3MP sensor had over its competition, so he did some sensor resolution tests on the camera, comparing it to the Canon 5D Mark III, 5D Mark II, and Nikon D700. His conclusion?

[...] there’s no question the D800 can actually get those pixels to show up in the final product (assuming your final product is a big print – they’re going to be wasted posting on your Facebook page). But you’d better have some really good glass in front of it. I don’t think the 28-300 superzooms are going to cut it with this camera.

In the real world, highest possible resolution is nice to know about and talk about, but usually not of critical importance compared to other factors. You’ll be able to make superb images with any decent lens for an 8 X 10 or even 11 X 16 print. But if you’re getting the camera because of the resolution, it makes sense to know which lenses will allow all of that resolution to be utilized. Just in case you get that job that needs billboard sized prints.

Fuji’s Upcoming Mirrorless Camera May Pack a Revolutionary Organic Sensor

If you're a fan of Fujifilm's X100 and X10, then you might want to brace yourself: the company's next camera might be the one mirrorless camera to rule them all. Fujifilm's upcoming mirrorless camera will likely have the same sleek styling as the X100, but with one colossal difference: a revolutionary new "organic sensor". Fuji has been developing the technology for years now, and the new camera -- supposedly named the Fujifilm LX -- is rumored to be the first to pack the sensor.

Leaked Photo Alleged to Show Nikon Mirrorless Mount and Sensor

This photo that allegedly shows the mount and sensor on Nikon's upcoming mirrorless camera was just leaked onto the Chinese forum Xitek. My initial reaction was, "wow, that sensor looks small!". However, the camera is in fact rumored to have a relatively small 2.6x crop sensor (by comparison, the new Pentax Q has a 5.7x crop sensor).

What a 268-Megapixel Sensor Looks Like

Last week we shared the beautiful first space photo to be taken with the OmegaCAM, a 268-megapixel, 1,700-lb camera operated by the European Southern Observatory. Here are some photographs of the camera itself, which uses an array of 32 separate CCD sensors for its incredible resolution.

iPhone 5 Rumored to Pack an 8MP Sensor Made by Sony

If you think the 5-megapixel sensor found on the iPhone 4 is good, wait till you see the camera found on the next iPhone -- it's reportedly going to be a 8-megapixel sensor made by Sony. The Street wrote back in 2010 that the next version of the iPhone to arrive in 2011 would pack an 8-megapixel Sony sensor rather than the 5-megapixel OmniVision one found in the current phone, and Sony's CEO Howard Stringer seems to have confirmed that today in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.