Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Motion & Video => Topic started by: BJL on April 11, 2013, 01:45:01 pm
-
I have just noticed that multiple companies are offering ways to get the combination of a CMOS sensor with a global shutter (to avoid the image distortions of a rolling shutter), but all are in gear specifically for video, none in stills-only or "stills-priority" cameras. Here are the ones I know about:
- The Sony CineAlta F55 announced last October --- 4K, Super 35mm format, priced at about $35,000:
http://pro.sony.com/bbsc/ssr/show-highend/resource.solutions.bbsccms-assets-show-highend-F55.shtml
- The BlackMagic Production Camera announced at NAB 2013 --- 4K, slightly smaller than Super 35mm format, $4000:
http://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagicproductioncamera4k/
- Various sensors from CMOSIS, seemingly aimed at scientific and technical uses like machine vision, in formats up to about 32x24mm, resolutions up to 5120x3840 (20MP):
http://www.cmosis.com/assets/images/imagesoverzichtcmv.pdf
(By the way, the specs of the CMOSIS CMV12000 are close enough to those of the BlackMagic Production Camera that the latter could be using a custom CMOSIS sensor, or this one windowed down from 4:3 to HD shape --- I am fairly sure that BlackMagic is not designing its sensors in-house.)
- RED's alternative approach announced at NAB 2013, of an LCD electronic shutter in front of the sensor, for $4,500:
http://www.engadget.com/2013/04/08/red-unveils-the-motion-mount/
which in turn is similar to third party products already available, like
- The Tessive Time Filter:
http://tessive.com/time-filter-product-info/
Why is there nothing like this yet in any "stills-priority" camera?
One guess is that the on-sensor approaches sacrifices well capacity and thus dynamic range to make room for extra circuitry at reach photo-site, while the LCD shutters sacrifices some light or limit resolution. Also, the LCD shutters would probably still need a mechanical shutter to get shutter speeds greater than flash sync speed, where the shutter must expose the sensor progressively anyway, through a narrow "moving slit" between the curtains.