MELVILLE, N.Y, September 8, 2015 - Canon U.S.A., a leader in digital imaging solutions, today announced that its parent company, Canon Inc. has developed an APS-H-size (approx. 29.2 x 20.2 mm) CMOS sensor incorporating approximately 250 million pixels (19,580 x 12,600 pixels), the world's highest number of pixels1 for a CMOS sensor smaller than the size of a 35mm full-frame sensor.
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A camera prototype equipped with the newly developed CMOS sensor*
(Shown with EF35mm f/1.4L USM lens)
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The Canon-developed approximately 250-megapixel CMOS sensor
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When installed in one of Canon's prototype cameras, the newly developed sensor was able to capture images enabling the distinguishing of lettering on the side of an airplane flying at a distance of approximately 11 miles (18 km) from the shooting location.2
With CMOS sensors, increases in pixel counts result in increased signal volume, which can cause problems such as signal delays and slight discrepancies in timing. The new Canon-developed CMOS sensor achieves an ultra-high signal readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second, made possible through advancements such as circuit miniaturization and enhanced signal-processing technology. The sensor enables the capture of ultra-high-pixel-count video at a speed of up-to-five frames per second. Despite the high-pixel count, Canon has achieved high-sensitivity, low-noise imaging performance through an architecture developed over many years and adapted for miniaturized pixels .
Video footage captured by Canon's prototype camera outfitted with the approximately 250-megapixel CMOS sensor achieved a level of resolution that was approximately 125 times that of Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) video and approximately 30 times that of 4K UHD (3,840 x 2,160 pixels) video. The amazingly high definition, made possible by the sensor, lets users crop and magnify video images while maintaining fantastic image quality. Canon is considering the application of this technology in specialized surveillance tools, ultra-high resolution measuring instruments and other industrial equipment, to expand and enhance the field of visual expression.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions to the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean (excluding Mexico) markets. With approximately $31 billion in global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall in U.S. patents granted in 2014† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World's Most Admired Companies in 2015. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. In 2014, the Canon Americas Headquarters secured LEED® Gold certification, a recognition for the design, construction, operations and maintenance of high-performance green buildings. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company's RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA. For media inquiries, please contact pr@cusa.canon.com.
† Based on weekly patent counts issued by United States Patent and Trademark Office.
All referenced product names, and other marks, are trademarks of their respective owners.
1 As of September 7, 2015, based on a Canon survey. APS-H-Size CMOS sensor records approximately 246.7 million pixels.
2 Image capture employed a combination of optical and digital zooming while distinguishing of image content was realized through the magnification of an approximately 1/40,000th-sized area of the captured image.
* This product is currently under development and is not available for sale or use in the U.S. Specifications may change and no assurances can be given that it will be made available for sale or use in the U.S.
