http://panasonic.co.jp/corp/news/official.data/data.dir/2013/02/en130204-6/en130204-6.html
Eliminates color filter arrays in favor of nano beam splitters.
Eliminates color filter arrays in favor of nano beam splitters.
Pansonic develops micro color splitter technolgy, doubles camera sensitivity
- Thread starter Razz16mm
- Start date
KINOKS
Well-known member
"Applying them to actual image sensors allows bright color images to be achieved even under low-light conditions. This development makes color filters unnecessary by using the micro color splitters that control the diffraction[SUP]1[/SUP] of light at a microscopic level. Panasonic has achieved approximately double the color sensitivity in comparison with conventional sensors that use color filters."
That looks like quite a difference.
That looks like quite a difference.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Sensor engineers consider this a very big deal. The words "holy grail" are uttered three times over here: http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/panasonic-develops-micro-color-splitters.html
Read the comments over there to find out more about the issues that Panasonic will have to solve. They are mostly related with angle of incidence and color separation.
(one of those "holy grail" mentions is by one Mr. Eric Fossum, you can read about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Fossum)
Read the comments over there to find out more about the issues that Panasonic will have to solve. They are mostly related with angle of incidence and color separation.
(one of those "holy grail" mentions is by one Mr. Eric Fossum, you can read about him here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Fossum)
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I wouldn't hold my breath. It will trickle down to the consumer, but who knows when (many years) and by then it could be outflanked by something else. I have long since given up on reading about "future tech" - you just get excited unnecessarily, and it never comes to pass - just a waste of time. Hey remember all that insane excitement over faveon? Boy, that was gonna upend the whole world of photography and usher in rainbows and paradise and unicorns. So where is it now? Stuck in uninspiring Sigma dreary-boxes. And faveon is a relative success - at least it finally sort of trickled down to the consumer... and by the time it did, other sensor tech had taken over. Same will happen here. A lot of excitement for nothing. If I had a dollar for every breathless "breakthrough" article about miracle future tech that never came to pass, I could buy Bill Gates with my pocket change. Yawn. Shut up, and bring out a product, then we'll talk. Quit promising and announcing and projecting and dreaming - DELIVER. When there is tech you can hold in your hands, that's the time to get excited. But "breakthroughs" and "patents" - useless. It's like with Apple - make an announcement WITH PRODUCT IN HAND (like the iPhone etc.), not vaporware... meanwhile, apple fans on various rumor sites get jizzy over "Apple files patent application for technology X!!!!!!" and so on... then years later, nothing comes from the "patent on technology X". So be like Apple - DELIVER, and then we can all get excited, don't be like the Apple fan excited over "breakthroughs", patent applications and promises of future tech.
Samuel H
Major Contributor
Nah, this is great but it's just something you add to the sensor (instead of the color filter array, the sensor maker installs this). If this comes a year late, you just push out the camera with a standard CFA.
G
Guest
Guest
Panasonic was slower to 1080HD than Sony and the others, if I recall correctly. Seems their style? Razz16mm, may also have some bit of a point, in that the lenslets would be more difficult to make small for higher resolutions.
Barry_Green
Moderator
Well, not exactly! It would be equal to say "Sony was slower to progressive than Panasonic and the others"... back in the HD standardization days there was quite a war between Sony, who wanted 1080i, and the computer manufacturers and Panasonic, who all wanted interlaced to die and wanted the HD future to be all progressive, and they were pushing 720p. As far as the manufacturers were concerned, it was going to be one or the other, not both. In the end, it was declared that both would be acceptable.
Panasonic embraced 1080i in addition to 720p long before Sony embraced 720p in addition to 1080i. Panasonic is usually the first out with new technologies -- first with progressive, first with variable frame rates, first with consumer-priced 24p, first with tapeless, first with large sensor, etc...
In sensor tech, Sony has an edge, so it's a little surprising that Panasonic is the one developing this technology.
TrueIndigo
Well-known member
Wonder what ever happened to QuantumFilm sensor technology -- 4x better senstivity, 2x dynamic range, the death of silicon, etc, etc. Just want my current camera to be genuinely obsoleted this year!
G
Guest
Guest
I was worried that it would sound like I was singling out panasonic. I tend to like Panasonic as a company better, for many of the reasons you stated.
combatentropy
Veteran
Still cracking away at it, I guess: InVisage announced it has added two prominent and respected industry executives to lead the engineering and manufacturing efforts for its QuantumFilm sensors (Jan. 22)