New sensors from Canon - 4.6K S-35 and 5.7K Full Frame with Global Shutter
[12:47 Tue,20.December 2022 by Rudi Schmidts]
For some time now Canon, like Sony, has been trying to sell its sensors to other manufacturers who can no longer afford to develop their own chips. Very often these are sensors that are used in an industrial environment, but there are also models in the list of available sensors that are primarily of interest to other camera manufacturers.
But of course Canon is in a similar predicament as Sony, since both companies are competing directly with other camera manufacturers at the same time. This problem is clearly demonstrated by the fact that not all sensors that Canon or Sony use in their own cameras can be bought for free.
Nevertheless, the new LI7080SA does not sound unexciting. This is also explicitly advertised as a 4K-compatible Super35 mm CMOS sensor with 10.8 megapixels for cinema cameras. With an effective resolution of 4536 x 2400 sensors with RGGB mosaic, it can be read out at 14 bits with up to 120 frames per second. The effective sensor spacing is a whopping 6.4 µm.
The Canon LI7080SA can handle 4.6K120p with 14 bit readout
Obviously Canon (like some other manufacturers (including Arri)) also believes that native 4.6K resolution on an S35 sensor surface is (and remains) a sweet spot for cine applications. Of course, the question remains whether the Canon sensor can fill its 14-bit interface with the maximum possible 14 f-stops. For its 4.6K Alexa35, Arri has widened the sensor interface to 18 bits, which is digitally sufficient for up to 18 linear f-stops. In reality, according to Arri, 17 f-stops can be used in the end.
Canon, on the other hand, does not see the LI5030SA explicitly for cine use. With an identical sensor size of 6.4 μm, this sensor in full-frame format can handle a resolution of up to 5688 x 3336 pixels. However, with an "almost 16:9 format" of 5688 x 3240 pixels, it achieves a maximum of 60 fps and also has only a 12-bit interface.
However, this does not prevent Canon from promoting the sensor with scenic motifs and classifying its possible use for drones, among other things:
The special feature of the LI5030SA is its global shutter, which makes it possible to expose all sensors at the same time and thus avoid motion distortions that are often seen with rolling shutter sensors.
However, a lower dynamic range is also typical for global shutter sensors, which is implicitly confirmed by the 12-bit connection.
;)