Sony has announced a new small CMOS sensor (1/1.7 inch) capable of shooting RAW and has a 21.6-stop dynamic range. Although the sensor is aimed at automotive applications, it can be utilized on small action cameras and smartphones, thus allowing the shooting of high-DR RAW footage.
21.6 stops of dynamic range
As titled in the press release: “Sony Semiconductor Solutions to Release the Industry’s First CMOS Image Sensor for Automotive Cameras That Can Simultaneously Process and Output RAW and YUV Images Contributing to Simplified Systems by Expanding Single-Camera Applications”. The new sensor is capable of a dynamic range of 130 dB. A reminder – decibels are, like f-stops, a logarithmic system, so 6.02dB equals double the signal level. Hence, to convert the dynamic range from f-stops into decibels (dB), multiply the dynamic range in f-stops by 6.02 (20 log10). For instance, the 17-stop of the ALEXA 35 equals the dynamic range of 102.34dB (17×6.02). That’s considered a very high value. Now, for comparison, take the 130 dB declared by Sony regarding its new sensor, and you are getting a pretty high value of the dynamic range, which is equivalent to 21.6 stops (130/6.02) which is more than the human eye. That sounds pretty amazing for a small sensor.
Although the sensor was developed for automotive applications, the potential is huge for the cinema world. For instance, this sensor can be implemented in smartphones, and also inside action cameras. Now imagine that: Smartphones and small action cameras that can shoot 4K RAW and with 21.6 of DR.
RAW and 4K
The new sensor product has a proprietary ISP inside and can process and output RAW and YUV images simultaneously. RAW images are required for external environment detection and recognition in advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems (AD), while YUV images are provided for infotainment applications such as the drive recorder and augmented reality (AR). By expanding the applications a single camera can offer, the new product helps simplify automotive camera systems and saves space, cost, and power. Sony adds that the roles of automotive cameras continue to diversify in line with advances in ADAS and AD and increasing needs and requirements about the driver experience. On the other hand, there is limited space for installing such cameras, making it impossible to continue adding more indefinitely, which in turn has created a demand to do more with a single camera.
High precision for a wide variety of applications
This sensor’s design allows a single camera to provide high-precision detection and recognition capabilities of the environment outside the vehicle and visual information to assist the driver as an infotainment application. When compared with conventional methods such as a multi-camera system or a system that outputs RAW and YUV images using an external ISP, the new product helps simplify automotive camera systems, saving space, costs, and power.
Future and possible utilizations
Although the sensor was developed for automotive applications, the potential is huge for the cinema world. For instance, this sensor (which costs only 600 USD – just for the sensor) can be implemented in smartphones, and also inside action cameras. Now imagine that: Smartphones and small action cameras that can shoot 4K RAW and with 21.6 of DR. That would be awesome!
Sorry. Back to having a hard time reading. What technology does this use to achieve it’s low automotive HDR score? I remember I was interested in an automotive sensor technology the decade before last with over 27 stops dynamic range. I had suggested to Red as a good potential technology. What did Sony wait for the patent to run out? $600 rather than 600 cents? Or is this the other auto gain technology (was it autobright?), they started using for time of flight distance calculations applications on phones?
A proof of the technique they use would have been useful in this article. As it is the sample images (and an ad in order to show the image after I accidentally selecting it) look like black shadows under the cars. I would have expected some greyed detail.
This is the problem with the organic sensors, there were superior dynamic range technology out there years ago that could go up against it very cheaply. Sure, there will be certain advantages but x thousands of dollars advantage, I imagine not. We should be in the realm of $10-20 cinema cameras by now. Competence does not know imaginary boundaries.
So not only does this blog shares political propaganda, but the author also completely fails to understand that it achieves this 21.6 stops of dynamic range by taking multiple shots at different exposure. That’s why it’s for industrial purposes. Can’t you do basic research before publishing articles like this ?
Mr T is gone. But this is my reply:
So, this is just a normal dual/multislope HDR scheme? I’m not kidding about the brain damage. I have to rely on people publishing good articles to get information now. I don’t see this as that remarkable. Maybe they could do an article on the state of the art in sensor technology now for cinema use. If that guy who used to do the sensor world blog is still around, he would be a good person to ask for some pointers on who to talk to.
I’m pretty sick of all this Sony Red etc stuff. A lot of it is updates or bought in technology, rather than truly revolutionary in house development. I think if anybody did an indepth documentary series about where things came from, it would be a bit eye opening. It’s like the Hummers they are impressed from, come from elsewhere.
We have to see what happens to BM next.
When one relies on outside talent for spice, the dishes can get a bit bland (which I imagine thr Japanese, might understand the meaning of better. That you have to foster, hire in, or cooperate closely with, to maintain good dishes).
The one thing about the movie industry, is it’s stories are mostly not based on reality. One shouldn’t imitate art so much..
Hey bro,
I put Mr. T back on because you commented.
Cheers,
Yossy
Thanks for that.
I like how stupid bullshit guys pretend to know something about sensors ,but repeat as parrot the companies PR. Generally speaking ,this site is amateur because real real professionals have no time to loose for nothing. There are other sensor from French company thet have 144 db single exposure dedicated to control the welding .When I asked them why don’t introduce it in cinema canera they claim thay cinema amateur are shitty stupid guys and don’t worth any attention or investments (not with this words but sense was this). So continue to lie amateurs with cheap PR and nonsenses -they merit it
That’s about right. Sounds like the same sensor. You get multiple level of guys, and the wolf packs who argue based marketing or (lack of technical) “experience”. They will argue blue, wrongly misunderstanding what is being said due to lack of wisdom, though claiming it all. They turn up constantly stalking platforms until most trustworthy people will not bother posting.
I’ve dealt successfully with companies behind the scenes to get their tech into cinema cameras. But the technology behind the 144db sensor was publicly fobbed off by the head of a big camera company. I can’t remember the details, but noise floor was probably the issue. Where to me for other professional camera ty ps, that could also be used for lower cinema, its not such a problem. However, sweeping blanket bands on the tech was not helpful. You see a problem, and you engineer a way for it to be better. Then maybe you lower the sensor noise floor. The company itself actually got a low noise floor after one of it’s forum members proposed a technical solution on forum. If you look at more recent astrotography sensors, their are additional techniques. There is a single photon counting technology with very low noise flaw. The interesting thing is, in full mid day sun, there is not too much volume of photons. So, maybe single photon counting is not that far off of being useable.
But, I would suggest in partnering with certain people and sites, to do feature articles and forums news articles on camera performance. CineD’s guys did some nice camera testing years ago. If you get a proper ramp of tiles you can blow up and see the quality of the noise on the noise floor, to play with on grading. Some sensors are much more pleasant then others, and you often find you can push into the lower tiles on those sensors, to give a bit more latitude when you have too. On a lot of non cinema industry work, that is acceptable.