On 8/29/06 3:24 AM, "Jostein Øksne", <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> AFAIK, many of the MedF digitals achieve larger sensors by combining > more than one CCD. When doubling the area of a sensor means a tenfold > increase in cost it makes me wonder what kind of potential there may > be for cost reduction in the surrounding circuitry. > > Aligning two CCDs comes with it's own set of problems, I guess. I think this is pretty much true. Not that I am obsessed with this subject, my inability to find the article referring to the origin of the APS sized sensor and its rationalization frustrates me. It may have been Canon's press release or something which made a big deal out of what they called a breakthrough in making larger photo sensors in one shot by a stepper. It may have been more than a year ago. Anyway, I dug into the collection of Canon's press release etc, and accidentally encountered a Japanese site dated yesterday which quoted Rob Galbraith's DPI (Digital Photography Insights) page. This is dated 8/23 and linking to Canon's white paper on their FF sensor which DPI says is not yet available to the public for downloading. http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-7897-8537 In there, there is a link to the white paper in PDF. Interestingly, there is the following description in page 12; [Regardless of future technological developments, cameras with full- frame sensors will always cost much more than cameras with smaller sensors. That's why the EOS Digital RebelXT, EOS20D and EOS30D are such excellent values, and it is also why the EOS5D and the EOS-1DsMarkII must come with a substantial price differential. (Interestingly, the APS-H sensor of the EOS-1D MarkII N is the largest size that can be imaged in one shot onto a wafer. Extended through the whole sensor production process, the difference in price between the 1D MarkII N and the 1DsMarkII can be readily understood.) Each camera's position in the marketplace is clear. There are many photographers for whom image quality is the most important thing, even as they have serious concerns about portability, practicality and expense. For them, no other manufacturer currently offers a wider selection of solutions than Canon.] OK, obviously, they are trying to justify the price of their models with larger sensors but it does say that the APS size is indeed the max size obtainable in one shot by a stepper (sigh of relief.... :-). I also saw an article just a couple of days ago, stating that the cost of FF sensor is 10 to 20 times larger than that of APS sized one and it won't narrow. But I have a bad habit of not bookmarking. Maybe I read it somewhere in this white paper. I will take a time to read it more in detail later ;-). Anyway, I thought this was an interesting reading material for those contemplating on FF sensors :-). Incidentally, when I was looking for articles, I also encountered "EOS Roadmap" which is a private Norwegian site and maybe an old story. Nevertheless, I think it is interesting and put a link here. http://www.dialogen.no/foto/EOS_cameras.pdf Yes, I know this is the Pentax list :-). Cheers, Ken -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
