Kodak Claims Better Low-light Performance

[Bill Markwick]

Kodak has a new sensor filter to replace the ancient Bayer filter, and they claim that it could provide up to 2 stops better performance in low light. The link to a brief article is:

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/06/14/tech-filter.html (http://javascript<b></b>:ol('http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/06/14/tech-filter.html');)
Regards,
Bill

[Gopher]

Kodak has a new sensor filter to replace the ancient Bayer filter, and they claim that it could provide up to 2 stops better performance in low light. The link to a brief article is:

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/06/14/tech-filter.html (http://javascript<b></b>:ol('http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2007/06/14/tech-filter.html');)
Regards,
Bill
Looks pretty cool. This press release (http://news.com.com/2300-1041_3-6190778-2.html?tag=ne.gall.pg) has samples from, obviously, a consumer camera sized sensor, but the difference is dramatic.

Odd that Fuji never went DSLR with their breakthrough low-noise stuff (wonder why). Now Kodak makes a major breakthrough, but releases consumer level samples and comparisons.

It would be wonderful to see Canon DSLR finally get a real challenge.

It also makes one wonder if Nikon's new leaks about an upcoming "revolutionary DSLR" might be related. Exciting year ahead here. :)

[AlexMonro]

Odd that Fuji never went DSLR with their breakthrough low-noise stuff (wonder why).

Err.. Fuji S3 / S5 with the big & small photodiodes, giving 2 extra stops dynamic range?

The low noise compacts basically just use larger photodiodes, partly due to their special hexagonal layout, but mainly by not trying to cram millions of pixels on a tiny sensor.

(Most compacts have 8 or 10 Mpixels on a 1/2.5" or 1/1.8" sensor, the Fuji S30 et al have 6Mpx on a 1/1.7" sensor.)

The Kodak idea makes sense. Colour TV was designed around adding a crominance signal, of about half the bandwidth of the luminance signal, to the existing monochrome luminance only signal, because research had shown that the human eye resolves far less chrominance information (colour) than it does luminance (brightness).

[GaryS]

Its an interesting development for sure.... but as always, we'll have to see if they deliver. Its hard to know what other potential artifacts this may introduce.