full-frame

End of the line for Canon's midsize sensor?

It looks like Canon's intermediate-size APS-H sensor line, found in the 1D Mark III SLRs used by photojournalists, may be at the end of its life span.

The sensor is larger than the APS-C sensors used in mainstream Canon SLRs such as the EOS-40D or the new Canon EOS Rebel XSi, but it's smaller than those in a 1Ds Mark III or 5D, which is the size of a full frame of 35mm film. With Nikon now selling its first full-frame model, the D3, and Sony planning to launch its own full-frame competitor by the end of 2008, … Read more

Q&A: Canon's camera tech guru Chuck Westfall

LAS VEGAS--Two's company, three's a crowd, and Canon's Chuck Westfall is a lot less lonely these days.

Canon once was the sole camera company offering a digital SLR whose sensor is the size of a full frame of 35mm film, a technology that can increase the performance advantage and price penalty that SLR cameras already have compared with compact cameras. In November, though, Nikon began selling its full-frame rival, the D3, and last week Sony said it will launch its own full-frame competitor by the end of 2008.

Westfall is a camera tech guru and the technical … Read more

Sony's new SLR adds heft to full-frame market

LAS VEGAS--The heyday of 35mm film SLR cameras is long past, but one foundation of the technology is staging something of a comeback with new help from Sony.

The vast majority of digital single-lens reflex cameras today use an image sensor that's smaller than a full frame of 35mm film, which means lenses behave somewhat differently than on a film camera. For years, only Canon sold SLRs with a full-frame sensor, but Nikon entered the market with its top-end D3 late in 2007. At the Photo Marketing Association trade show Thursday, Sony announced its forthcoming "flagship" Alpha-branded SLR will follow suit. … Read more

Sony's 24.8MP full-frame 35mm sensor

In a surprise announcement that underscores how dedicated Sony has become to its digital camera division, the company says that it has developed a full-frame, 35mm-format 24.81-megapixel CMOS sensor. As if a high-rez, full-frame sensor isn't good enough, Sony says that the new sensor will be able to yield an impressive 6.3 frames per second. By contrast, Canon says its 21.1MP EOS 1Ds Mark III can shoot up to 5fps. The strange part about the new Sony sensor is that it only offers 12-bit output, while higher-end SLRs, such as Canon's 1Ds Mark III and … Read more

Underexposed blog: links of the day

Field of view diagram from Digital Photo Professional magazine - A nice diagram showing what kind of focal length is required to get a 47-degree field of view with various cameras, e.g. full-frame, APS-C, medium format, Four Thirds. (Judging by the Four Thirds logo, this might be from that Olympus-led group.) Leaked? The Samsung GX-20 DSLR - 1001 Noisy Cameras - Roundup of links to GX-20, presumably derivative of a new Pentax model. would-be photo, specs here: http://www.aronsen.no/default.asp?ArtID=428 Getty Bolsters Its Web Presence (subscription only) WSJ.com - A longish look at … Read more

How Nikon bettered Canon with full-frame SLRs

Update 4:00 p.m.: I clarified two sentences and added a third to make it clear that Nikon and Canon never forced customers to buy small-frame lenses. Still relevant in my opinion, though, is the practical reality that customers already have and will again.

Canon beat Nikon to market by years with a high-end digital SLR whose image sensor is the size of a full frame of 35mm film. But while Nikon may have been late to the party with its new D3, I think it employed a much smarter approach to a lens compatibility issue.

One of the … Read more

Sigma unveils two higher-end telephotos

Sigma announced two higher-end telephoto lenses this week for digital SLRs with smaller image sensors.

One has a range of 70mm to 200mm and the other 50mm to 150mm, but both have a large f/2.8 aperture for faster shutter speeds in lower-light conditions and a hypersonic motor for quiet focusing. The lenses are designed for Canon, Nikon, and Sigma SLR cameras.

The two lenses highlight the growing sophistication of technology for digital SLRs with sensors smaller than a frame of 35mm film. Though Canon and now Nikon sell full-frame cameras, the vast majority of models sold use less … Read more

Nikon to expand full-frame SLR line

SAN FRANCISCO--It looks like Nikon, having followed Canon into the market for high-end SLRs with full-frame image sensors, will continue the effort by offering lower-end models as well.

Nikon's $5,000 D3 camera, announced in August and due to go on sale in November, employs a sensor the size of a full frame of 35mm film. These FX-sized sensors offer higher sensitivity and a broader field of view than the smaller DX sensors Nikon has used in its SLRs until now. Nikon will develop new DX-based cameras, but the company will flesh out its FX line as well, said … Read more

Peering inside Nikon's D3 and D300

Update: I fixed a math error in the shutter description.

Nikon's D3 and D300 SLR (single-lens reflex) cameras, announced Wednesday, are complicated and expensive beasts, so few people outside a repair center or Canon's competitive intelligence unit are going to be cracking them open.

Happily, Nikon has provided a number of views into its new $5,000 D3 and $1,800 D300 cameras. Forthwith, a tour of what I find most notable.… Read more

Full-frame camera sensors: a tough technology

Update: I added a tidbit about Nikon not manufacturing its own sensors.

Steve Hoffenberg, a camera analyst at Lyra Research, had a ready response to news that Nikon now has an SLR, the D3, whose sensor matches the full size of a frame of 35mm film: "I think it's about time."

Indeed, Canon has a five-year head start in the market and, unlike Nikon, has spread the technology down from professional-level models to the enthusiast category. But it's not simple to add full-frame sensors alongside the more common SLRs with smaller sensors.

One big reason is … Read more