Adieu to the megapixel race, and what of the new CMOS?

d.bradley · 05-20-2009, 09:06 AM

It seems like the megapixel race is dying down, but it also seems that people don't seem to be as excited about a brand new sensor as I thought they would be. There is a lot of talk about the body and its features, but personally I'm stoked to see the noise and image characteristics of the brand new CMOS and processing engine. I thought I would be disappointed after reading the rumours that the k-7 would use the k20D sensor, but this is really great news.

*redpigeons* · 05-20-2009, 09:13 AM

it is great news but no one can be happy about it yet as we did not see any samples.
I am sure we will be hearing on and on and on about how amazing this new sensor is.
we will see great photographers taking stunning pictures with the new camera.
and I am personally going to be in a lot of pain as I just bought the K20D...

but I am still sticking to my plan, for now I am only buying lenses

Zav · 05-20-2009, 09:21 AM

In fact, I'm really interested by "brand new" sensor. I'm curious to know what have been done to it.

Venturi · 05-20-2009, 09:34 AM

Just curious, who's the manufacturer of this new sensor? Is it another Samsung creation? Kodak? Holga? The inner gear geek in me must know!

kenyee · 05-20-2009, 09:38 AM

I'm more curious if they've gotten rid of the chroma noise in the shadows of the K20D (the theory was that it was because of switching to a 14-bit ADC instead of the K10D's 22-bit ADC)...

*HermanLee* · 05-20-2009, 09:48 AM

I can't wait to see the High ISO result from K-7.
I wonder if Pentax will be able to make the 1600 or even 3200 ISO same like K100D.
If that happens, the K-7 will be the best camera for 2009

RMabo · 05-20-2009, 09:51 AM

The sensor is a new version of the Pentax-Samsung co-developed 14.6Mp CMOS, and it will be manufactured by Samsung - just like the previous sensor. It is definately a steep forward compared to K20D.

smigol · 05-20-2009, 10:26 AM

As a person that occasionally takes pictures of the night sky with my K10D, I'm curious about the IR characteristics of this system. I'm hopeful because of the filter-shift system that may mean that this could be replaced easily with a more favorable filter for my purposes.

The CMOS sensor means higher ISO settings which can give me a better opportunity to capture fainter night sky objects with less demanding guiding requirements. I'm curious how the noise looks with the highest settings and how it can be controlled with common methods.

I'll be watching the early-adopters over the coming months as I save my $$ !

Venturi · 05-20-2009, 10:29 AM

Originally Posted by kenyee

I'm more curious if they've gotten rid of the chroma noise in the shadows of the K20D (the theory was that it was because of switching to a 14-bit ADC instead of the K10D's 22-bit ADC)...

If they manage to improve that by several dB without compromising clarity I just might consider a 2nd digital body in the 4th quarter, despite having the clutter of video added.

I honestly did not want to like the K-7, and I'm not sure I'm thrilled with the smaller form factor. But in several other key areas the improved specs are very appealing - viewfinder, rugged body, AF speed, AF lamp, 1/8000s shutter and even better ergonomics. Not quite enough to cause me to jump, but close. But if there's significant improvement in signal to noise ratio (and dynamic range) .... I may very well be doomed. Sensor quality and ISO range is what pulled me to the K20D from the K10D; everything else was just gravy.