Originally posted by jbinpg Then the K-1 has a revolutionary sensor in it that has never been seen before. I wouldn't believe everything the marketing dept. says.
ISO 12232:2006 is a document written by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
This document specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings, ISO speed , latitude ratings, standard output sensitivity values, and recommended exposure index values, for digital still cameras . ISO 12232:2006 is applicable to both monochrome and color digital still cameras.
The Recommended Exposure Index (REI) technique, new in the 2006 version of the standard, allows the manufacturer to specify a camera model’s EI choices arbitrarily . The choices are based solely on the manufacturer’s opinion of what EI values produce well-exposed sRGB images at the various sensor sensitivity settings. This is the only technique available under the standard for output formats that are not in the sRGB color space. This is also the only technique available under the standard when multi-zone metering (also called pattern metering) is used.
The Standard Output Specification (SOS) technique , also new in the 2006 version of the standard, effectively specifies that the average level in the sRGB image must be 18% gray plus or minus 1/3 stop when exposed per the EI with no exposure compensation . Because the output level is measured in the sRGB output from the camera, it is only applicable to sRGB images—typically JPEG—and not to output files in raw image format. It is not applicable when multi-zone metering is used.
The CIPA DC-004 standard requires that Japanese manufacturers of digital still cameras use either the REI or SOS techniques.
A sensor only has one sensitivity setting. All the ISO does on a modern camera is tell it how much gain to apply to achieve a brightness of 50% (sRBG) or RGB values of (128,128,128).