Image sensors 2,000 times more sensitive to light

Damian Koh | Jan 10, 2007

If you're wondering like us what's next in line for image sensors, well, we think Planet82 has the answer with a chip that's supposedly 2,000 times more sensitive to light, and 50 percent smaller than current CMOS and CCD sensors.

Shooting at high sensitivity settings with current image sensors usually results in pictures plagued with an obscene amount of noise. In worst cases, this can make your snaps look like they are covered with a layer of sand. So if Planet 82's new Single carrier Modulation Photo Detector (SMPD) technology can get rid of those issues, we're more than glad to see it in our cameras.

Planet82 is showcasing black-and-white, full-color VGA, and 2-megapixel color sensors at CES this year, capable of taking "clearer and crisper images in low-light situations without the distortion or energy drain of a flash". Sounds like a mouthful, but if it's going to allow us to snap some reconnaissance pictures in the dark, hey, we're all for it.

Filed under: Digital Cameras
Leave a comment | Bookmark | Share