A new Canon for AP? (Maybe not)

[wimvb]

This interesting story showed up in my news feed this morning.

https://petapixel.com/2023/08/01/canons-new-camera-can-see-subjects-from-miles-away-even-at-night/

The camera uses a so called SPAD (Single Photon Avelanche Diode) sensor. Avelanche photodiodes (APD) are nothing new, they are the most sensitive photodiodes out there. They work on the principle that a photon "creates" a free electron, which is then accelerated by means of a high voltage. The electron gains speed and knocks other electrons from their position in the sensor material (silicon). These electrons are also accelerated, etc. In effect this  auses an avelanche of electrons. APDs are mainly used to detect digital signals in optical communication systems. This is the first time I've seen their use in "high resolution" (3.2 Mpixels) consumer cameras. Btw, of those 3.2 Mpixels, only 2.07 Mp are effectively usable on the 13.2 × 9.9 mm size sensor.

The main problem with this new gadget is its price tag. According to the article, you'd have to put $ 25k on the counter if you want one. That's more than many of us have invested in their entire AP gear.

[ONIKKINEN]

Interesting for sure. I wonder what all that translates to in real world values though. QE of a 100% is all there is, cant capture more photons that arrive on the sensor and many models today are not too far from this already. Would the read noise be very low?(kind of suggested that it is, since much of the article advertises the low light performance)

[Clarkey]

Is this not the same principle as night vision kit (and other similar sensors). Very high gain but very noisy. I remember covering this at college 30 years ago. Not sure how it would affect well depth and bit depth though.

[wimvb]

2 hours ago, Clarkey said:

Is this not the same principle as night vision kit (and other similar sensors). Very high gain but very noisy. I remember covering this at college 30 years ago. Not sure how it would affect well depth and bit depth though.

Yes, the principle is the same, but 30 years is a very long time in tech development. A lot has happened in those years. Like any discrete event process, you can't predict when an avelanche event will happen, only how often on average. So there is shot noise. They've probably come up with means to refuce that noise, using clever measuring methods.

[michael8554]

"Can See Subjects From Miles Away,"

My Box Brownie will do that.

Who writes this stuff ?

Michael

[wimvb]

3 minutes ago, michael8554 said:

Who writes this stuff ?

Marketing, with the help of chatgpt, I'd think. Never read the blurb, Michael. Wait for Cuiv to do a review. 😉