BMCC4K? New Fairchild Sensor - Same DR of the Pocket and Cinema, but in 4.5k

[Joshua Cadmium]

Fairchild Imaging, the maker of the sensors in both the Pocket and Cinema Camera, just announced a new sensor on the front page of their website, the LTN4625A. Preliminary data was found here: http://www.atdelectronique.com/our-offer/bae-systems.

It looks like it will have the same dynamic range of the Pocket (14.5 stops), but it does so using a smaller pixel size of 5.5um (the Pocket and Cinema have a 6.5um pixel diagonal.)

This is huge. The CMOSIS CMV12000 sensor in the Production and Ursa cameras also have a pixel size of 5.5um, but can only do about 9.9 stops. This Fairchild sensor would be sucking up over 4.5 times the amount of light.

The Fairchild sensor is also bigger, and arguably much more usable resolution-wise than the CMOSIS. The Fairchild maxes out at 4608 x 2592, which is a 16x9 ratio. The CMV12000 maxes out at 4096 x 3072, a 4x3 ratio (although only 4000 x 2160 is currently being used in the Production and URSA in raw).

The new Fairchild sensor would be a true Super 35mm size, with a 29.08mm diagonal at its maximum resolution.

The Fairchild is also speedier. The CMV12000 can only do a maximum of 90fps with full image quality (URSA currently tops out at 80fps.) The Fairchild is listed at 240fps.

I have no idea when Blackmagic will implement this and in what final form it would take, but I would wager a guess that it is only a matter of time. This is a very attractive video sensor, and something I've definitely been waiting for from the company.

[KyleMcConaghy]

Wow! would be thrilled if bmd utilized this sensor. They get great color reproduction out of every sensor they implement. One can only dream what they can do with these specs.

[MelbFilm]

Great spot Joshua.

Hope it ends up in a BMCC mkII and not just on the front of the URSA.

[Howie Roll]

Hey Joshua,

What sensor(s) do the bmcc/pocket use?

Take Care

[Joshua Cadmium]

Pocket uses the Fairchild Imaging CIS1910F: http://www.fairchildimaging.com/file...is_1910f_0.pdf
Cinema uses the Fairchild Imaging CIS2521F: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzn...ew?usp=sharing

Note that I had to upload a copy of the PDF for the Cinema camera sensor as it was removed from the Fairchild website. It doesn't seem to be listed as a current product, either. Seems interesting, but it could be nothing.

[Steven Abrams]

The new Fairchild sensor would be a true Super 35mm size, at 29.08mm at it's maximum resolution.

That makes it 25.34mm for the width? Decent. That table says "preliminary". So is it still in development or something?

[Joshua Cadmium]

That makes it 25.34mm for the width?

Yep!

That table says "preliminary". So is it still in development or something?

It seems so, but it looks like they already have most of the major portions worked out:

"Fairchild imaging is pleased to invite you to visit our booth at the Automate Trade Show, taking place at the McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 23-26 March 2015. Come to our booth for a live presentation of the LTN4625A - our 12M pixel, 240 fps, 88dB high dynamic sCMOS Image Sensor! We will have people on hand to answer any questions you may have. Find us at booth# – 1196"

[Note Suwanchote]

having 14 stops would be GREAT!

[caleb_camera]

Let me send in my BMPC 4K and throw this sensor in for like $500.

[caleb_camera]

If they implement this to the Ursa and give it a 800 base iso with a decent expanded iso range with little noise the Ursa will sell like hot cakes.

[Brian@202020]

Veeeery interesting. I think we may have a good idea to what sensor BMD will be showing off at NAB. Let's hope it's not only implemented in URSA, I HATE those monitors. It'd likely also color match the BMCC and BMPCC sensors better.

[Park Edwards]

Isn't that the whole point of the URSA is to be able to "hot swap" out the sensors to newer models?

[Brian@202020]

Isn't that the whole point of the URSA is to be able to "hot swap" out the sensors to newer models?

The sensors can be swapped, but they are not recommended to be swapped in the field, so not "hot swap". I'm sure it'll be on the URSA, I'd just like it to be available on more options.

[rick.lang]

The sensor in the BMPCC is described as having a dynamic range of >88 dB and this new sensor has 88 dB so it could prove to be a little less than the BMCC/BMPCC which is described as having 13 stops. Then subtract a full stop or so to enable global shutter and you're the same DR as the BMPC4K/URSA.

Plus the 240 fps high frame rates on the link doesn't say that's reading full sensor and could well be less than full frame and less than the maximum bits per photosite. Remember the sensor in the BMCC does 150 fps originally or 300 fps in the update that was released quite a while ago. These rates are not predictive of what BMD would release.

The sensor is certainly the size of a true S35 frame but there's always some area of the sensor that is not used for your image. Currently the 4000 pixel width of the BMPC4K/URSA raw is exactly 22 mm. If BMD went with a 4096x2160 image, the frame width would be 22.528 mm; a little bigger but closer to Canon APS-C as described in the preliminary specs, not S35.

So of course we wait to see what BMD has in store for us at NAB2015.

[rawCAM35]

Pocket uses the Fairchild Imaging CIS1910F: http://www.fairchildimaging.com/file...is_1910f_0.pdf
Cinema uses the Fairchild Imaging CIS2521F: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bzn...ew?usp=sharing

Note that I had to upload a copy of the PDF for the Cinema camera sensor as it was removed from the Fairchild website. It doesn't seem to be listed as a current product, either. Seems interesting, but it could be nothing.

Is it a fact that BMD is using Fairchild and CMOSIS in their cameras ?, and where can I find the source of this information