TOKYO, April 3, 2023—Canon Inc. announced today that the company is developing the MS-500, the world's first1 ultra-high-sensitivity interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) equipped with a 1.0 inch Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor2 featuring the world's highest pixel count of 3.2 megapixels3. The camera leverages the special characteristics of SPAD sensors to achieve superb low-light performance while also utilizing broadcast lenses that feature high performance at telephoto-range focal lengths. Thanks to such advantages, the MS-500 is expected to be ideal for such applications as high-precision monitoring.

There is a growing need for high-precision monitoring systems for use in such environments as national borders, seaports, airports, train stations, power plants and other key infrastructure facilities, in order to quickly identify targets even under adverse conditions including darkness in which human eyes cannot see, and from long distances.

The currently in-development MS-500 is equipped with a 1.0 inch SPAD sensor that reduces noise, thus making possible clear, full-color HD imaging even in extreme low-light environments. When paired with Canon's extensive range of broadcast lenses, which excel at super-telephoto image capture, the camera is capable of accurately capturing subjects with precision in extreme low-light environments, even from great distances. For example, the camera may be used for nighttime monitoring of seaports, thanks to its ability to spot vessels that are several km away, thus enabling identification and high-precision monitoring of vessels in or around the seaport.

ms500example 728x276 - Canon developing world-first ultra-high-sensitivity ILC equipped with SPAD sensor
Use case: nighttime seaport monitoring Right: Telephoto mode

With CMOS sensors, which are commonly used in conventional modern digital cameras, each pixel measures the amount of light that reaches the pixel within a given time. However, the readout of the accumulated electronic charge contains electronic noise, which diminishes image quality, due to the process by which accumulated light is measured. This leads to degradation of the resulting image, particularly when used in low-light environments. SPAD sensors, meanwhile, employ a technology known as “photon counting”, in which light particles (photons) that enter each individual pixel are counted. When even a single photon enters a pixel, it is instantly amplified approximately 1 million times and output as an electrical signal. Every single one of these photons can be digitally counted, thus making possible zero-noise during signal readout—a key advantage of SPAD sensors4. Because of this technological advantage, the MS-500 is able to operate even under nighttime environments with no ambient starlight5, and is also capable of accurately detecting subjects with minimal illumination and capture clear color images.

The MS-500 employs the bayonet lens mount (based on BTA S-1005B standards) which is widely used in the broadcast lens industry. This enables the camera to be used with Canon's extensive range of broadcast lenses which feature superb optical performance. As a result, the camera is able to recognize and capture subjects that are several km away.

Going forward, Canon will continue to pursue R&D and create products capable of surpassing the limits of the human eye while contributing to the safety and security of society by leveraging its long history of comprehensive imaging technologies that include optics, sensors, image processing and image analysis.

Canon plans to commence sales of the MS-500 in 2023.

Reference

The MS-500 will be displayed as a reference exhibit at the Canon booth during the 2023 NAB Show for broadcast and filmmaking equipment, to be held in Las Vegas from Saturday, April 15 to Wednesday, April 19.

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19 comments

  1. Finally!!!
    I'm waiting for years for some real products/applications regarding SPAD sensors.
    I can and will wait some more years for purchasing my first, say, 12MP SPAD EOS R camera...
    No more noise, no more staked photos, theoretically extrem high dynamic range, at least 16bit but hoping for 20bit or more....
  2. Finally!!!
    I'm waiting for years for some real products/applications regarding SPAD sensors.
    I can and will wait some more years for purchasing my first, say, 12MP SPAD EOS R camera...
    No more noise, no more staked photos, theoretically extrem high dynamic range, at least 16bit but hoping for 20bit or more....
    If it's single photon sensor, it has 1bit native DR ("on" or "off"). The rest is computational photography.
  3. Finally!!!
    I'm waiting for years for some real products/applications regarding SPAD sensors.
    I can and will wait some more years for purchasing my first, say, 12MP SPAD EOS R camera...
    No more noise, no more staked photos, theoretically extrem high dynamic range, at least 16bit but hoping for 20bit or more....
    SPAD might just reset the megapixel race.
  4. As that sensor should capture a lot of light, I wonder why it is so small. 1 inch is a sensor size for smartphones. Is the reason that a long tele range is needed and the camera would become too big and heavy with a full frame or even larger sensor?
  5. As that sensor should capture a lot of light, I wonder why it is so small. 1 inch is a sensor size for smartphones. Is the reason that a long tele range is needed and the camera would become too big and heavy with a full frame or even larger sensor?
    That is a large as Canon could make it with the current technology and Canon is ahead of everyone.
  6. If it's single photon sensor, it has 1bit native DR ("on" or "off"). The rest is computational photography.
    Interesting view. As the sensor actually counts photons precisely, I would say that the DR is limited by only by the (statistical) photon noise, the read noise is 0. So DR at pixel level only depends on the number of photons received in each pixel. There may be a limit to how fast a SPAD sensor can count the photons, though, which affects bright light situations.
  7. That should be a money maker for Canon. The camera won't be cheap, but pairing it with broacast lenses makes it very expensive (and profitable) and there are lots of agencies that will happily pay for the capablilty (including some broadcasters).
  8. ΔEΔt ≥ ћ ?
    I suppose that is the hard limit. But I would guess that the avalanche effect is not instantaneous and the pulse generated has some width. Canon quotes time resolution 100 ps. I guess someone could calculate what that means in terms of number of photons at various EV levels for certain sized pixels, taking into account the Poisson distribution of arriving photons, but I am too old for that.
  9. Those wishing for a camera with a SPAD sensor maybe don't quite understand what they are wishing for. Historically, avalanche detectors are very sensitive, but they also add their own noise due to stray collisions in the avalanche process. The consequence is that they are very sensitive measuring a small number of photons, but as the photon count increases, so does the noise floor, resulting a very poor S/N at higher illumintion levels. I doubt that this sensor will be significantly different in that respect. Such a sensor is very useful for identification in dark places, but far from ideal in normal illumination situations.
  10. Those wishing for a camera with a SPAD sensor maybe don't quite understand what they are wishing for. Historically, avalanche detectors are very sensitive, but they also add their own noise due to stray collisions in the avalanche process. The consequence is that they are very sensitive measuring a small number of photons, but as the photon count increases, so does the noise floor, resulting a very poor S/N at higher illumintion levels. I doubt that this sensor will be significantly different in that respect. Such a sensor is very useful for identification in dark places, but far from ideal in normal illumination situations.
    Don't know. Don't care. Doesn't matter. This is the latest sensor tech. If Canon doesn't release a camera with a high MP SPAD sensor, fast frame rate, octapixel AF, dual matching card slots, IBIS, pixel shift with RAW output, and costing under $2000 then Sony will beat them to it and Canon will be d00med.
  11. Canon are you listening??? :ROFLMAO:
    Yes I do! If he is not going into the hell! Here we are giving such a cameras (for free!) to children in our equity program!
  12. Don't know. Don't care. Doesn't matter. This is the latest sensor tech. If Canon doesn't release a camera with a high MP SPAD sensor, fast frame rate, octapixel AF, dual matching card slots, IBIS, pixel shift with RAW output, and costing under $2000 then Sony will beat them to it and Canon will be d00med.
    "costing under $2000"?! 1000$ or I'm out!!!!:mad:

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