Canon Announces a New CMOS Sensor Business Platform

[Canon Rumors Guy]

MELVILLE, N.Y., November 1, 2018 – Image sensors are an important driving force behind many of today’s successful brands, ranging from consumer products to industrial solutions. Today, Canon U.S.A, a leader in digital imaging solutions, announces that it is now offering select CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductors) sensor products for sale to the industrial marketplace. Manufacturers, solutions providers and integrators who are searching for advanced components to create their own unique products and solutions can now utilize Canon’s patented technology to help them create these products and solutions and expand their business potential.

“For several decades, Canon has been a leader in developing and manufacturing advanced CMOS sensors with state-of-the-art technologies, which until now, were for exclusive use in Canon products,” said Kazuto Ogawa, president and chief operating officer, Canon U.S.A., Inc. “It was a natural evolution to expand into a new business platform...

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[YuengLinger]

I wonder if Canon will now be putting more resources into sensor development when using expected profits from this move.

And I also wonder where Canon gets there R&D talent from. Worldwide? Or do they stick with mostly Japanese? Just curious.

 

[JonSnow]

good move.
that will get some money into R&D and it will help distribute sensor development cost over more than the shrinking consumer camera market.
that is is one benefit sony has.... they can distribute R&D cost over millions and millions of smartphone sensors.

https://www.canonrumors.com/forum/i...elopment-and-why-canon-has-a-hard-time.35824/

 

[raptor3x]

This is something they really should have done at least 10 years ago but it's a step in the right direction, hopefully not too little too late.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Canon started selling industrial sensors some time ago, this is more of a change in their organization to market them more aggressively. Sensors for industry are a big deal now, a lot of machinery uses them, robots too. This may be a lead-in to acquisition of another industrial company, Canon has been diversifying into medical and industrial imaging areas. So far, their investments have paid off handsomely, and really boosted their bottom line.

 

[JonSnow]

Canon started selling industrial sensors some time ago, this is more of a change in their organization to market them more aggressively. Sensors for industry are a big deal now, a lot of machinery uses them, robots too. This may be a lead-in to acquisition of another industrial company, Canon has been diversifying into medical and industrial imaging areas. So far, their investments have paid off handsomely, and really boosted their bottom line.

some time ago means around 2016.

 

[mirage]

ha, great news!

Now, if only
* Canon sells me 5D 4/EOS R sensors at an excellent price in exchange for giving up an AA filter on them
* and Leica licenses L-mount to me
* and Samyang makes their ultra-compact AF lenses in L-mount
I might launch a "really-right, ultra-compact, decent IQ, well-affordable FF MILC system" on kickstarter.

Early-bird pre-orders from as low as 999 !

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

some time ago means around 2016.

Sounds right, I did not look up the date. Of course, they sold them before then but did not market them. Apparently they see the need or benefit from the industrial market. Canon has some fantastic monochrome sensors for machine vision.

 

[Josh Leavitt]

Is there any chance the 120MXS will appear in a Canon DSLR? I think it's out of the question for EOS R since the 120MXS doesn't have DPAF. I remember the big hurdles when they last demoed it at the 2015 trade show were the file sizes (200+ MB) and write times (20+ seconds). But improvements to the DIGIC processors and the expected move to CF Express media next year makes me think it's at least technically feasible at this stage.

 

[Architect1776]

Continue reading...

Now if Canon can get the global shutter, DPAF or better at about 40 FPS in a 60 megapixel FF sensor with a great DR, High ISO and low noise as well as maintain their incredible color science. Not asking for much. I would willingly accept a very weak AA filter on the camera to improve performance without the fake edge crap going on with those that don't have the AA filter.

 

[RGF]

all these are highly specialized sensors. too bad they are not making their std 35 mm sensors available

 

[Del Paso]

Is there any chance the 120MXS will appear in a Canon DSLR? I think it's out of the question for EOS R since the 120MXS doesn't have DPAF. I remember the big hurdles when they last demoed it at the 2015 trade show were the file sizes (200+ MB) and write times (20+ seconds). But improvements to the DIGIC processors and the expected move to CF Express media next year makes me think it's at least technically feasible at this stage.

I wonder whether this would be a real advantage, since diffraction would set in much earlier (F.4 maybe?), not to mention the requested shutter speeds.

 

[bhf3737]

The market for specialized CMOS image sensors for cars, robotics, security, and medical applications is growing very fast and Canon is targeting them. A slower growth for image sensors in the smartphone market is expected in the next 5 years, though. There are quite a number of players in the specialized image sensor market, such as Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, OmniVision Tech, Canon, ST Microelectronics, Toshiba, SK hynix, ON Semiconductor, and Hamamatsu Photonics, to name a few, and every one of them wants to get a bigger share. Canon is going after very high sensitivity and very high mega-pixels segment.
The good thing for consumer camera market is that the hardware and software to match the new sensors needs to be current and that technology will trickle down to the consumer cameras, too.

 

[Diko]

QE still sucks, even on the awesome night sensor. :/

 

[raptor3x]

I wonder if this coincides with an upgrade to their fab capabilities. I think it's unlikely that they would be able to compete with Sony/Samsung with their current process so maybe this could signal a new process node, and the ability to implement more advanced technologies, for future Canon sensors.