5D Mark III sensor the same as 5D Mark II?

[Hans Grubbe]

Hi all,

long time reader but first time poster.
i have long been wanting a full frame camera and i was sure 5D Mark III would be the one.
but then i see this guy talking about the sensor is the same in 5D Mark III as in 5D Mark II over at www.cinema5d.com, in this topic http://www.cinema5d.com/viewtopic.php?f=88&t=39800
could he be right or is he a nutjob?
i will not type every thing he said but one thing i can not calculate is this,

"The slight bump in megapixels correlates EXACTLY with the differences in pixel size between the two cameras...thanks for pointing that out...I wasn't aware of it, but that actually helps confirm my point.
(the sensor is 36x24mm in both cameras...the pixel size is 6.25µm in mk3 and 6.4µm in mk2)"

i do not know the mathematics, someone do?
thank you

 

[Canon-F1]

"The slight bump in megapixels correlates EXACTLY with the differences in pixel size between the two cameras...thanks for pointing that out...I wasn't aware of it, but that actually helps confirm my point.
(the sensor is 36x24mm in both cameras...the pixel size is 6.25µm in mk3 and 6.4µm in mk2)"

i think the guy is a real genius!!

a 10x10mm sensor has 100 pixels. pixel size 1 mm^2

another 10x10mm sensor has 400 pixels. pixel size 0,5 mm^2

suprise suprise... the megapixels correlates EXACTLY with the differences in pixel size.

but he says it´s the SAME sensor.. so the pixels have to be.. well the same size.

i think we have a new nobelprize candidate....

 

[JR]

Nobel price candidate of "ignorance" you mean -

 

[Hans Grubbe]

ok
so there is no way it can be same generation sensor?
thank you.

 

[JR]

Nope. Maybe there are some commun technology being used, but different sensor...

 

[Hans Grubbe]

great!
so, i know there are improvements to the processor that makes it possible to get cleaner high iso.
what are the improvements to the sensor?

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Its definitely a new sensor, the items below require a new sensor design. Unfortunately, there are a number of trolls who just like to see how many will spread their mis-information around.

The sensor is improved, just how much no one is revealing, but the net effect seems to be a big improvement in the images taken by photographers I respect. There are lots of first time users posting poor images, its easy to get one and, just like any tool, it requires some experience and knowledge to get good ones.

We will see what results from production bodies and knowledgable testers. BTW, there are some pretty good ones posting on CR, as well as many more who are less experienced.

From the horses mouth

http://www.arihazeghiphotography.com/AH_CW_interview/

Interview with Canon Technical Adviser, Chuck Westfall

"CW: Three main areas of image quality-related improvement on the EOS 5D Mark III image sensor compared to the EOS 5D Mark II are:

• ·Gapless Microlenses: This feature increases the amount of light received by each photodiode compared to the gapped microlenses used on the 5D Mark II’s image sensor.
• ·New Photodiode Structure: The photoelectric conversion rate of each photodiode has been improved
• On-Chip Noise Reduction: Canon’s proprietary technology in this area, which was first shown on the EOS D30 Digital SLR in the year 2000, has steadily improved over the years.

The net result of these improvements is a cleaner signal at all comparable ISO speeds for the 5D Mark III, as well as increased sensitivity that is indicated by the expansion of the standard ISO range from 6400 on the 5D Mark II to 25,600 on the 5D Mark III.
We also doubled the throughput speed of image data from the CMOS sensor to the rest of the image processing chain by increasing the number of simultaneous readout channels from 4 to 8. This change has a side effect of helping to improve EOS Movie quality as well by cutting the level of rolling shutter artifacts in half"