Canon Watch is reporting that Canon has developed a new 21mp full-frame sensor and suggests we may see it in an upcoming EOS R camera.

New sensor specifications:

  • 21MP full-frame sensor (6.4um)
  • Global shutter
  • 120dB dynamic range (This translates to 20stops of dynamic range)
  • 120 fps
  • The image sensor may be based on the 2/3″ sensor shown for ISSC 2017.

I haven't been told anything that confirms the above information, so please take the information with a grain of salt.

Some of our articles may include affiliate links. If you purchase through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.

Go to discussion...

Share.

105 comments

  1. I actually read something like this in a chinese forum before canonwatch reported this rumor. I'm pretty sure the source read this in the same place as me. I think it's pretty much fake, 120db are something like 20 stops of DR
  2. Okay so, while I would love a resolution upgrade to my 1dx Mark II for an EOS-R1, I would be *more* than happy to accept 21 megapixels with a global shutter.

    That would be huge. Global shutter would totally get rid of any silent shutter artifacts, get rid of the weird electronic first-curtain bokeh artifacts, would make all images easy to anti-flicker without banding since the entire image area is captured at the same time, and would be insane if you could pull off even something like 30-60 FPS raw 21 megapixel images. That would be a huge advantage over the EOS R5, so I think it would be a perfect way to spec a R1-series camera.
  3. Sounds like a sensor for a R1 or a cinema line camera.

    120 fps would be for video
    Global shutter would eliminate warping/rolling shutter issues

    But, 20 stops of dynamic range? Wow.
  4. 21mp is a strange number, because it's too low for stills in 2020 and beyond, but it doesn't match any normal video resolution. Still, if this is true, I assume this is going to be a hybrid camera that is really marketed more for video. An A7S III competitor that can one-up it with stills quality.
  5. Global shutter on a stills camera sensor? Seems fake.
    Global shutter would negate the need for a physical shutter, eliminate the effect of shutter-shake, and would offer new photography opportunities compared to a 1DxIII. This would also mean less moving parts needed for maintenance.
  6. Sounds like this could be the sensor for the Canon R1; and if it is you can put me down for an immediate preorder. I skipped the 1DX Mk3 as I didn’t want to dump more money into EF bodies... so this would be perfect.
  7. Global shutter on a stills camera sensor? Seems fake.

    Who said it will be for a stills camera? This sounds very much like a 6K cine camera sensor, even though Canonwatch, and all the commenters here seem to be instantly jumping on the R1 bandwagon. The 2/3" sensor that this is claimed to be based on is definitely designed first and foremost for video.
  8. How many dBs of DR does the R5's sensor have?
    That 120 dB is most likely what people like Bill Claff call "engineering" dynamic range. So you need to find out what the engineering DR of the R5 is (in stops) and multiply that by 6 dB / stop. So, without having the number handy for the R5, let's say it is 15 stops, that would be 15*6=90 dB.
  9. Makes sense, if I recall the Canon commercial 5MP global shutter sensor, already being sold, https://canon-cmos-sensors.com/3u5mgxsba-5mp-cmos-sensor-evaluation-kit/, has pretty much all of those specs. The rumor only adjusts for consumer-sized resolution and mentions a DR that I can't find on the commercial sensor. They been developing this sensor for years and I can fully see them ready to move forward.

    Even at 21MP this would crush all comers in the sports market, as well the cinema video sector. 16-20 stops of DR, high speed readout with zero rolling shutter... this would change the market, again. The kicker... they have the 5MP commercial sensor down to 3.4um, meaning they have the tech to push the resolution further, or at least should be fairly close to having it ready. Interesting time ahead.
  10. That 120 dB is most likely what people like Bill Claff call "engineering" dynamic range. So you need to find out what the engineering DR of the R5 is (in stops) and multiply that by 6 dB / stop. So, without having the number handy for the R5, let's say it is 15 stops, that would be 15*6=90 dB.
    The DXO analysis of the 1DX3 shows it having 6 stops of dynamic range at 102400 which is 10 stops below 100. That translates to 16 stops of total range for the sensor. To get to 20 they would have do something more than DGO, like an actual split sensor with different sensitivities. That could account for the relatively low output pixel count. Remember, the R5 is really a 90 MP camera when you take DPAF into account.
  11. EOS R1 or 1dx mirrorless will
    21mp is a strange number, because it's too low for stills in 2020 and beyond, but it doesn't match any normal video resolution. Still, if this is true, I assume this is going to be a hybrid camera that is really marketed more for video. An A7S III competitor that can one-up it with stills quality.
    Explain your arithmetic and how it applies to a global shutter.

Leave a comment

Please log in to your forum account to comment