Performance And Reliability; Remarkable New Full-Frame 12.8 Megapixel Cmos Sensor - Canon EOS EOS 5D White Paper

Remarkable New
Full-Frame 12.8 Megapixel
CMOS Sensor
III. PERFORMANCE AND
RELIABILITY
35.8mm
CMOS sensor (actual size)
generous 8.2µm, resulting in exceptionally low shadow noise. The sensor's low power
consumption extends battery life and also lowers noise. A finer CMOS production
process and optimized photodiode construction increase the light-sensitive area of each
pixel and improve dynamic range as well.
The full-size sensor maximizes the performance of EF lenses, the world's largest
selection of autofocus lenses. With the full-size sensor, EF lenses — even wide-angle
lenses — have the same look and feel that they have with conventional SLR cameras,
preserving their optical signatures.
The anti-aliasing filter, which also functions as the
CMOS sensor package's cover glass, consists of an
infrared-blocking filter, a primary low-pass filter, a
phase plate and a secondary low-pass filter. While
other cameras, such as the EOS 20D camera, have
three crystal plates, the EOS 5D model's filter has one
independent crystal plate doing double duty as the
cover glass. This reduces cost without affecting the
filter's performance.
Also significant are the large microlens array that
gathers light for the photodiodes with great efficiency
and the second-generation, on-chip, noise reduction
circuit that effectively minimizes random noise and
eliminates fixed-pattern noise. A wide standard ISO
range is possible, 100 to 1,600, extendable to 50 and
3,200. Further, 4-channel reading is performed per
line, so shooting can continue at 3 fps, even at 12.8 megapixels per frame resolution.
The result is very high resolution and exceptionally low image noise, on the same level
III. PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY
The heart of the Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR is
its extraordinary new, Canon-designed and
–manufactured, full-frame, single-plate 12.8
megapixel sensor. This is enough resolution
for a double page spread in a magazine, a
large print of the bride and groom, facial
detail in group shots or a landscape of
impressive dimensions. The sensor's 35.8mm
x 23.9mm size means that each pixel can be a
Dichroic mirror
(Reflects infrared rays)
Infrared-absorbing glass
Low-pass filter
(Separates image in horizontal
direction)
Cross section of infrared cut, low-pass filter
CMOS
sensor
Low-pass filter
(Separates image in
vertical direction)
Phaser layer
(Converts linear polarized
light into circular polarized light)
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