Nikon has filed a new patent for a hybrid image sensor that combines the benefits of both global and rolling shutters, enabling the instantaneous readout of global sensor technology with the improved dynamic range and reduced noise of a rolling shutter.
A traditional rolling shutter captures images by scanning the scene from top to bottom, but is prone to the 'jello effect', which can cause very fast-moving subjects to appear to shear as the scan rate struggles to keep up with the speed of the movement. A global shutter, by contrast, captures the entire scene simultaneously, effectively freezing all motion at a single instant in time and eliminating the type of motion artifacts associated with a rolling shutter; the downside, however, is that they typically have lower ISO performance and reduced dynamic range.
