The vast amount of data captured by high-resolution sensors often means slower performance – but Sony’s newest global shutter sensor can capture 105MP images at up to 100fps.
The Sony IMX927 is a new CMOS sensor that mixes several of the brand’s latest tech into one design. That list includes a global shutter and both a stacked and backlit design. The combination helps the new sensor to boast both a 105MP resolution and 100fps high-speed output.
The new sensor is square rather than the traditional rectangle, and measures 39.7mm diagonally. (In comparison, Sony’s full-frame sensors measure 43.3mm diagonally and APS-C 28.2mm.)
The IMX927 is designed for industrial equipment, which means no, photographers aren’t going actually to get their hands on one. But the announcement illustrates that both high-resolution and high-speed readouts can co-exist thanks to a new circuit design and next-generation high-speed interfaces.
Sony Semiconductor Solutions says that the speed in the new 105MP sensor is created in part by “optimizing the sensor drive in pixel reading and A/D converter.” The company explains that the sensor’s circuit structure is designed to optimize reading those pixels at the A/D converter, or analog-to-digital converter. That design helps the sensor reach that 100fps max, while also reducing power consumption.
The other element that allows for such high-speed readouts is what Sony describes as “next-generation high-speed interfaces.” A sensor that can capture 105MP at 100fps is going to need a processor and storage system that can keep up, and Sony says interfaces like the 100-Gbps-capable CoaXPress-over-Fiber (CXPoF) and 100GigE allow for such a high-speed interface.
Heat dissipation is also key to the sensor’s high-speed capabilities, although Sony didn’t go into detail on how the new sensor’s heat dissipation works. Heat dissipation is key for maintaining longer recording times on high resolution, high frame rate video – and the 100fps speed on the new sensor is faster than the typical 60p video.
While the new sensor isn’t for consumer cameras, the tech inside is intriguing. I don’t think pro cameras necessarily need 105MP at 100fps – can you imagine the size of the memory card that would be needed for that data? Or how quickly a hard drive would fill up?
But, I’m curious to see if the redesigned circuit structure may eventually make its way into cameras beyond those made for industrial purposes. These sorts of cameras, used for machine vision and industrial inspection, don’t have the space restrictions of a handheld, nor are the standards for image quality the same; limitations that may mean the new design could remain relegated to the industrial space.
Sony calls the new sensor an “industry-leading sensor,” but it’s going to be part of an upcoming series of eight sensors that come packaged with connectors, so these industrial machine learning vision systems will be easier to swap out for upgrades or repairs.
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You can't buy the Sony IMX927, but you can get a Sony camera with a global shutter with the Sony A9 III. Or, browse the best Sony cameras.
