On their website the new world first APS-H-size CMOS of a record-high resolution of 120 megapixels (13,280 x 9,184 pixels):
Canon news (http://www.canon.com/news/2010/aug24e.html)

the new CMOS sensor makes possible a maximum output speed of approximately 9.5 frames per second, supporting the continuous shooting of ultra-high-resolution images.
...
The sensor can output Full HD video from any approximately one-sixtieth-sized section of its total surface area.

With this rapid development, are we looking at 4K D-SLR from Canon in the near future?

20mb is higher than 4k resolution anyway. The only thing in the way is processor power.

One of the biggest downsides to the current DSLRs that shoot video is the scaling of the really high megapixels down to HD. As a video guy, I'd get excited if they were releasing any large sensor that was 1920x1080 on a camera that has real audio control & inputs.

If they have some great hardware / software scaling to go from 120megapixels to 1920x1080, then I'll be more excited.

I do find it really exciting, so thanks for sharing, but I read it more as a novelty thing that is of absolutely no use to me.

A couple things caught my eye - one, the decription indicates a global shutter (the new sensor on the sony A55 supposedly is also global from what I'm reading). AND if you can deliver a full HD video from anywhere on the sensor, effectively you've got 60 potential video "feeds" on one sensor... hmmm...

Global shutter? That's a godsend! Now if only that would carry down to prosumer video camera CMOS sensors.

In any case, this sensor will be very pricey to implement.

Dave, the DPReview of the A55 doesn't suggest a global shutter:

"...the SLT-A55 suffers from distortion caused by its rolling shutter. ... the effect is clearly noticeable ... the camera is fairly average in this respect ... we have seen a few models which handle the problem a little better."

Sony SLT-A55 Review: 14. Movie Mode: Digital Photography Review (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyslta55/page14.asp)

I noticed there are conflicting reports - since the camera just debuted there are still bits of info coming out... but they did have a sample showing skew, so while there's been some implication that it's a global shutter from some sources, it appears it still has RS artifacts...

Oh well, one of these days the rolling shutter will be history on mainstream CMOS sensors. The page did indicate "high-speed" so it doesn't necessarily mean it's a global shutter. Even if it's really fast, it won't be fast enough to correct flash banding.

Canon news (http://www.canon.com/news/2010/aug24e.html)

Canon's newly developed CMOS sensor also incorporates a Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) video output capability. The sensor can output Full HD video from any approximately one-sixtieth-sized section of its total surface area.


With video coming from a 1/60th portion of the sensor, it means video is at all times a very telephoto operation compared to shooting stills. It's a great technology demonstration, but not production viable.

With video coming from a 1/60th portion of the sensor, it means video is at all times a very telephoto operation compared to shooting stills. It's a great technology demonstration, but not production viable.

Not to mention the 1 million dollar UUUULD Lens you would need to make HD video look good.

At this resolution you start opening up new possibilities that go way beyond anything we've seen before. If you haven't seen the light field photography demo from a few years back you should check it out:

Light Field Photography with a Hand-Held Plenoptic Camera (http://graphics.stanford.edu/papers/lfcamera/)

They use a microlens array over the sensor, which in their example reduces the final resolution down to approximately 300x300 pixels. With the starting resolution of the canon sensor you could likely end up with an HD image.

Light field photography allows you to do amazing things in post - like refocusing your image, or changing the depth of field. So you could shoot wide open to make the most of your light, then expand the DOF in post and shift the focal point so that your subject is always perfectly in focus, even rack focus after the fact - all without a master focus puller. It looks like from their demo video it's even possible to shift the viewpoint of the camera - meaning you could shoot with a single camera and create a true stereoscopic shot after the fact for 3D distribution.