Panasonic Unveils 35MP Organic Super35 CMOS Sensor with Global Shutter and Great Dynamic Range

The organic sensor has reached a mythical status.

In fact, 8 year after the joint Panasonic and Fujifilm announcement, where the organic sensor was first unveiled to the masses with great optimism and claims of glorious performances and dynamic range, we haven’t seen anything coming to the market, expect for a camcorder prototype shown by Panasonic back in 2019.

Probably like many of you, I just stopped hoping that such a sensor would ever see the light of the day.

And yet, today we have to add another chapter to the organic sensor novel.

In fact, Panasonic has just announced the first 4k/8K Super35 global shutter organic CMOS sensor during the “4th 4K / 8K Video Technology Exhibition”

Here are Panasonic’s claims (google translated):

  • replaces the silicon photodiode that has been used as the light receiving part of the conventional CMOS sensor with an organic thin film that has a larger light absorption coefficient
  • wide dynamic range and global shutter
  • In a general back-illuminated CMOS sensor, if a high resolution and a wide dynamic range are realized, a global shutter cannot be installed, and if a global shutter is installed, the resolution and the dynamic range are reduced, which is a trade-off
  • The organic CMOS sensor has a dynamic range four times that of a general CMOS sensor
  • the global shutter also adjusts the voltage applied to the organic thin film to control the photoelectric conversion efficiency
  • technological development for practical use is making great progress
  • color reproducibility is high
  • As a next-generation technology for organic CMOS sensors, there is an ultra-WDR technology in which two sensitivity detection cells, a high-sensitivity cell and a high-saturation cell, are provided in one pixel.
  • With this, the dynamic range can be 100 times that of an organic CMOS sensor and 400 times that of a general CMOS sensor.

Well, we knew about all the dynamic range claims and the global shutter already. Today we got a bit more insights on how it works and especially one sentence revived my hopes after all these years:

technological development for practical use is making great progress

So let’s hope that we will soon see the first cameras with such a sensor and that they were able to sort out the main problems with this sensor: heat generation and battery drain.

Will this be the sensor of the Fujifilm X-H2?

I don’t know, but I don’t think so.

Maybe it will initially find its way into larger bodies of camcorders, which can handle heat generation better. At a later stage maybe also mirrorless cameras will feature this sensor.

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The Organic Sensor Novel – A Summary:

  • June 2013: Fujifilm and Panasonic announced the organic sensor development
  • December 2014: Our sources told us here, that there is a crucial problem to be solved with the organic sensor: heat generation (and battery drain)
  • December 2014: Top Fujifilm Managers confirmed, that the organic sensor is “still well ahead of us.”
  • October 2015: 43rumors broke the rumor here, that it will still take a 2 or 3 years before the organic sensor will be ready for mass production.
  • February 2016: Panasonic announced that, along with Fujifilm, they are developing an organic sensor with global shutter and impressive 123dB (!!!) dynamic range.
  • February 2016: Fujifilm management says: “We don’t have any specific plans of incorporating an organic sensor into our products at the moment, but yes we are observing the progress of this technology. As of today, there would be No benefits to using an organic sensor. Our X-Trans III sensor is superior to the currently available organic sensor.”
  • February 2017: Panasonic announces the world’s first organic CMOS image sensor with electrically controllable near-infrared light sensitivity. However, unlike in previous press-releases, this time Fujifilm isn’t mentioned.
  • February 2017: Fujifilm Announces Development of World’s fastest Organic CMOS Circuit For Multi-bit flexible Temperature Sensor
  • August 2017: Development of Wide Dynamic Range and Global Shutter Technology for Organic Photoconductive Film Image Sensor (Panasonic)
  • Febraury 2018: Panasonic Announces 8K 36 Megapixel Global Shutter Organic Sensor… and Time To Stop Sony’s Sensor Hegemony
  • October 2018: Panasonic Says Organic Sensor Cooperation with Fujifilm Continues. Mass Production Will Take a Bit more Time
  • September 2019: Panasonic shows first Camcorder featuring 8K organic sensor

via digicame-info via monoist

Top 7 Critiques on Fujifilm that Are Absolutely Justified

I recently wrote an article, where I list 10 attacks on Fujifilm that do not make any sense.

In that article, I promised that I would also write an article about the exact opposite, meaning sharing a list of critiques on Fujifilm that I totally understand and I agree with.

You can find it down below.

And of course, feel free to add your own critiques on Fujifilm in the comments down below.

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

ePHOTOzine Fujinon XF 27mm f/2.8 R WR Review: “Credit to Fuji’s Design Team: Superb Performance in Compact Package”

As a long time owner of the original XF27mmF2.8 (which I have sold to get the new version with aperture ring), I have always admired how good of a lens Fujifilm was able to make in such a small package.

This is why I was very happy when my sources told be the optical formula of the new XF27mm f/2.8 R WR will remain the same of the old version.

The only thing I always wanted was an aperture ring. And when Fujifilm finally made it come true, I remember how on the first day the lockdown was lifted, I jumped in my car and drove straight to the camera store, where I was able to grab the very last available sample of this lens (and it has never come back in stock since then).

For me, it’s a truly enjoyable lens to use. And the 40mm equivalent focal length is the sweet spot for me. A bit wider than my XF35mmF1.4 which I find useful at times, but also a bit more compressed look over my XF23mmF1.4 (a true workhorse at the recent wedding I shot).

It now lives its life glued on X-E3.

And to everyone having one of those on pre-order, be patient, you’ll be rewarded with a little but awesome performer that is very joyful to use.

And just to confirm how good of a lens this is, look at what ePHOTOzine wrote in their latest Fujinon XF27mm f/2.8 R WR review and check out the customer reviews

** CLICK HERE to Read the Rest of the Article **

Notice of Release Date of “Fujinon GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 WR” and “Fujifilm X-T30II”

Dear customers

We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued patronage of FUJIFILM products. The release date of the “Fujinon Lens GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 WR“, which was announced as “scheduled to be released in November 2021”, has been decided, and we will inform you below.

product name release date
“FUJINON LENS GF35-70mmF4.5-5.6 WR” Tuesday, November 30, 2021

The release date of the “FUJIFILM X-T30 II“, which was recently announced as “scheduled to be released in November 2021”, has been decided, and we will inform you below.

product name release date
“FUJIFILM X-T30 II” body (silver) Thursday, November 25, 2021
“FUJIFILM X-T30 II” XC15-45mm Lens Kit (Silver) Thursday, November 25, 2021