Fujifilm + Samsung Sensor Cooperation
Many of you guys often said Fujifilm should stop to buy their sensors from Sony and buy them from Samsung, who already had a 28MP BSI sensor back in 2014 with their fantastic Samsung NX1, a camera that sadly didn’t had the success it deserved and that marked the end of Samsung’s attempt to join the high-end camera market.
But we know that Japanese and Korean companies don’t really like to cooperate.
However, this tabu might have been broken now.
Samsung officially said they are developing a new CMOS sensor technology for mobile photography (smartphones) that allows better pixel isolation and hence improves light sensitivity and color fidelity. Samsung calles it the “ISOCELL Plus” technology.
And in order to make this new sensor possible, Samsung needs Fujifilm.
In fact, the new optimized pixel isolation architecture requires the replacement of the metal barrier with an innovative new material developed by Fujifilm, which minimizes optical loss and light reflection.
You can read all the details in the full press-release below. Here are the two statements of the companies:
FUJIFLM SAYS:
“We value our strategic relationship with Samsung and would like to congratulate on the completion of the ISOCELL Plus development,” said Naoto Yanagihara, corporate vice president of Fujifilm. “This development is a remarkable milestone for us as it marks the first commercialization of our new material. Through continuous cooperation with Samsung, we anticipate to bring more meaningful innovation to mobile cameras.”
SAMSUNG SAYS:
“Through close collaboration with Fujifilm, an industry leader in imaging and information technology, we have pushed the boundaries of CMOS image sensor technology even further,” said Ben K. Hur, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “The ISOCELL Plus will not only enable the development of ultra-high-resolution sensors with incredibly small pixel dimensions, but also bring performance advancements for sensors with larger pixel designs.”
Let’s hope this is the start of a proficous collaboration between Samsung and Fujifilm, that opens up new possibilities of cooperation for future projects, maybe also some related to high-end photography APS-C and Medium Format sensors.
As of now, Sony is dominant in the sensor business, and we would definitely need more competition in this area. And Samsung is for sure a company that has the know-how, economic power and infrastructure to take away a piece of the large sensor business cake from Sony.
Also consider that Samsung is not a direct competitor of Fujifilm in the high-end camera business, hence Fujifilm could get always the latest and greatest sensor technology quickier and cheaper than they get it now from Sony.
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have a GREAT day,
Full Samsung Press Release
