Cameras: News and Updates
Canon Develops New Dual Pixel CMOS AF Technology
By StudentFilmmakers.com
posted Jul 2, 2013, 13:50
Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced its parent company, Canon Inc., developed Dual Pixel CMOS AF.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging solutions, announced its parent
company, Canon Inc., developed Dual Pixel CMOS AF, an innovative new autofocus
technology for the EOS 70D Digital SLR camera. Dual Pixel CMOS AF, a phase-detection
AF technology conducted directly on the image sensor plane, employs a CMOS sensor
on which all of the effective pixels are able to perform both imaging and phase-detection
AF simultaneously to achieve dramatically improved AF performance over prior
EOS cameras during Live View and video shooting.
As digital SLR cameras have evolved in recent years in terms of functionality
and performance, shooting styles have become more diverse. An increasing number
of users no longer rely exclusively on the viewfinder when shooting, but rather
view the camera's LCD monitor when using the Live View function to capture still
images and when shooting video.
Canon's newly-developed Dual Pixel CMOS AF is an innovative new image-plane
phase-detection AF technology that employs a CMOS sensor on which all of the
effective pixels are able to perform both imaging and phase-detection AF simultaneously.
Each individual pixel (the smallest structural unit capable of outputting an
image signal) on the CMOS sensor incorporates two independent photodiodes (elements
that transform light into electrical signals) which output signals that can
be used for both imaging and the phase-detection AF. When using the EOS 70D
Digital SLR camera's Live View function, the technology enables autofocusing
with ease, flexibility, speed and accuracy similar to shooting through the viewfinder,
enabling sharp focus to be obtained across a wide shooting area1 through phase-detection
AF2 until final focus is achieved. Compared with earlier generations of Canon's
image-plane phase-detection AF3, Dual Pixel CMOS AF realizes shorter focusing
times, outstanding tracking performance and smoother autofocusing during video
shooting. And, because Live View shooting can be used in a manner similar to
using the camera's viewfinder, the fast and smooth AF performance allows users
to concentrate more attention on the subject and composing the photo when shooting.
Compared with the EOS Rebel SL1, which employs Hybrid CMOS AF II, the EOS 70D
Digital SLR camera (scheduled to go on sale in September 2013), which is the
first camera to feature Dual Pixel CMOS AF, not only achieves AF speed that
is approximately 30 percent faster4 but also delivers improved Movie Servo AF
tracking for continuously smooth focusing during video shooting, even when filming
quickly moving subjects.
Because the outstanding AF performance of Dual Pixel CMOS AF is made possible
with 1035 models of EF lenses (including many earlier models and models available
outside of Japan), users can enjoy a wide range of photographic endeavors achievable
with various lenses.
Recognizing great potential for the application of this technology across diverse
product categories, Canon aims to promote its development efforts in the field
of AF technology, targeting further advances to contribute to expanding the
world of photographic expression.
Phase-detection AF
With conventional phase-detection AF, the light that enters through the photographic
lens is divided into two images. The difference in the focus point position
between the two images is measured on a dedicated AF sensor rather than the
image sensor itself, enabling the camera to determine the direction and amount
of lens adjustment required to obtain proper focus. Because phase-detection
AF enables fast focusing performance compared with contrast-detection AF, the
technology is widely employed in digital SLR cameras, mainly for viewfinder
shooting.
Dual Pixel CMOS AF employs the same measurement principle as a dedicated AF
sensor, except that it is carried out directly with the image sensor. Its large
coverage area enables smooth and reliable image-plane phase-detection AF for
both still images and video with no reliance on dedicated AF sensors or contrast-detection
AF.
Contrast AF
Contrast AF is an autofocus method employed in compact digital cameras and video
camcorders, as well as conventional digital SLR cameras for Live View shooting.
Because contrast is highest when an image is in proper focus, the camera analyzes
the contrast information from the image on the image sensor, adjusting the lens
until the maximum contrast value is reached. While contrast AF offers high focusing
accuracy, it tends to require more time compared with phase-detection AF because
the focusing components of the lens must be driven during AF measurement to
find the point of peak contrast.
Hybrid CMOS AF and Hybrid CMOS AF II
Hybrid CMOS AF is an AF method employed in the EOS Rebel T5i Digital SLR camera
and the EOS M digital camera that delivers enhanced focusing speed during Live
View shooting and when shooting video. Combining fast phase-detection AF and
high-accuracy contrast AF, Hybrid CMOS AF makes possible faster focusing performance
than contrast AF alone, quickly measuring the subject distance using a dedicated
phase-detection AF image element embedded in the CMOS image sensor and completing
the process with extreme accuracy using contrast AF. The EOS Rebel SL1 camera
features Hybrid CMOS AF II, which makes use of an imaging sensor that supports
AF across a wide area spanning approximately 80 percent of the shooting area
measured vertically and horizontally.
For more information about the development of Dual Pixel CMOS AF visit: http://usa.canon.com/gamechangeraf
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business,
and industrial digital imaging solutions. With approximately $40 billion in
global revenue, its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), ranks third overall
in U.S. patents registered in 2012† and is one of Fortune Magazine's World’s
Most Admired Companies in 2013. In 2012, Canon U.S.A. has received the PCMag.com
Readers’ Choice Award for Service and Reliability in the digital camera
and printer categories for the ninth consecutive year, and for camcorders for
the past two years. Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest level of customer
satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service
and support for all of the products it distributes. Canon U.S.A. is dedicated
to its Kyosei philosophy of social and environmental responsibility. To keep
apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., ., sign up for the Company's
RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss
and follow us on Twitter @CanonUSA.
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