Sigma CEO saying they are still have not started with the Full Frame Foveon camera development

Sigma issued a press release about the development of the Full Frame L-mount foveon camera. And it surely doesn’t sound like this camera is coming this year as they previously stated :(

Press text:

An update about our sensor development project

Dear SIGMA customers,

First of all, thank you very much for your continued support and interest in our products.

In February 2020, we announced our decision to restart our plans for a full frame Foveon X3 sensor camera, beginning with the development of a new sensor technology. We have not been able to share any information regarding this project in the time since, and I would like to use this short message to provide an update about the situation.

As previously announced, we halted development of the project after the sensor we were working with could not go into mass production due to a critical flaw. As a result, we also terminated our contract with the sensor manufacturer with whom we had been collaborating. Further, we determined that the original sensor specifications would make it difficult to develop a product that will meet our and our customers’ high standards, and accordingly we decided to go back to the drawing board.

At present, we are fully engaged in research and development of the project, led by our head office, and are reviewing specifications to ensure that we will be able to satisfy the expectations placed on this project. While we have not proceeded to the development of a camera body yet, we will continue to do our utmost to create a camera in which we have full confidence.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the strong and ongoing support you have shown us.

All of our employees, including me, continue to do their very best to develop new and outstanding photographic technologies. Thank you for your patience and for your understanding.

Kazuto Yamaki
Chief Executive Officer, SIGMA Corporation

Related video message:
“An update about our sensor development project” by Kazuto Yamaki (CEO, SIGMA)

Nikon announced the development of a new 1inch Stacked CMOS Sensor that can shoot 1000 frames per second

Nikon has announced a 1-inch 17.84 million pixel stacked CMOS sensor capable of shooting at 1000 frames per second.

Google translated text:

Nikon Corporation (President: Toshikazu Umatate, Minato-ku, Tokyo) is a stacked CMOS with a total pixel count of approximately 17.84 million pixels that realizes high-resolution imaging with 1000 frames per second, HDR characteristics of 110 dB, and 4K x 4K. We have developed an image sensor.

This result was announced at the ISSCC (International Solid-State Circuits Conference) held in San Francisco, USA from February 15, 2021.

Development background

As an optical equipment manufacturer, Nikon is also engaged in research and development of cutting-edge image sensors, which are the core of video technology, based on optical technology, precision measurement / processing technology, and material technology. Currently, image sensors are used not only in the video field such as digital cameras and smartphones, but also in various industrial fields such as automobiles. In all fields, there is a demand for image sensors that achieve all of compactness, light weight, high frame rate, wide dynamic range, and high resolution.

The technological development of image sensors is indispensable for Nikon, which leads the video industry, and we will continue to research and develop sensors in response to market demands.

Main features

1. The industry’s highest level of HDR characteristics of 110 dB and high-speed shooting of 1000 frames per second are compatible *

This sensor uses a fine-pitch layered connection technology that can handle 2.7 um pixel size, which makes it possible to control the top chip with the image sensor directly from the logic circuit of the bottom chip. It has a high resolution of × 4K pixels, a wide dynamic range of 110 dB, and high-speed video recording of 1000 frames per second. High-speed readout enables super slow motion shooting of up to 1000 frames per second.
It also has a wide dynamic range of 134 dB for shooting 60 frames per second.

  • *At a pitch of 2.7 μ pixel size or less. As of February 15, 2021, according to Nikon research.

2. Exposure can be controlled for each area on the screen

The top chip has 16 x 16 pixels as one block, and 264 x 264 blocks (4224 x 4224 pixels) are divided and arranged on one screen. It is possible to finely control the exposure time of these blocks from the bottom chip for each area on the screen.
With this function, you can express a wide dynamic range, and even for subjects with a large difference in brightness, you can clearly shoot the entire screen without crushing the dark areas or overexposing the bright areas.