That is really a huge surprise! Panasonic and Fuji worked together on a new kind of organic sensor! The new sensor has the following advantages over conventional sensors:
1) it has only 1/6 of the thickness of the current sensors
2) Increased Dynamic range of 88dB
3) 1,2 times more sensible
4) range of incident angles of 60 degrees, efficiently utilizing light entering at an angle for faithful color reproduction with no color mixing. It also gives greater flexibility in lens designs, facilitating the reduction of overall camera size.
That’s really a big news! Fuji makes some of the best sensors (see their amazing X trans sensor). And Panasonic lately faced some strong competition from Sony’s MFT sensors. This news could change everything with Fuji and Panasonic may leading a new sensor revolution! This sounds good, now we have Olympus-Sony one one side and Panasonic-Fuji on the other side. Great news for the full MFT system!
I don’t know yet if the new GX7 camera will be the first to use that tech. I really don’t think…but we can always hope for a miracle don’t you think? 🙂
Here is the Press release (via Fujifilm):
FUJIFILM Corporation (President: Shigehiro Nakajima) and Panasonic Corporation (President: Kazuhiro Tsuga) have developed organic CMOS image sensor technology that uses an organic photoelectric conversion layer with a photoelectric conversion property at the light receiving section of an image sensor to achieve performance beyond that of conventional image sensors**. Applying this technology to the image sensors of digital cameras and other imaging devices expands its dynamic range*** and enhances sensitivity*4 further to prevent highlight clipping in bright scenes and capture a dark subject with vivid colors and rich textures.
The industry has put into continuous efforts to explore image sensor technologies for increasing their number of pixels. This has dramatically improved sensor resolutions, but, in order to further boost image quality, it is necessary to expand the dynamic range, enhance sensitivity and prevent cross-talk or color mixing between pixels. Panasonic took advantage of its semiconductor device technology to boost image quality for its high-performance image sensors. Fujifilm, on the other hand, has developed highly-reliable organic photoelectric conversion layer with high absorption coefficient to be used on a sensor’s light receiving section instead of silicon photodiode*5 in its effort to build a new image sensor technology.
In the latest collaboration, Fujifilm and Panasonic have combined Fujifilm’s organic photoelectric conversion layer technology with Panasonic’s semiconductor device technology to jointly develop an organic CMOS image sensor that outperforms conventional image sensors. The new organic CMOS image sensor offers the industry’s highest dynamic range of 88dB, advanced sensitivity 1.2 times more sensitive than conventional sensors** and broader range of incident angle*6 to enable the production of more sensitive and compact cameras with better image quality.
The two companies will promote the application of this organic CMOS image sensor technology to a wide range of products including security cameras, in-vehicle cameras, mobile device and digital cameras.
Fujifilm and Panasonic will present the research results at the 2013 Symposium on VLSI Technology (VLSI2013) to be held in Kyoto on June 11, and the 2013 International Image Sensor Workshop to be held in Utah, U.S.A. on June 15.
- *Performance of the light receiving section of image sensors, as of June 11, 2013 according to Panasonic data.
- **Estimation from Panasonic image sensors
- ***Range of light that can be recorded (ratio between the brightest and darkest areas recorded)
- *4The sensitivity of image sensors refers to the conversion ratio of light into electric signals. The greater the sensitivity is, the clearer you can capture low-light scenes.
- *5A type of photo detector that senses incident light, installed for each image sensor pixel to convert light into electric signals
- *6Range of incident light angles for efficient conversion into electric signals
Overview of the newly-developed organic CMOS image sensor technology
A conventional image sensor consists of a silicon photodiode for capturing light, metal interconnect, color filter and on-chip micro-lens. The newly-developed organic CMOS image sensor technology uses organic photoelectric conversion layer with high absorption coefficient instead of the silicon photodiode, reducing the thickness of the light receiving section down to 0.5 microns, i.e. one severalth of the thickness of a silicon photodiode. This structure provides the following benefits:
- (1)Industry’s highest dynamic range of 88dB to prevent highlight clipping and produce a vivid and texture-rich image even in low light
- Panasonic’s semiconductor device technology has improved the signal saturation value*7 by four folds compared to that of conventional image sensors. Coupled with the newly-developed noise-cancelling circuit, the sensor technology provides the industry’s highest dynamic range of 88dB, preventing highlight clipping in bright scenes and capturing a vivid and texture-rich image in low light.
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- *7The maximum amount of electric signals that can be handled. Receiving a signal greater than this value leads to highlight clipping.
- (2)1.2 times higher sensitivity than conventional sensors to capture clear images even in low light
- The transistors and metal interconnects in each pixel, fabricated using Panasonic’s semiconductor device technology, are coated with photoelectric conversion layer, developed using Fujifilm’s organic material technology. The area of the light receiving section becomes limited in conventional image sensors because of the existence of metal interconnects and the need to form light shield film to prevent light incidence into areas other than the photodiode in each pixel. However, the organic CMOS image sensor technology coats the sensor with organic film, which can harvest all the light received on the sensor. This boosts sensor sensitivity by 1.2 times compared to conventional sensors to deliver clear images even in low light.
- (3)Range of incident angle expanded to 60 degrees for faithful color reproduction (See the image sensor illustrations above)
- The thickness of the organic film with high absorption coefficient, developed by Fujifilm, has been reduced to just 0.5 microns, or one severalth of the thickness of silicon photodiode in the light receiving section. Since the conventional silicon photodiode measures at least 3 microns in depth, the range of incident angles was limited to around 30 – 40 degrees. The thin film, achieved with the organic CMOS image sensor technology, has enabled the expansion of this range to 60 degrees, efficiently utilizing light entering at an angle for faithful color reproduction with no color mixing. It also gives greater flexibility in lens designs, facilitating the reduction of overall camera size.
- (4)Offering high reliability for broader applications
- Fujifilm has developed a process technology to produce inorganic films for protecting the organic film. It prevents the entry of moisture and oxygen into the organic film to safeguard it against performance degradation. The sensor technology has cleared reliability tests involving the application of stress such as temperature, humidity, electrical voltage and light, paving the way for the use of the organic CMOS image sensor in a wide range of applications.
105 Responses
So…is this the new sensor in the GX 7?
GX2/GX7 with full frame performance, now that could be very interesting.
Yes , finally .
Partnership with Fuji in sensors development is the right move for Pana .
Sony + Oly or Pana + Fuji , which one you go ?
As to feature it in GX2 sounds very unlikely , I would be more than happy if it have the MCS sensor inside it .
Are Fujifilm and Panasonic working together? Or they developpe their own organic sensor?
According to the press release, the research was a joint effort. However, each company might fabricate their own sensors using that research, which makes sense since they focus on different applications.
manuals contrôles of panasonic + Fuji sensor = sound good !
If the GX sensor incorporates this, the sky is the limit although I can’t see it happening with Fuji to release its new X cameras some time next year…
But oh yeah, this is hot news indeed 🙂
Hmmmmmm….I see all of the benefits of the design….but since the sensor is organic it has to be protected from degradation from outside elements, there has to be a protective layer (purple in diagram), between the incoming light and the light receiving section of the sensor. I wonder if this protective layer will affect the sharpness of the image as it is one more layer than a convetional sensor has?
¿¿ What does 88 db of DR mean?? What would that be in terms of EV stops? or what is the current Sony sensors’ performance in terms of DR? This is very unclear.
The 1.2 times better high ISO is negligible, less than 1/4 of a stop better.
The wider incident light spec sounds very promising for better performance for UWA lenses.
matt, as always they compare it to a sensor that is not up to date but worse then todays best sensors.
that is typical marketig behavior.
i bet when you compare it to an actuall sony sensor from 2013 you won´t come to theses numbers.
“i bet when you compare it to an actuall sony sensor from 2013 you won´t come to theses numbers.”. Wow…Kluzaz…you “bet”…now that is a reliable scientific approach that is pulled out of nothingness.
Thanks for the input!
Wow, you just left out the whole argument and took only “bet”.
Ok Vlad it probably would have been more appropriate for him to say I “guess”. Anyway you look at it though…it is PURE speculation on Kluzaz’s part without ANY technical knowledge on his part..and he is referring to everyone who comes here as a “joke”. …um…I think Kluzaz is the court jester…not us!
Matt…why so positive?
6dB roughly equals 1 f-stops, so an 88db sensor has 14.6 f-stops!
Doesn’t the Nikon D800 have a DR of around 14.5? 14.6 is certainly good and 1-2 steps better than that of the OM-D E-M5.
Does it say 88dB at what pixel size or sensor size/resolution?
With the same MPix count, going from APS to 43, you will lose 1 bit of dynamic range. 13 bits is still acceptable, right? 🙂
you guys are a joke.
some marketing blahblah… you don´t get at all what they write from a technicall satndpoint… but you are excited.
this is a small step in sensor design.. nothing to be crazy about.
Kluzas ( self-imposed genius)…PERHAPS you should wait for some scientific comparison results before you degrade the infidels???
Overreacting much?
Not at all. 🙂
i agree with Kluzaz, hold off on the excitement till we actually see some actual results… all these “sensor advancements” mean nothing for us until we have it in a camera to compare with current sensors
OMG, sensors have gone ‘organic’, too. When these organic sensors become available, I’ll never use GMO sensors again! 😀
Will they come in a tablet form or in capsules?
In tablet.
It will come in red, green and yellow flavors.
It will be called “Soylent”.
I’ll bet the Soylent Green one will be more organic than the others!
Panny i don’t care this news but i want to know where is your new FAB-factory.
sound like panny will close all image-sensor factory!!!
This will be obviously combined with the light split technology, though the above image doesn’t show that.
Why have color fitler?? meh.
When the new sensor comes to the market – this means bye bye Sony, Canon, Olympus and few others… 88dB of DR is just mind blowing! Next mobile phones will outperform the today’s Allexa’s/ RED’s and Blackmagic’s 🙂
To me, it’s mind blowing how easily people buy marketing speach. You need a few lines of overentusiastic text and a nice color drawing, and – voila – everybody is expecting revolution in sensor technology tomorrow.
I have no clue what 88db means. 14 stops DR? 15 stops DR? Could you explain?
88dB should be 14 2/3 EV. Don’t expect to get such a DR with 12 bit, however; and it’s unlikely that we see a mFT camera anytime soon that utilizes 14 bit.
Wrong. Nobody says that these 12 bits should cover the 14 DR stops in a linear way.
Just FYI.
An HDR JPEG image, which usually has a DR even more than 14 EV has 8, that is, *EIGHT* bits color depth.
I think the idea is to be able to see the 14 stops in a rawfile without processing tricks.
That’s why a RAW file should be *EITHER* 14 bits depth *OR* not linear.
By example you may extend the dark shades and compress the light ones and you’ll get a nice 14÷15 DR stops w/o lavishing unnecessary 14 bits.
Non-linear mapping of whatever stops of DR to fewer bits is just a crappy way to keep things cheap. You always lose lots of details this way and introduce banding, harsh transitions in fine gradients and what not.
Of course this all sounds great. I wonder when this will materialise. I would think it will take at least a year? Also it is only good news IF it does deliver us what has been said. otherwise we might end up with sensor that are pushed down our throat so to speak with still some inferior IQ. I like diversity, but not at a cost.
88db = 14.6 steps DR? The D800is 14.4 according to DxO. However DR steps are differently defined so I am not really what 88db will translate into.
Great development cooperation Pana and Fuji anyway. This is the way forward for the smaller manufacturers to keep the development pace of the big ones.
Oly users need not worry too much – the Sony/Oly cooperation is a strong combination too. As is Nikon cooperation with a number of sensor manufacturers plus their own….
Canon do their own development, are behind at the moment, but has the biggest R&D budget of them all.
I see four strong groupings – Pentax/Ricoh is in a less favorable situation. Are they just buying off the shelf sensors from Sony? In that case they will always be behind.
Leica is in their ownleague. Their sensor supplier probably buys sensors and electronics from a sub- supplier.
If it’s more complex and expensive to produce, you can bet it’s going to produce better images. No company would waste their time and money on a new fabrication technique just to say something is better in marketing speak.
Seriously, though, this is one more innovation aimed towards small sensors, not 4/3 or APS-C ones. Moreover, we have seen many “breakthroughs” trumpeted over the years ( white pixels, micro color splitter, etc. ) by the likes of Sony and Panasonic and we’ve not seen anything in the shops yet.
I’ll be excited about this when I see the first review of the actual product.
Oh, and: “new organic CMOS image sensor offers … advanced sensitivity 1.2 times more sensitive than conventional sensors. … Estimation from Panasonic image sensors”. I believe there are already sensors on the market that are “1.2 times more sensitive” than Panasonic sensors.
Moderation again… Well, you can moderate some people sometimes, but you can’t moderate all the people all the time. 😀
I think the NSA just proved that your general statement is incorrect.
Correct. This is just another form of BSI. As you decrease the area of light collection, the fill factor becomes more important. Likewise, thickness of the sensor itself is currently only an issue with smartphones, not with cameras. Also, with no tunnel, the tendency for pixel spill from one Bayer filter to another increases when you have low angles of incidence (I see no “color protection” in their filter layer, and given that everything from the organic reception layer upwards is “painted” onto the silicon, I’m not sure how they’d accomplish that.
While 88db is a good figure, remember that this is likely engineering DR, which means the distance from saturation down to a signal to noise ratio of 1:1. Trust me, you won’t be using SN 1:1 data in your images. The data released so far also doesn’t tell me if this is before or after read noise comes into play.
Statements by Panasonic in the last week seem to indicate that their m4/3 cameras will be using Sony sensors, by the way. You have to remember that sensors are in a different Panasonic company than cameras, and are being targeted towards different companies now.
+1
+1
Smart move for Panasonic. More good news for Fuji!
Organic…
Nice idea, but I am afraid that this is another trial to start selling us aging things. I.e. sensors, which have self-destruction included not as an extra feature (that can be somehow switched off e.g. the counters in Canon printers), but as an integral part of the used technology.
Producers of storage devices already managed to do it – SSD’s and all other solid-state memory devices include aging.
So after a few years of use everybody will be forced to buy a new camera body. Of course they will not provide sensor replacement or they will provide it at ridiculous prices. How exciting … for camera sellers …
> Organic…
> Nice idea, but I am afraid that this is another trial to start selling us aging things.
You should look up what “organic” means in technology. Organic materials don’t necessarily age any faster than non-organic materials (which all age as well).
“So after a few years of use everybody will be forced to buy a new camera body.”
Your sentiment is understandable, but much belated. One might be already forced to upgrade a camera body, simply because it is sometimes hard if possible at all to buy a new battery, required to power it up. (My personal experience with the cheap 3rd party batteries off eBay was rather dismal to date.)
As I wrote already, I use my DSLR for 13 years.
And I will add: with two original batteries.
But you may be still right, maybe the newer batteries have better aging algorithms included, too.
Sorry for the mistake, I meant 8 years, not 13…
88dB is more then 25 stops. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_range
Organic = Contains carbon(Roughly). It will not rot. It will not mutate or grow. Its not alive.
” have developed organic CMOS image sensor technology ” We are not likely to se it for quite a while(years). Don’t expect it for the next generatio of cameras. Going from a technology, to large scale production, can be quite a step.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel#Field_quantities for why it is probably 14 2/3 stops.
It looks like fuji contributed the. Organic tech, whle panasonic contributed the tech to limit cross talk, which would seem to be an issue whne you have 100% coverage. It ssems unlikely to me that mft will see this right away, due to getting the cross talk low enough.
Ok, so the actual sensor is 1/6 the thickness. But if you look at the diagram, the OVERALL thickness up to the less is the basically the same, due to the still large silicon substrate area. I’m afraid the thickness of the actual sensor means much less than the thickness of the actual camera. This, of course, assumes that the diagram they used is to scale.
“I’m afraid the thickness of the actual sensor means much less than the thickness of the actual camera.”
That is very likely true. The silicon substrate would be still there to support the sensor structure on top of it.
The thickness of sensor itself is important I believe to manufacturing, because of the costs of the materials making up the pixels themselves.
Dont know why some of people are afraid of organic. Indeed nowaday OLED (organic LED)is very common for smartphone screen.
Just try to google for “oled aginig” 🙂
Smartphones are usually thrown away after a year or two of use.
But I use my first DSLR for more than 8 years now and I would like to use my next one at least the same time, too.
here its the other way around…my smartphone is already 5 years old and still in use
Dont know why some of people are afraid of organic. Indeed nowaday OLED (organic LED)is very common for smartphone screen.
GREAT news, hopefully that will be translated into real sensors in new products…
I am excited about the prospect of increased Dynamic Range!
However, the other features probably will not benefit m43 users. To take advantage of the increased angles incident light they would need to develop a new mount or put it into a fixed lens body. It is very unlikely Panasonic would develop m43 lenses that are incompatible with older bodies.
Also the reduced thickness seems irrelevant given the relatively large bodies theses sensors would be put into (cameraphones being the obvious exception)
“the reduced thickness seems irrelevant given the relatively large bodies theses sensors would be put into (cameraphones being the obvious exception)”.
As I’ve said in the rude comment that is still going through detailed moderation, this is probably not aimed at m4/3. As the press release says target devices are “security cameras, in-vehicle cameras, mobile device and digital cameras”. DC being last means what’s left of P&S cameras when this sensor reaches the market. As for other mentioned devices, reduced thickness is important.
In increased in angle of incident in light happens at the microlens level on the sensor. Just like Panasonic’s light-splitting technology, I think this can be applied to any existing lens mount.
“Also the reduced thickness seems irrelevant given the relatively large bodies theses sensors would be put into (cameraphones being the obvious exception)”
It seems irrelevant if you look at it from a physical size point of view but is VERY relevant when you consider the amount of light reaching the sensitive area of the sensor (compare the diagrams of the new and the conventional sensors). That is where the 0.2X increase (in sensitivity) comes from.
“The sensor technology has cleared reliability tests involving the application of stress such as temperature, humidity, electrical voltage and light, paving the way for the use of the organic CMOS image sensor in a wide range of applications.”
Sweet! It sounds as if it is really completely out of the lab, and very very close to the production line.
Panny lenses + Panny body with the said sensor (+ X-Trans layout) = Win!
P.S. But here is the bad news: the sensor still has color filter, still no full-color pixels, still RGB layout, consequently still demosaicing and artifacts.
Not sure about RGB layout. The diagram shown works equally well with light splitting technology. I think the Bayer structure is there just for easier comparison to the older technology.
Well spotted! Good post! 🙂
“I think the Bayer structure is there just for easier comparison to the older technology.”
Point # …”1,2 times more sensible” …wow, not only organic but it has a lot of common sense …maybe it’ll help some photographers around here …ahhh, why won’t my camera take the shot …bad composition.
It looks like the new Messiah is coming.. And again this enthusiasm will repeat at the next step in tech development. It’s nice to see that things go on and brands work/cooperate to improve future products, BUT it seems also that people react like this: I’ll wait for this sensor, because it will be better than what is available now.
“… the range of incident angles was limited to around 30-40 degrees… organic CMOS image sensor technology has enabled expansion of this range to 60 degrees.”
Will this be a game-changer?
BLAH… this is gonna be likely for small sensor, like cellphones or compact digicams. This sounds a lot like backlight sensors, just a marketing joke! What they should do is to work together with Sigma and make a Foveon without weird color issues at isos > 400.
You got those drunk glasses on again?
What is the very good reason that they won’t want a game changing tech in larger sensors?
If this sensor will be available soon and it’s really so good, then I will change from Olympus to Fuji, also because they have the better zooms lenses, something for that I’m waiting to long now from Olympus.
I have been hoping for more sensible sensors…
Pretty pretty cool. It’s about time Panasonic pushes its sensor to the next generation. The last above average sensor was in the GH2 / GH1, and they still use it. The 16 MP GX1 sensor was just a re-hash of the old 12 MP with more pixels. When you read the text, it’s notable that the organic sensor was developed by Fuji, and Panasonic developed the “semiconductor device”. Anyway, I hope it doesn’t have too many drawbacks, and we can see the sensor in a m43 soon. Sounds good for a fixed-lens camera too, though.
I am not so much excited by the claims made by the blurb (but having Fuji involved it seems really promising because they have a lot to live up to from their other models) but more about this being not only a serious challenger to Sony/Olympus but it introduces a new technology – it promises well for the future.
I want it NOW!
But, is it vegan?
I don’t care. Just give me meat & it doesn’t have to organic. 😉
The good news will be if Panasonic show production version of micro43 camera with new sensor. News about 42.5 f/1.2 was in 2011, and there is no product in shops in 2013. New technology of sensor is much more complicated then lens.
But if it will be true, it is very good news for micro43 system – in the same compatible system we will have:
1) technology from Olympus & Sony
2) technology from Panasonic & Fuji
3) technology from Blackmagic
When will be first micro43 camera from Panasonic with organic sensor?
” i.e. one severalth of the thickness of a silicon photodiode”
Masterful use of English to give a precise explanation.
Just a hint of string and actual length here, maybe, maybe just wishful thinking that I want it ‘that’ big.
Organic! That means grown in sh!, sorry, poo.
You thought overheating was a problem, just wait till this gets hot.
I refuse to get excited about this for several reasons:
1. There is a world of difference between a demonstration of feasibility and a commercial product. It is stated that the research results will be presented this week, so at present it’s not much more than a good idea. An industry-level research typically takes 5-10 years to mature into a product even if it’s given high priority.
2. Potential advances in sensor technology will be incremental and slow. Don’t expect quantum leaps. Achieving one stop of DR (and ISO) over existing technology will take a lot of time.
3. Chances are that the first applications of the new technology will be industrial rather than consumer-related. Its biggest advantage seems to be the lower requirements from optics, so it is most likely to be used where lenses are most restrictive (which is not in consumer cameras).
4. New sensor technology = new problems. Novel photographic artifacts may arise from the use of organic photosensitizers. In particular, temperature might impact color-specific sensitivity. Additionally, from the description it seems that the notion of photosites is not entirely valid to this technology. It looks like neighboring pixels should interact to a great extent, which is a good thing as long as you don’t pixel peep. The “sharpness” produced by such a sensor should resemble film more than digital.
Sneye: Time to market is today much quicker than 5 – 10 years. I this case rather 1 – 2 years.
Came from the result of Olympus siding with Sony? I think so.
Question is, will Panasonic be willing to share this tech with Olympus? I doubt it.
I’ve always thought the Olympus move with Sony was an act of betrayal. Panasonic could’ve easily bailed Olympus out, instead they team up with a rival.
I always thought giving Olympus the crumbs (lower tech sensors) was an act of betrayal. I think you conveniently forget Olympus didn’t get access to the better GH2 sensor at the time. So in my opinion Olympus betrayed nobody.
Organic hey?
Heloooou fungus… 😉
“Fujifilm has developed a process technology to produce inorganic films for protecting the organic film. It prevents the entry of moisture and oxygen into the organic film to safeguard it against performance degradation. The sensor technology has cleared reliability tests involving the application of stress such as temperature, humidity, electrical voltage and light, paving the way for the use of the organic CMOS image sensor in a wide range of applications.”
Yeah, I expect solutions to this already being in place for the timeframe given here. They can’t launch a product where they detoriate after only a relatively short time.
That’s what I found so exciting with this rumor! 3 years sounds like a while, but that was 3 years for a _commercialized product_. That’s not bad at all!
Hope in the soon future, Panny and Oly will correct CA, color fringing, etc in camara for different Lenses in Bodies too.
I hope this can combine with “Micro Color Splitters” sensor from panasonic too.
can’t wait for it >_<
This is the right solution of the sensor design, looking forward to see it’s commecialized.
No organic no buy
Organic sensor? What’s next? Free-range organic sensors?
I keep mixing up the GX7 with LX7, but, well, cool! Grow an organic sensor in there and see what happens. I will volunteer to test it.
I don’t care about this!
I care about IBIS!
And I want IBIS in 11 dimensions!!!
If the micro color splitter was possible with normal CMOS sensors and increased both light sensitivity and DR, can they put that with this new organic sensor? I mean, can they do that within an year? THIS would be a revolution.
amazing x-trans sensor? did I miss something? It isn’t very good at all isn’t it?
but great news maybe this will help the to eliminate the x-trans problems.
Since the new organic sensors bring in light from 60 degrees versus 30-40 degrees for existing lenses and sensors does this mean the same lens with organic sensor would be wider or the same focal lengths? The information indicates this sensor will first be used in security cameras, mobile devices and digital cameras. It also states that organic sensors will enable cameras and lenses to be built smaller. Since the angle of light collection differs so much I would assume that the first application would be with fixed lens cameras rather than interchangeable lens ones like m4/3rds?
29EV means you need 32bit word to store such amount of data. Forget what does it mean to scan sensor using 32bit ADC but…
Many of you probably have CD players. CDs uses 16 bit data. And 16-bit audio has a dynamic range of 96 dB. So how it can be that 16 bits (or EV) gives 96 dB while 88 dB gives 29 EV (or bits) ???
Dynamic range is maximal SNR thus for the saturation value as max signal and noise level as min usable one. DR as such has no unit per se. It can be expressed in EV (by calculating log2(max/min) ) or… dB. Be aware that depending of the definition dB is computed as 10*log10(x) or 20*log10(x). In photography commonly is used second equation. Thus 88 dB equals to 14,8 EV.
Taking the results of dynamic range measurement done by DxO we know that Nikon D800 has 13.3 EV. Which in turn is 80 dB.
The best sensor yet (used for example in Pentax K5 or Nikon D5200) achieves 13.9 EV (or 83,9 dB)
Does new organic sensor is better that D800 one? Sure it is.
29EV of DR? Not at all…
I have by mistake mixed the D5200 with K5 that obviously uses different sensors. Sorry for that
It is IMX071 that poses a crown of DR (for APS-C sensors) which is the same as D800 one (as the pixel pich is the same)
But 24 Mpx sensor used in D600 achieves 13.4 EV (80.7 dB)
Dynamic range of 88 db is just ridiculous! Sounds like HDR without the artificial editing and artifacts, and much closer to “what you remember” after the brain has processed the signal from the eyes. I have often missed that in photography, and HDR editing is absolutely no perfect solution. If it could achieve something like that, it would be like a holy grail to me!