Panasonic released a new pdf document (Click here to download it) that includes the presentation of a Micro Four Thirds sensor. As our readers pointed out this could be the description of the current GH2 sensor. It has:
• 4:3 aspect ratio (diagonal: 21.9 mm optical format) with 17.78 million pixels.
• Effective pixels: 5,054 (H) × 3,518 (V) = 17,779,972
• 3.80 μm square pixels
• Capable of full-HD video at 59.94 frames/sec (pixel addition mode)
It’s a bi weird that the [shoplink 16254]GH2[/shoplink] image-sensor’s pixel size is 3.63 Microns and the [shoplink 26836]G3/GX1[/shoplink] image-sensor’s pixel size is 3.75 Microns. So is this really the GH2 sensor description? What’s also interesting is that Panasonic is using a new term I never heard before… “Micromachined cell technology” that delivers high resolution performance! It has a 12 bit ADC with high Singal to Noise ratio.
And there is also one more graph showing the new Imaging Processor:
Would love to hear your thoughts on that. And maybe our more expert readers can find out more?
41 Responses
hope that soon some new olympus camera will get gh2 sensor
Because of IBIS (and there is no way Olympus will do without) it might not be as straightforward as it seems.
Wouldn’t see GH2’s sensor as thing to celebrate anymore.
GH2’s sensor must be already at least year and half old (sensor has to be ready before final design of camera) and except for lack of multi-aspect ratio E-M5’s sensor appears to be all around better than GH2’s.
DxOMark hasn’t posted review but Techradar was told to have similar test methods and those put it clearly above (over)hyped G3/GX1 sensor.
Sounds good, but I will still stick on my plan to buy OM-D. Last time with GH2 delivery time were too long, so I won’t wait another year to get GH3.
Mmm pana is not a bad company but i would love to see another sensor tecnology from olympus or fuji !!!!!!!
This is a pdf for sensors they sell to other companies (“Your company’s BB technology can be used with Panasonic’s design assets”). Dont you think they would protect their GH3 sensor?
Maybe it will use the same “Micromachined” technology but I dont think it is exactly the same.
Plus it says it is 4:3 aspect ratio, and they would use multi aspect ratio for the GH3 since GH2 was so. They would not downgrade.
In fact i really hate that sensor news , sensor this , sensor that, quality is ’bout everything, for me optics are more important than sensor, i really love me D60 with a nikkor 50mm 1.2, old sensor -but simple tecnology- and powerfull lens, and god my EPL1 with a OM zuiko 50mm 1.4 , is awesome , not bulky like 5DMII ,but really good to carry all the time !!!
And all those cameras have old sensor, but for me , the more important is , ergonomy , system and lens, !!!!!!!!
Ahh. A real world person.
Is this sensor capable to produce imagings up to X Pro standard ? ISO performance & Dynamic Range departments ?
All this remain to be seen & I don’t expect minor improvements for this highend camera .
X Pro imaging standard looks inevitable this time or even better but I know it will be really unreasonable if ask something beyond that .
You’d be better off figuring out what sort of performance you’re looking for from a sensor… rather than comparing with the best-of-the-best APS-C!
Those that do a lot of pushing of colours in RAW will want 14-bit for instance. Is 14 EVs of true dynamic range needed? Isn’t roll-off more important?
I stopped paying attention to high ISO performance a long time ago because whilst they have gotten noise under control: dynamic range, colour reproduction, contrast all take a hit. I do my best to shoot with the sensor’s “base” ISO (200 even though 100 is available). I’d much rather see someone produce a sensor with base ISO 800 and then chuck some ND filters in there!
Thankfully Oly provides us with IBIS and the 2x crop allows for practical use of fast lenses so I think that 4/3s sensors are doing more than enough already.
Yeap TOM u r damn right !!
Who cares ISO VALUES !!!
I disagree. μ4/3 really still need a sensor with higher dynamic range.
And anyway we are talking about the sensor now. It does not have to do with the optics. It doesnt mean they will not make good optics or bad optics because of a new sensor design.
PDF says: MN34070.
This is the GH2 sensor, see
https://chipworks.secure.force.com/catalog/ProductDetails?sku=PAN-DMC-GH2-K_Pri-Camera&viewState=DetailView
Ha! Old sensor, now offered for other companies.
But the text above says they have different pixel density.
I think the difference is caused from the difference between pixel pitch(or pixel distance) and pixel size(or photodiode size)…
Most of all, the PDF file says MN34070 and Chipworks also says it is MN34070 of GH2.
Shouldn’t it be oversized? (Isn’t the GH2 sensor not 4:3?)
It probably is.
Yes, it is oversized. But it’s still 4:3 in aspect ratio.
PDF says it is a 17.75 mpix 4:3 sensor IDEAL for STILL photos….
Not multi aspect, not (ideal) for video (my conclusion)
Now we are talking! I need increased tonal range and resolution for my photography. The G3 is not enough for me.
There has been positive reports about IQ performance of the EM5. Looking at image samples I seen so far, the difference to G3 is minor. Hope I am wrong.
If this 18 Mpix sensor is really new and means a difference is for me an open question.
I understand well that Pana released this after the positive reports about Oly EM5 IQ: Don’t buy their shit, buy our shit!! 🙂
Where do they say it is ideal for PHOTOS and not for VIDEO?
From the technical aspects, it seems bloody tailored to make GREAT video with 60fps and heavy binning!
Do we know if the GH2 did on sensor binning or does it legitimately down-sample from 18 MP? The resolution that it pumps out at 1080 makes me think binning but the high ISO performance in video makes me think down-sampling… hmmm.
PDF document – page 3.1 and top of page
Says it is for stills. The thing about what’s not is, as I write my own conclusion
Pana will *never* give this sensor to Oly. I really hope Oly has changed its sensor supplier.
This is GH2 sensors.
image-sensor’s pixel size is a little something else but is a same sensor.
http://image-sensors-world.blogspot.com/2012/04/panasonic-talks-about-micro-machined.html
The model name of this sensor is MN34070… Yes! This is the sensor of GH2. Check the link of Chipworks from the original article!!
The EM5 is now shipping world wide. Now Panasonic releases this pdf?
The OMD-EM5 might just have this new configured Panasonic sensor!
Yeah, olympus.de is shipping too
+1 crossed my mind too!
Effective pixel count of G3/GX1 is almost same with GH2’s. That means pixel size is not pixel pitch. So they don’t have the same pixel size, but have the same pixel pitch. If pixel size means pixel pitch, G3/GX1 must have less (effective) pixels than GH2’s!
Do not seriously think about the pixel size. Important thing is the model name(MN34070)!
As they say, it’s not the size of the pixels that matters… It’s what you do with them!
What they should do is make a new sensor with 8mp and say it’s for low noise. Then two years later make one with 40 mp and say it replaces digital medium format . Works for you-know-who.
Is it possible this is the sensor that we will see in the coming G5?
Strange for Pany to publish and advertise this sensor info to the world as if inviting other camera manufacturers to join m4/3?
I don’t think so, since the G3’s sensor is said to have better ISO capability, the biggest difference would be the size/multi-aspect thing.
The summary for me is:
– this is the GH2 sensor and this is a PDF for those that may want to buy the GH2.
– the GH2’s sensor is multi-aspect but it’s a oversized 4:3 sensor.
– still don’t think that the E-M5 is using Panasonic’s sensor, at least not from the GH2 nor the GX1/G3, there are just too many differences to be the same, DR, signal/noise ratio, ISO seems different as well and more. I don’t think all of this can just be done by processor/engine alone and sensor’s tweaks, if not the others cameras from Olympus that did have the 12MP Panasonic’s sensor would differ a lot from the cameras from Panasonic itself and that didn’t happen.
If the GH3 could just come with a global shutter, that would be something.
a 12 bit DAC usually means its destined for video work exclusively, I suspect that this is the next generation AF100 chip.
So basically Panasonic will now sell the GH2 sensor to 3rd party manufacturers? Good luck selling them two years after it was state of the art, lol.
They might have planned on them going to Oly under the ‘supply of old sensor agreement’ that denied oly the latest.
Oly got up and went elsewhere and pany need a new market or the sensor department’s budget is blown.
12 Bit dynamic and colour range? Thats bad….even Canon t2i has 14bit. The Tests of the last 2 Years shows that Gh2 has really usable 10bit…which is too low. So the dynamic range is only 9 steps compared to 11 of the Canon 7D or 12 Canon 5dmk2.
The optics is nothing if the senzor is not good. So this senzor is 12 bpp analog to digital and has 8192 colors available. A sensor of Canon 550d has 14 bpp (65 536 colors)so dynamic range on the Canon in Raw files is much better than Panasonic.