As you know Nikon uses also Aptina sensors in order to become more independent from Sony. So it is interesting to read the latest news (Source: Engadget) about the Aptina-Sony agreement:
Here is the text:
Aptina Enters into Patent License Agreement with Sony
SAN JOSE, Calif.–Aptina today announced that it has signed a patent cross-license agreement with Sony, which provides each company with access to the other’s patent portfolio.
Aptina and Sony have built industry leading patent portfolios that include seminal image sensor patents covering image capture and processing methods. These technologies are fundamental to the world’s growing image sensor industry, with sales of over two billion units annually, and found in almost every consumer electronics device including smart phones, automobiles, tablets, televisions, gaming platforms, medical equipment and digital cameras.
This cross-license agreement enables these two innovation leaders to operate freely and use each other’s patented inventions to advance the pace of development for cameras and other imaging applications. The cooperation fostered by the cross-license reinforces the ability of both companies to provide compelling imaging solutions to their customers.
“Patents and innovation are a critical component of Aptina’s strategy, and Aptina’s patent portfolio is the largest and strongest in the image sensor industry,” said Bob Gove, President and CTO of Aptina. “We believe that this powerful blend will advance technology to realize our goal of enabling consumers to capture beautiful images and visual information.”
Aptina, the foundational CMOS imaging company, began within Micron Technology in 2001 with acquisitions of early CMOS imaging companies Photobit and then Avago Technologies’ image sensor business. Aptina became an independent company in 2009. Aptina delivers advanced CMOS imaging solutions to all major imaging markets and is the leading supplier in many markets including the rapidly growing automotive market.
P.S:: Sony also announced the sale of their huge Sony building in Osaki (Source: Engadget).
44 Responses
SAR is always so fast… 😉
“The Osaki building has been purchased by a Japanese holding company who will lease the building back to Sony for a period of at least five years.”
Usually that’s not a good idea in the long run… 🙁
Yes it is, it releases capital which is needed right now.
Most companies are divesting themselves of assets such as buildings and leasing back space. Not a bad idea, actually.
Not Osaka, “Osaki” is correct.
RED?! Nice second plan.
How does the SONY/RED dispute play into this? Does Aptina make RED sensors?
Its all about cross licensing sensor technologies. Possibly both companies to become immune on sensor and camera buisnesses.
So does that mean Nikon 1 series will have the same RX100 sensor from Aptina? Obviously Nikon is the biggest beneficiary. What is Sony getting out of this?
Some cash maybe.. Looks like it is Aptina’s initiative.
The sharks smell blood. 😉
Maybe Sony will end up buying the smaller patina someday.
Maybe Sony will get on sensor PDAF that actually works. So far the Nikon 1 cameras with Aptina sensors are the only ones where having on sensor PDAF significantly helps focus speed.
For such a small sensor, they have more depth in the image plane which makes focusing easier. Needs no better OSPDAF.
The bigger the sensor, the harder it gets.
If on sensor PDAF actually worked sensor size would not matter. Crop sensor SLRs do not focus faster than full frame versions. I have never used a Nikon 1 but from what I have read the camera focuses very quickly even when used with SLR lenses when there is enough light for the PDAF to work well.
With cameras that rely on CDAF how quickly the data can be read from the sensor makes a big difference and having a small sensor helps. While increased DOF could mask errors I do not think that is a big factor. Cameras with slow CDAF tend to just take a long time to move the lens or hunt badly. I have never noticed my NEX spending a lot of time fine tuning the focus, it just takes a relatively long time to even get close.
I have never seen a good explanation of how on sensor PDAF works. Conventional PDAF relies on the PDAF sensor and image sensor being at different focal planes and the bigger the difference the more accurate the focusing will be. With both the image and focus sensors being on the same focal plane they must be doing something different for on sensor PDAF and it is very possible that Aptina has found and patented some sort of secret sauce. If Sony can get access to such a patent (if it exists) it would be very useful. Sony would get fast PDAF and Aptina could use whatever Sony does to get high dynamic range.
EXACTLY. Focus speed is already a high priority for the FF NEX. The lack of benefit of PDAF on my 5r is very disappointing, and I have considered selling it until they can get it right on a future body. I feel like getting fully working pdaf is the crucial step for a mirrorless camera to fully replace my DSLR. Also, make the PDAF sits the full width like the new Samsung.
Sony, while you’re at it, make the NEX bodies a bit thicker so that you can add IBIS. We already can’t fit the cameras with lens in our pockets.
With a 2.7 crop 75% of the field of view is in focus 100% of the time. With the small movement required to move tiny elements the PDAF is naturally snappy (IN GOOD LIGHT)
In poor light it reverts back to CDAF and is as slow as any other make of mirrorless camera
If the tech in the Nikon 1 was so fantastic we would already see it in the D4/D800/D600/D7100.
It is in Osaki, Tokyo. Not in Osaka.
Much better than the way the cellphone industry is behaving at the moment.
Good guy Sony!
Aptina is FABless company so it’s possible that Nikon 1 sensors are produced in Sony FAB while they are designed by Aptina. Similar thing could be with Nikon designed sensors even if there is possibility they are produced by Renesas.
Nikon is pretty much independent from Sony sensors in their latest interchangeable lens cameras
– Nikon 1 Aptina
– D3200 Nikon
– D5200 Toshiba
– D7100 Toshiba
– D600 Sony
– D800 Sony
– D4 Nikon
Aptina doesn’t necessarily need to get Sony to fab its sensors. Don’t forget that Aptina started life as the CMOS division of Micron Technologies. The latter still has several FABs that churn out DRAM and NAND Flash and SSD memory chips. Aptina can always go back to its former parent for any fabbing.
I agree. Nikon is the biggest beneficiary from this deal. It now has access not only to Toshiba’s sensors, Aptina’s sensors, and indirectly through Aptina, any new sensor tech that Sony comes up, without the need to actually buy Sony sensors. This Aptina-Sony patent cross-licensing will even put more pressure on Canon to up its game in both sensor tech and semiconductor lithography equipment. Canon’s current 500nm FAB isn’t cutting it anymore.
I assume Canon will become a FABless company for sensors, just like Nikon. It’s cheaper because they produce sensors only for themselves. There where some rumors about Canon outsourcing sensor production to Fujitsu because of more advanced Cu process. Right now only Japanese company which use Cu process for DSLR sensors is Toshiba.
Fujitsu fabbing for Canon? Nikon wouldn’t like this. Fujitsu is already fabbing for Nikon for the EXPEED series of image processors.
I don’t think Canon would shop around the international sensor parts bin for sensors that will be put into EOS cameras. Canon takes pride in the fact that Canon EOS cameras exclusively use sensors developed AND manufactured by Canon itself. And Canon has been milking its 500nm process for quite sometime now according to Chipworks.
Nikon doesn’t have this liability at all. It can shop around everywhere for sensors, the latest and greatest from every CMOS makers.
Expeed in Nikon DSLR’s is fully Fujitsu designed with some tweaks for Nikon. It’s ASIC based on Fujitsu’s own Milbeaut architecture and besides Nikon Expeed it’s used in some Pentax DLSR’s and Sigma SD series.On the other hand Expeed 3 in Nikon 1 is ARM architecture.
For APS-C sensors Canon did not use 500nm for some time. It would be quite difficult or quite expensive for Canon to produce their own sensor in the future and to be on par with Sony, Toshiba or Nikon in sensor performance.
Digics and Expeeeds are both developed based around Fujitsu milbeaut.
and they are very similar , almost identical in design.
No, Canon Digic is based on Texas Instruments version of ARM.
Today’s news:
“LFoundry to Acquire Micron Italy Fab, to Manufacture Sensors for Aptina”.
There you go.
What are patents for again?
“use each other’s patented inventions to advance the pace of development for cameras and other imaging applications”
They just admited that patents are good for nothing…
But how did the patents emerge?
Often by investing time & money in reseach and development.
And the patents was the enabler that made it worthwhile to do that investment.
/E
That is fairytale these days.
It might have made sense 80 years ago when we had a much more level playing field.
What is the point of awarding big corporations like Sony, Samsung, Apple or Microsoft with patents? Seriously? What? They need protection?
If anything they need the exact opposite to prevent monopolies and them becoming too comfortable bullying the little guys…
Patents are just protecting big corporations and stiffling inovation to their individual advantage and no one else’s, end of story.
I wish I can disprove you. Good thing I’m not a lawyer.
Wow, so small companies should be able to steal R&D results to increase competition? Should we start by issuing an international Intellectual Property tax that releases a percentage of patents to public domain each year? Yeah, that’s faulty logic as well.
I meant to madmax
Sounds like Aptina has more to gain from this than Sony Semiconductors given the relative R&D budgets for the two, unless of course Sony is getting cash out of it as well as patents.
A bit off topic but… Capitalism treats companies as “people”, the only problem being that people die and companies live forever.
What is gonna happen in 200 years? We will have 300 year old humongous companies being treated as “people” and being allowed to sue 20 year old kids like its fair game?
How many assets and patents can a company earn and be awarded if it never dies?
How can this be fair in the long term?
Sure, if you are talking about patents only, they are supposed to expire, but we all know that is not what really happens, with patents being slightly modified or added to so that the periods get extended…
Patents expire so the longevity of the company is not that important, if they quit investing money in the development of new products or spend money to buy others patents eventually they will not have any patent protection.
I’m not making a good argument, but the counter-argument would be those ‘300 year old’s may be sheltering other ’20 year old’s (i.e. While the people at the top racks the capital, there are small people in the gears too that still needs the capital trickling down, as small as it is)
It would be interesting to see if Aptina now decides to sue other CMOS manufacturers based on their patent portfolio. Sony cannot be sued (for the moment and depending on how this agreement is actually written), so maybe Sony decided that there is underlying technology that they need (or want). We shall see what the ramifications of this deal is in the future.
Seems to me that it’s a Nikon, Sony, agreement to improve sensors technology, and knock, Canon out of the lead, by coming out with the tools they need to be better, and continue there advancements. Plus you can only do so much under one roof.
Doesn’t matter that tech is not ready for APS-C/FF anyway or Nikon would be all mirrorless.
The biggest winners are the consumers after this deal is done. The biggest losers are the lawyers. No more patent infringement trials .. Apple should take example
Consumers win with competition. Consumers lose with monopolies.
I agree with you. Patent exchange won’t hurt anyone. Sony will still face tough competition even with this agreement. Patent agreements means you find the product in store earlier with features you want .