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Canon Announces Development of 250MP sensor, 8K Camera

The megapixel war heats up again thanks to Canon's new sensors.

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In separate announcements this Labor Day weekend, Canon revealed that it is developing a 250-megapixel CMOS sensor, a brand-new 8K Cinema EOS system camera, and a 120-megapixel EF-mount DSLR. While there's no timetable set for the products' release, these feel more like "when" than "if" propositions.

{{amazon name="Canon EOS Rebel T6i Digital SLR with EF-S 18-55mm IS STM Lens", asin="B00T3ER7QO", align="right"}} First up is that resolution monster, the 250-megapixel CMOS sensor. Canon's managed to cram a whopping 19,580 x 12,600 of resolution on a sensor. While those are numbers you'd be hard-pressed to find with a medium format sensor, this one's not even full-frame. It's an APS-H sensor, which is just slightly larger than the APS-C sensors that have become commonplace.

Certainly there are lots of technical challenges to overcome with a prototype sensor so pixel-dense, but Canon claims the new sensor was able to capture legible text on the side of an airplane over 11 miles away. Additionally, Canon boasts a readout speed of 1.25 billion pixels per second: enough to capture approximately five frames per second.

A manufacturer-supplied render of the Canon 250 megapixel APS-H CMOS sensor.
Credit: Canon

The new resolution king, this sensor packs 250 megapixels in an impressively small size.

For professional videographers, Canon's new 8K EOS system camera is bound to be the most appealing development. Canon claims it will be able to offer 8,192 x 4,320 video at 60 frames per second, with up to 13 stops of dynamic range. Additionally, the camera will be able to use Canon's storied line of interchangeable EF lenses, similar to the existing Cinema EOS C500, C300, and C100 cameras.

A manufacturer-supplied render of Canon's new 8K cinema camera.
Credit: Canon

4K? Forget that, 8K is the new hotness.

Finally, Canon also announced the development of a new EOS system DSLR with a 120-megapixel sensor. While additional details are scant, Canon touts the ability to print texture-rich images from this camera on a large-format printer—a good indication that this shooter might be more geared towards professionals.

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