Canon 5d III. Performance and Reliability, Remarkable New Full-Frame 12.8 Megapixel Cmos Sensor

Dichroic mirror (Reflects infrared rays)

Infrared-absorbing glass

CMOS sensor

Low-pass filter (Separates image in vertical direction)

Phaser layer

(Converts linear polarized

light into circular polarized light)

Low-pass filter

(Separates image in horizontal direction)

Cross section of infrared cut, low-pass filter

III.PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY

Remarkable New

Full-Frame 12.8 Megapixel

CMOS Sensor

		The heart of the Canon EOS 5D Digital SLR is
		its extraordinary new, Canon-designed and
	23.9mm	–manufactured, full-frame, single-plate 12.8
		megapixel sensor. This is enough resolution
		for a double page spread in a magazine, a
		large print of the bride and groom, facial
35.8mm		detail in group shots or a landscape of
		impressive dimensions. The sensor’s 35.8mm
CMOS sensor (actual size)
		x 23.9mm size means that each pixel can be a

generous 8.2µm, resulting in exceptionally low shadow noise. The sensor’s low power consumption extends battery life and also lowers noise. A finer CMOS production process and optimized photodiode construction increase the light-sensitive area of each pixel and improve dynamic range as well.

The full-size sensor maximizes the performance of EF lenses, the world’s largest selection of autofocus lenses. With the full-size sensor, EF lenses — even wide-angle lenses — have the same look and feel that they have with conventional SLR cameras, preserving their optical signatures.

The anti-aliasing filter, which also functions as the CMOS sensor package’s cover glass, consists of an infrared-blocking filter, a primary low-pass filter, a phase plate and a secondary low-pass filter. While other cameras, such as the EOS 20D camera, have three crystal plates, the EOS 5D model’s filter has one independent crystal plate doing double duty as the cover glass. This reduces cost without affecting the filter’s performance.

Also significant are the large microlens array that gathers light for the photodiodes with great efficiency and the second-generation, on-chip, noise reduction circuit that effectively minimizes random noise and eliminates fixed-pattern noise. A wide standard ISO range is possible, 100 to 1,600, extendable to 50 and 3,200. Further, 4-channel reading is performed per

line, so shooting can continue at 3 fps, even at 12.8 megapixels per frame resolution. The result is very high resolution and exceptionally low image noise, on the same level

III. PERFORMANCE AND RELIABILITY 7