Sony Semiconductor Solutions (SSS) announced a new global shutter image sensor earlier this week. While aimed at industrial applications and therefore unlikely to appear in a consumer camera anytime soon, if ever, the 24.5-megapixel sensor’s specifications are well worth discussing.
As spotted by Sony Alpha Rumors, the headline sensor, the IMX925, is a 24.55-megapixel stacked, backside-illuminated global shutter sensor capable of shooting at a blazing-fast 394 frames per second in 10-bit recording and even faster in 8-bit.
This new sensor features Sony’s Pregius S global shutter technology, which the company says is “made possible by SSS’s original pixel structure, delivering a compact design with minimal noise and high-quality imaging performance.”
The IMX925 also features a new circuit structure optimized for fast pixel reading and sensor drive in the analog-to-digital (A/D) converter. This essential component turns analog signals (photons) into a digital signal inside image sensors. Sony claims these advancements enable processing approximately four times faster and twice as efficiently as conventional products, including Sony’s IMX530 Type 1.2 24.55-megapixel CMOS image sensor.
The IMX925 is joined by the IMX935, which is built upon the same primary sensor technology but offers slower frame rates. Technically, the IMX925 can shoot as fast as 442 frames per second, but only in 8-bit mode. Its touted 394 frames per second speed is for 10-bit images, while a 12-bit mode slows down to 212 frames per second. The IMX935 tops out at 225 frames per second for 8-bit capture.
Both models are Type 1.2 sensors, meaning they measure 19.3 millimeters diagonally. For reference, a Sony APS-C sensor is about 28 millimeters diagonally. Given its industrial target audience, it is worth noting that this image sensor size is well-matched to a C-mount camera, a relatively common format for security and machine vision cameras. Sony also notes volumetric imaging for sports as a potential use case, but that would be more on the broadcast technology side of things.
Alongside the IMX925 and IMX935 Type 1.2 sensors, Sony also unveiled the IMX926 and IMX936. These global shutter sensors built on the same architecture are 14 millimeters diagonally, even smaller and similar to a large smartphone sensor. They are both approximately 12.4 megapixels and can shoot as fast as 660 frames per second in an 8-bit mode in the case of the IMX926. A 10-bit recording knocks the speed down to 588 frames per second.
As mentioned, these new global shutter sensors are designed for industrial applications. These specific sensors offer little for more traditional photographic and video applications. However, the research and development and engineering efforts to ensure the new global shutter sensors are extremely fast and efficient may pay dividends for future sensors that better fit Sony’s interchangeable lens mirrorless photo, video, and hybrid cameras. The Sony a9 III is unlikely to be Sony’s only global shutter camera forever, after all.
Image credits: Sony Semiconductor Solutions