Press text: Samsung Takes Mobile Photography to the Next Level with Industry’s First 108Mp Image Sensor for Smartphones

Well it’s official! Samsung has launched the new 108MP sensor made for smartphones. I would really love to see some image samples but Samsung shared none so far. I Can’t believe yet that 108MP on such a small sensor are really any good. Let’s see…

This is the press text:

Samsung’s partnership with Xiaomi brings innovation to mobile cameras with new ISOCELL Bright HMX

Samsung Electronics, a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today introduced 108 megapixel (Mp) Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX, the first mobile image sensor in the industry to go beyond 100 million pixels. With the latest addition, Samsung will expand its 0.8μm image sensor offerings from its recently announced ultra-high 64Mp to 108Mp, a resolution equivalent to that of a high-end DSLR camera. Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX is a one-of-a-kind mobile image sensor and is the result of close collaboration between Xiaomi Corp. and Samsung.

With over 100 million effective pixels enabling extremely sharp photographs rich in detail, the ISOCELL Bright HMX also produces exceptional photos even in extreme lighting conditions. Being the first mobile image sensor to adopt a large 1/1.33-inch size, the HMX can absorb more light in low-lit settings than smaller sensors and its pixel-merging Tetracell technology allows the sensor to imitate big-pixel sensors, producing brighter 27Mp images. In bright environments, the Smart-ISO, a mechanism that intelligently selects the level of amplifier gains according to the illumination of the environment for optimal light-to-electric signal conversion, switches to a low ISO to improve pixel saturation and produce vivid photographs. The mechanism uses a high ISO in darker settings that helps reduce noise, resulting in clearer pictures. For advanced filming, the HMX supports video recording without losses in field-of-view at resolutions up to 6K (6016 x 3384) 30-frames-per-second (fps).

“For ISOCELL Bright HMX, Xiaomi and Samsung have worked closely together from the early conceptual stage to production that has resulted in a groundbreaking 108Mp image sensor. We are very pleased that picture resolutions previously available only in a few top-tier DSLR cameras can now be designed into smartphones,” said Lin Bin, co-founder and president of Xiaomi. “As we continue our partnership, we anticipate bringing not only new mobile camera experiences but also a platform through which our users can create unique content.”

“Samsung is continuously pushing for innovations in pixel and logic technologies to engineer our ISOCELL image sensors to capture the world as close to how our eyes perceive them,” said Yongin Park, executive vice president of sensor business at Samsung Electronics. “Through close collaboration with Xiaomi, ISOCELL Bright HMX is the first mobile image sensor to pack over 100 million pixels and delivers unparalleled color reproduction and stunning detail with advanced Tetracell and ISOCELL Plus technology.”

Mass production for Samsung ISOCELL Bright HMX will begin later this month.

–

* Samsung first announced its ISOCELL technology in 2013, which reduces color-cross talk between pixels by placing a physical barrier, allowing small-sized pixels to achieve higher color fidelity. Based on this technology, Samsung introduced the industry’s first 1.0um-pixel image sensor in 2015 and 0.9-pixel sensor in 2017. In June 2018, Samsung introduced an upgraded pixel isolation technology, the ISOCELL Plus

Blackmagic has announced the new EF-mount Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

Blackmagic has announced the new EF-mount Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K and you can preorder it for $2,495 at BHphoto. Blackmagic writes:

The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K features a Super 35 size sensor, 13 stops of dynamic range and dual native ISO up to 25,600 for HDR images and incredible low light performance. External controls give quick access to essential functions, while the large 5 inch touchscreen makes it easy to frame shots, focus accurately and change camera settings. Features include built in SD/UHS‑II or CFast 2.0 recorders for Blackmagic RAW or ProRes recording as well as a USB‑C expansion port for recording externally to disks, plus EF lens mount, built-in microphones, XLR input, full sized HDMI, 3D LUT support, Bluetooth and more.

You fools! Why spend $10,000 on the Fuji GFX when you can have a Xiaomi phone with 108 megapixels? :)

Today Dpreview published the full Fuji GFX100 review. And of course it scores great! Dp writes:

The GFX 100 is a highly specialized tool, and yet one that Fujifilm has worked on to make as flexible and capable as possible. It offers very high resolution, supported by good glass and image stabilization to let you exploit that resolution far beyond the studio. It’s not an all-rounder like some of the high-res full-frame mirrorless cameras can be, but it does things you wouldn’t expect of a 100MP medium format camera.

So you are ready to get a $10,000 loan from you bank to buy the new GFX100? Don’t do it! Xiaomi just teased the launch of a much cheapera new Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 model with a new Samsung 108 megapixel sensor!

Why spend $10,000 on great Fuji mirrorless when you can have shitty cramped 108 Megapixel phone?

Seriously folks, I am all in foor a nice Megapixel race but I bet that 108MP on such a small phone sensor is worse than having 12 large Megapixel on my iPhone :)