Well this is exciting! Samsung and Fujifilm are now a step closer to break the Sony dominance in the sensor world. They just announced the new ISOCELL Plus sensor. On the downside there is no hint about when exactly we can see that sensor to be used on future Fuji cameras.

Here is the official press text:

You might not think about it when you’re snapping that selfie by the beach, but it’s taken years of research and engineering for you to be able to share those high-resolution photos on your social media feeds. From tackling the challenges of improved resolution to low-light performance, Samsung has been a leader in smartphone camera technology, consistently earning high praise from industry gurus and consumers alike for its image sensors.

Nowhere is that truer than with Samsung’s latest ISOCELL Plus sensor technology that is powering the best-in-class cameras found on the company’s flagship devices. Here’s how Samsung overcame the engineering challenges of smartphone cameras and developed the ISOCELL Plus technology that is pushing the boundaries of image sensors to deliver crystal clear, color accurate photos even in challenging light conditions.

Understanding Pixel Technology

Typical CMOS sensors, the most common type of image sensor found in smartphones, are made of four layers: a layer of micro lenses to direct light towards the photodiodes, a color filter to detect and separate color information, a metal layer of wiring connecting the individual photodiodes, and a photodiode layer to collect light and convert it into electrical charges.

To take those high-quality images, each pixel within CMOS sensors needs to be able to hold as much light as possible, so that they can transmit accurate color information to the image signal processor. The better the image sensor, the more light its pixels are able to capture, meaning larger pixels allow for better photographs. For smartphones, however, this has presented major engineering challenges.

As the industry has trended towards slimmer devices, their interiors have less room for components. As a result, pixels have gotten smaller, making light absorption more difficult. Additionally, the typical structure of front-side illuminated (FSI) sensor means there is a wire layer in front of the photosensitive layer, blocking between 20% to 70% of light from the photodiode.¹

Backside illuminated (BSI) sensors, which shave down the silicone so thin that the photodiode can be illuminated from its backside, were the first solution to this problem. But there is still the lingering challenge of crosstalk, which happens when some of the light that should hit a specific photodiode leaks to neighboring photodiodes, causing noise in the final image.

While each of these problems had been addressed with a variety of solutions from different technology companies, in 2013 Samsung took them head on with the introduction of its first ISOCELL sensor, setting a new bar for excellence.

The ISOCELL Revolution

With backside illumination already addressing many of the light absorption issues, Samsung’s ISOCELL technology addressed the problems created by crosstalk. Engineers designed a physical barrier between neighboring pixels, isolating them and allowing more light to be gathered by the micro-lens and absorbed by the photodiode.

Compared to conventional backside illumination pixels, the first generation ISOCELL pixels decreased crosstalk by approximately 30% and increased the full well capacity (FWC) by approximately 30%, resulting in higher color fidelity and tack-sharp images with greater dynamic range.²ISOCELL technology also allows for a wider chief ray angle (CRA) by capturing more oblique light, which ultimately allows for brighter lenses with wider aperture, resulting in brighter and clear pictures in low light conditions. Due to their design, ISOCELL image sensors could also reduce the height of the camera module even in high-resolution, making them ideal for the sleek form factor of modern smartphones.

Five years after the launch of ISOCELL, Samsung has taken image sensing technology even further with ISOCELL Plus.

ISOCELL Plus: The Next Evolution

In conventional ISOCELL technology, while the metal grids that isolated the color filter reduced interference between pixels, they also lead to some optical loss as they absorbed incoming light or reflected light to neighboring pixels. ISOCELL Plus replaces that metal barrier with an innovative new material developed by Fujifilm that minimizes optical loss and light reflection.

The innovative upgrades of ISOCELL Plus deliver higher color fidelity and up to a 15% enhancement in light sensitivity.³ The technology also enables image sensors to equip pixels of 0.8-micrometer (µm) or smaller without any performance loss, making it an optimal solution for developing high-resolution cameras. Not only will ISOCELL Plus enable the development of ultra-high-resolution sensors with small pixels, it will also bring performance enhancements for sensors with larger pixel designs.

Since the launch of ISOCELL Plus in July 2018, Samsung has steadily expanded its image sensor lineup built on the technology.

Want to know more about ISOCELL image sensors? Visit our LinkedIn and Twitter pages to stay up to date with news on the latest and greatest image sensor technology.

¹ Samsung’s internal research.

² Tested internally on the ISOCELL image sensor and the Samsung’s conventional BSI sensor.

³ Tested internally on the ISOCELL Plus image sensor and the conventional ISOCELL image sensor.

Source: Samsung via Fujirumors

In this interview with TowerJazz posted by Charbax you can find some interesting info:

Minute 7: He confirms that some Panasonic cameras use TowerJazz sensors

Minute 8: He sees a problem in the fact that Sony is also a camera market. So for example if there is competition on the supply Sony may give themselves the benefit instead of Nikon.

Minute 12:40: He says 8K and speed are definitely coming but the rela challenge is advancaments in High Dynamic Range.

Dpreview interviewed Uwe Moebus of Hasselblad. Some highlights:

1) ‘We have learnt that we should launch products when they are ready and fully developed for the market. We have also learnt a lot from our customers over last three years about what should be improved and we tried to bring this into the new camera.

2) ‘There are fewer professional photographers and it is getting harder for professionals to make money’

3) ‘There are fewer professional photographers and it is getting harder for professionals to make money’

4) Hasselblad was never tempted to use a higher resolution sensor in this model

5) Hasselblad was caught out by the demand for the X1D and really struggled at first to produce enough units to meet its orders. Since then though the company has boosted its production line, its manufacturing processes and assembly to deal with much larger volumes than it had expected. ‘

6) 35-75mm F3.5-4.5 zoom lens. Hasselblad claims it is the best lens the company has ever made

Hasselblad X1DII preorder for $5,750 at BHphoto.

Nice lenses from Sony! Now I hope they will make some fast f/1.2 primes too :)

Preorders:
Sony 200-600mm FE at BHphoto, FocusCamera and Adorama.
Sony 600mm FE GM at BHphoto, FocusCamera and Adorama.

The German company Hartblei released the new Supperrotator for E-Mount, L-Mount, EOS-R and Nikon-Z.

Press release:

New Hartblei SRA-I Superrotator adapter for E-Mount, L-Mount, EOS-R and Nikon-Z. Use all excellent Zeiss Hasselblad lenses with the famous, fully independent Tilt-Shift superrotator movements (10mm of shift as well as 8 degrees of tilt – both geared + self locking )and parallaxfree 3x 360º Rotation. Tripod foot is Arca compatible
(We also have a Pentacon mount version for the Users of Zeiss Jena Glass)SAR
Please PN me for more Infos – s.steib@hartblei.de

The Item is available right now (built on order) – the price is 1129,-€ net + shipment

You can get those nice new M-mount lenses here:
Vario Prasma 50mm f/1.5 at Japancamerahunter.
ISM 50mm f/1.0 at Japancamerahunter.

Note: All images and text belong to JapanCameraHunter and cannot be reproduced or used without permission

Most of us hate the Adobe subscription model but from a financial point of view Adobe’s strategy is working out very well. At least luckily for us Adobe’s $9,99 monthly plan has been reinstated on their subscription page (Click here).

Adobe Reports Record Q2 Revenue
Achieves 25 Percent Year-Over-Year Growth with Strong Creative, Adobe Document Cloud and Adobe Experience Cloud Revenue

Q2 FY2019 Financial Highlights

• Adobe achieved record quarterly revenue of $2.74 billion in its second quarter of fiscal year 2019, which represents 25 percent year-over-year growth. Diluted earnings per share was $1.29 on a GAAP-basis, and $1.83 on a non-GAAP basis.
• Digital Media segment revenue was $1.89 billion, which represents 22 percent year-over-year growth. Creative revenue grew to $1.59 billion and Document Cloud achieved revenue of $296 million. Digital Media Annualized Recurring Revenue (“ARR”) grew to $7.47 billion exiting the quarter, a quarter-over-quarter increase of $406 million. Creative ARR grew to $6.55 billion, and Document Cloud ARR grew to $921 million.
• Digital Experience segment revenue was $784 million, representing 34 percent year-over-year growth.
• GAAP operating income in the second quarter was $750 million, and non-GAAP operating income was $1.05 billion. GAAP net income was $633 million, and non-GAAP net income was $901 million.
• Cash flow from operations was $1.11 billion.
• Remaining Performance Obligation was $8.37 billion.
• Adobe repurchased approximately 2.5 million shares during the quarter.

A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP results is provided at the end of this press release and on Adobe’s website.

Executive Quotes

“Adobe’s continued momentum is being fueled by the explosion of creativity across the globe and the widespread business transformation agenda to deliver engaging customer experiences,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO, Adobe. “With an innovative technology platform, exciting product roadmap and strong ecosystem of partners, we are well positioned for the second half of FY19 and beyond.”

“Adobe delivered another record quarter in Q2,” said John Murphy, executive vice president and CFO, Adobe. “Highlights include 25 percent year-over-year revenue growth, strong net new Digital Media ARR and operating cash flow of $1.11 billion.”

Adobe Provides Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Targets

The following table summarizes Adobe’s third quarter fiscal year 2019 targets.