High Speed MOS 12MP sensor
Measured against modern camera standards, one could say the above image is not that good. The dynamic range is poor, the image has noise in the shadow areas, the shadow areas has poor detail retention and on and on one can continue. On the other hand it could also be that this image was exactly what I intended it to be. I liked the way the sun was falling on the flowers in the foreground, the people in the shade on the bridge and the building in the back that is brightly exposed by the sun and contrasted against the dark blue of the sky. Could one say the sensor in the camera I used was not good or were I able to exactly achieve what I wanted with this camera? Should one look at sensor performance or camera performance?
Normally I would take the time to play a little more with an image like the one on the top of the page and yes the final result could look totally different. What I like to talk about in this article is not image editing but rather the sensor used in the main stream of Micro For Thirds MFT 12MP Cameras.
Introduction
In my mind I never really questioned manufacturers of Micro Four-Thirds (MFT) cameras and I basically always accepted that some cameras were really equipped with a different or new sensor. At times it did cross my mind that maybe its all the same sensor but it was never that important that I wanted to know more. That was until the new Olympus E-P3 came on the market with its so called new sensor that was especially tweaked by Olympus for the new E-P3 range.
I remember how the press talked about the special new sensor that was fitted to the Panasonic GH1 camera and that it was this sensor that lifted the GH1 a notch above the rest in terms of video and image quality. For those who does not know, I am talking about the 12MP high speed Live MOS sensor that is used in no less than 16 different MFT cameras.
When you read the above sentence again, does it say the same sensor was used in 16 different cameras or does it say that each of the 16 cameras used a high speed Live MOS sensor. When skimming through an article like many of us do, it is easy to mistake or to interpret something for what we want to believe it should be. While researching information for this article I could not help but notice that with each new camera the 12MP sensor was described just a little different to the previous time it was described. Was it done on purpose or by accident is not possible to say.
As I said, while preparing for this article I learned a lot about the 12MP sensor used in the different MFT Cameras. Out of interest I was reading more about the sensor on Wikipedia, the manufacturers websites, camera review magazines, DxO and several forums. I like to also stress that I have no doubt that the 12MP sensors used in the MFT Cameras plus the 12MP Olympus E-System SLR Cameras is an outstanding sensor with excellent imaging characteristics.
The first ever camera to offer Live View capability was the Olympus E330. The E330 used the same type High Speed Live MOS sensor that we today see in the 12MP MFT cameras. What makes this Live MOS type Sensor so unique? It is relatively simple to answer. When the digital camera era kicked off the preferred technology was CCD sensors. These sensors were known for their detailed images and the beautiful colors these CCD fitted cameras gave. The disadvantage using CCD type sensors was the high power consumption of these sensors. Then came the CMOS sensors and they were known for low power consumption meaning that camera batteries would last longer plus the sensor would not heat in use. Sensor heat contributes to increased image noise. The High Speed Live MOS sensor used special design and manufacturing techniques to take what is good from both technologies and to combine that into one sensor.
This best of both worlds high speed live MOS sensor are used in all the 12MP sensor MFT cameras today. These sensors are good and up there with the best. To date we witnessed an ongoing race of increasing pixel count and the building of "better" sensors. The high end 10MP compact camera group were the first range of cameras to move the emphasis from high pixel count sensors to highly capable sensors. I believe the Olympus PEN range demonstrated exactly the same process. Huge image quality improvements were made on the PEN range while using of same basic sensor from camera to camera. Instead of upgrading the sensor we saw new image processors implemented in newer models, build-in camera firmware improved a lot from model to model, the sensor and its surrounding circuitry also appeared to have improved from camera to camera. This continues process of improving the camera gave significantly better results than just designing a new body with an higher mega pixel, sensor.
The above image was edited extensively. I used various HDR type techniques, did a lot on sharpening and finally changed the natural shade structure of the image. Is it better than the original? Difficult to say, to my eyes it's OK.
Same sensor described in different articles:-
In the following paragraph I like to take a look at the different lines used over many articles to describe the same sensor. Most of these copied descriptions are from the official press releases, some are from test reviews and the remainder from magazines.
-Advanced technology that makes it possible to read 4 channels of data simultaneously.....
-large-size image sensor that's the same sensor as the one inside the Olympus E-30 and E-620....,
-This high-performance 12.3-megapixel Live MOS image sensor (8 times larger than the average point-and-shoot camera sensor)....,
-delivers excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity, and state-of-the-art technology
-reduce noise and capture fine image details in both highlight and shadow areas....,
-4/3-type 12.1-megapixel Live MOS sensor featured in the DMC-G10 offers the best of both worlds --
-superior image quality of a CCD sensor, and the lower power consumption of a CMOS sensor.....
-read 4 channels of data simultaneously also helps ......
-12.3 megapixel Live MOS sensor is optimized to maximize the performance of all m.Zuiko digital lenses.......
-brand new 4/3-size 12-megapixel Live MOS chip.......
-Live CMOS sensor can capture 12.3 million pixels, with a maximum image size.......
-delivers excellent dynamic range, accurate color fidelity, and state-of-the-art......
Conclusion
It was DxO who shocked the camera world when their tests revealed it is the same sensor used in the E-P3 than what was used in all the other 12MP MFT cameras. At first forum experts shouted DxO does not have the ability to test camera sensors and later many more sources questioned any differences between 12MP High Speed MOS sensors. One can spend days to uncover this well kept secret. I read many reviews, checked all the available specification sheets and I still cannot give a definite answer. There are a few clues that are mentioned over and over and they are:-
12MP High Speed Live MOS sensor
State of the art amplifier circuit or high speed 4 channel read-outs....
CCD like sensor with the energy consumption of CMOS
HD video ability
Low noise based on ........
Personally I have no doubt that it is all the same sensor. Why would nobody admit that? It could be that manufacturers did not want to risk loosing sales of newer models. What would you do if you knew its the same sensor used in your GF2 than in the E-P1?