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question about sensor spec

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Old 24-09-2009, 6:03 PM   #1
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question about sensor spec

Can anyone offer any advise on the 2 sensor specs listed below and advise which one on paper should have the best performance??

Camera 1 is 1 / 6" MOS
Camera 2 is 1/4.5" CMOS

the above means nothing to me so any thoughts would be great

Cheers
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Old 24-09-2009, 6:41 PM   #2
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Re: question about sensor spec

MOS = Metal Oxide Silicon
CMOS = Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon

They indicate the semiconductor process use to fabricate the sensors - multiple sensors are produced on a silicon wafer.
It's the same technoloy that is used to make integrated circuits (ICs) and transistors.
Now MOS and CMOS are probably the same in this case; the other normally used type of sensor process is called Bipolar (use in CCD or charge coupled device sensors) and uses a different type of process (but still made from wafers that start life as pure silicon wafers).

The 1/6 and 1/4 inch is telling you the physical size of the sensor.
Example : http://www.spectek.com/pdfs/imaging/...Brief_K12A.pdf

I've tried to keep it simple.
I actually work for an IC manufacturer; we do not make image sensors - but we do make other ICs that can form the imaging heart of a camera or camcorder (they are connected to the sensor).

Last edited by Chris Muriel; 24-09-2009 at 9:13 PM.
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Old 24-09-2009, 7:36 PM   #3
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Re: question about sensor spec

Be aware if you are going to film from a moving vehicle a CMOS sensor can give a very jump image, compare to a CCD sensor.

A few examples on utube of somebody filming from a speedboat.
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Old 24-09-2009, 8:28 PM   #4
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Re: question about sensor spec

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Muriel View Post
MOS = Metal Oxide Silicon
CMOS = Complementary Metal Oxide Silicon

They indicate the semiconductor process use to fabricate the sensors - multiple sensors are produced on a silicon wafer.
It's the same technoloy that is used to make integrated circuits (ICs) and transistors.
Now MOS and CMOS are probably the same in this case; the other normally used type of sensor process is called Bipolar and uses a different type of process (but still made from wafers that start life as pure silicon wafers).

The 1/6 and 1/4 inch is telling you the physical size of the sensor.
Example : http://www.spectek.com/pdfs/imaging/...Brief_K12A.pdf

I've tried to keep it simple.
I actually work for an IC manufacturer; we do not make image sensors - but we do make other ICs that can form the imaging heart of a camera or camcorder (they are connected to the sensor).
Does this mean that in lower light I would get better performance from the 1/6 or from the 1/4 size sensor????

Cheers
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Old 24-09-2009, 9:09 PM   #5
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Re: question about sensor spec

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinderbox (UK) View Post
Be aware if you are going to film from a moving vehicle a CMOS sensor can give a very jump image, compare to a CCD sensor.

A few examples on utube of somebody filming from a speedboat.
There is a very good explanation and demonstration of the reasons for this here.
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Chris Muriel (24-09-2009)
Old 24-09-2009, 9:30 PM   #6
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Re: question about sensor spec

here is the video i was talking about.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSWDP1Tsj1Y
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Old 25-09-2009, 6:38 AM   #7
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Re: question about sensor spec

Quote:
Originally Posted by dapex View Post
Does this mean that in lower light I would get better performance from the 1/6 or from the 1/4 size sensor????
The larger the sensor then, all other things being equal, the better the light sensitivity. The 1/4.5-inch sensor is therefore better in "low light" than the 1/6-sensor, at least in theory.
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Old 25-09-2009, 7:47 AM   #8
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Re: question about sensor spec

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tinderbox (UK) View Post
here is the video i was talking about.

YouTube - CMOS vs 3CCD Heavy Vibration Test
Sorry but i have an HV 30 and no way does it behave like that, i have been round a race track[passenger] whoever was using that one did not know what they were doing.
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