Announcement

February 16, 2017
Canon Inc.

Introducing exciting prospects for CMOS sensors

A moonbow is a natural phenomenon that can only be seen when the appropriate lunar brightness, angle of elevation and levels of moisture in the air align. They are so rare that in Hawaii it is said they bring happiness to those who see them. Recently, Canon succeeded in capturing video of a moonbow, which would prove difficult to see with the naked eye, using an ultra-high-sensitivity CMOS sensor. Additionally, using a 250 million pixel ultra-high-pixel-count CMOS sensor, Canon succeeded in capturing* video in which the lettering on the side of a plane flying approximately 18 km away could be clearly read. "Exciting Prospects for CMOS Sensors," a video introducing these technologies, is now available to view on the Canon Video Square.

  • *Announced on September 7, 2015

A Moonbow (screenshots from the video)

Left: Footage captured using a standard professional video camcorder
Right: Footage captured using an ME20F-SH multi-purpose camera equipped with an ultra-high-sensitivity CMOS sensor

The lettering on a plane captured from 18 km away

Captured using a camera equipped with a 250 million pixel CMOS sensor

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