The new iPhone 4 and some new cameras (like the Canon SD4000IS) have something in common. They use a new camera sensor technology called backside illumination (BSI). Tom’s Hardware does a good description of the technology on their site.
If you followed the iPhone 4 launch, perhaps you heard about the phone’s improved camera sensor. This was actually an adoption of a technology that Sony first brought to consumers in 2009. With the SD4000 IS, Canon delivers the same backside illumination (BSI) technology to its ultra-compact camera line.
The idea behind BSI is that traditional digital camera sensors use several layers of wiring between the sub-pixel lenses and the photodiodes that register incoming light photons. The wires block a fair amount of the incoming photons, but with manufacturing technologies being what they were, it was infeasible to move the wiring behind the photo sensors, in part because it introduced too much interference. However, recent materials breakthroughs and manufacturing improvements have made this backside rewiring not only possible but dependable and affordable.
Between much more light reaching the photo sensor and the improvement to an f2.0 setting, the SD4000 IS is able to take low-light photos that are dramatically clearer than most other point-and-shoot cameras. This also benefits nighttime video shooting, which can now rival some low-end camcorders.
So again, if you want top quality in an ultra-compact, then the SD4000 IS makes sense. If the BSI technology, slow-motion video mode, and an f/2.0 aperture don’t float your boat, then save some money and get beefier specs with a different camera.
The rest of the article goes into a pretty good review of the best camera in each category, with special mention to my current P&S favorite – the Canon SD4000IS with backside illumination, natch.
Entries (RSS)