Digic 5 is announced

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09-15-2011, 11:58 PM
neuroanatomist

Digic 5 is announced

You may have seen Bryan's news post about the new PowerShot S100 and SX40 HS announced today. Of significance is the fact that those PowerShot models will debut the new Digic 5 processor, replacing the Digic 4 first seen in the 50D.

Canon claims that, "DIGIC 5 analyses four times more image information to create each pixel, recording more detail and colour from a scene than ever before. Processing speed is also six times faster compared to the previous processor." That has interesting implications for future dSLR releases, both in terms of potential increased dynamic range and increased frame rates.

The S100 itself also seems quite nice. Canon replaced the Sony-manufactured 10 MP CCD sensor with an in-house produced 12 MP CMOS sensor (same sensor size - 1/1.7"). Presumably the primary reason was to support the latest video 'fad' (1080p @ 24 fps) - but it will likely be less noisy, as well. Plus, the faster CMOS sensor combined Digic 5 now support a 2.3 fps continuous shooting mode, an impressive 2.5-fold increase from the 0.9 fps of the S95. The lens is also new - now a 24-120mm FF-equivalent zoom (vs. the previous 28-105mm), but still f/2 at the wide end. The S100 also features a built-in GPS with image tagging and logging.

All in all, some very nice improvments from the S95. So nice that those improvements, combined with the fact that when my wife shoots with the S95, she comments on how much better it is than her Olympus P&S (can we say, hand-me-down?), inspired me to pre-order the S100 from Amazon. For anyone else so inclined, here's the link.

Looking forward to some dSLR announcements featuring the new Digic 5!!
09-16-2011, 12:29 AM
andnowimbroke

Re: Digic 5 is announced

I
09-16-2011, 12:34 AM
andnowimbroke

Re: Digic 5 is announced

I think I misread it. Never mind. Unless Canon is reading, then 1.2 high precision AF point all the way. Do they usually put out a P&S with the newer chip before the SLR version, or is this due to manufacturing problems from the storm and they pushed these out first rather than wait?
09-16-2011, 12:48 AM
neuroanatomist

Re: Digic 5 is announced

First time for a Digic intro in a PowerShot. The original Digic was introduced in the D30 (predating the 1-series). Digic 2 and 3 debuted in 1-series bodies, and Digic 4 in the 50D.

Regarding timing, I
09-16-2011, 12:57 AM
DavidEccleston

Re: Digic 5 is announced

75% less noise than Digic 4 at all ISOs!
09-16-2011, 01:00 AM
Daniel Browning

Re: Digic 5 is announced

Canon
09-16-2011, 01:31 AM
andnowimbroke

Re: Digic 5 is announced

75% less noise puts it right with a base Nikon.. from last year;) My camera stuff won
09-16-2011, 10:01 PM
Raid

Re: Digic 5 is announced

I was under the impression that a CCD was inherently less noisy than a CMOS sensor, in an apples for apples comparison. As I understand it, the reason to use CMOS was cost and power consumption. The reason why Nikon has better ISO noise performance is their use of a CCD but they also have much shorter battery life.

Is the 75% noise reduction a function of the noise generated by the chip (which would be very good) or is it noise reduction algorithms (which is not so good since this reduces image quality).

Happy to be corrected.
09-16-2011, 11:20 PM
Daniel Browning

Re: Digic 5 is announced

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

I was under the impression that a CCD was inherently less noisy than a CMOS sensor, in an apples for apples comparison.

It depends on what you mean by an apples-to-apples comparison. If you mean a completely biased, nonsensical comparison rigged by CCD manufacturers to make their product seem superior, then yes, CCD is less noisy. But if you mean any real life comparison made within the last decade, then no, CCD is not inherently less noisy. Once microlenses became prevalent, the playing field evened out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

As I understand it, the reason to use CMOS was cost and power consumption.

It's not cost. The theory behind CMOS being cheaper is that they require less semiconductor customizations than CCD for manufacturing and can ride the coattails of the much larger computer manufacturing lines. But in reality, the only company to ever actual attempt it failed terribly. It turns out that CMOS image sensors require just as much customization as CCD.

The difference in power consumption is so incredibly minute that it can only matter to the ultra-tiny mobile phones with teeny, tiny LCD screens. In anything bigger, like a smartphone or a digicam, the LCD and other components take up so much more battery power that the difference is entirely inconsequential.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

The reason why Nikon has better ISO noise performance is their use of a CCD

First of all, the last time Nikon came out with a CCD-based DSLR was 7 YEARS ago, in 2004. Everything since has been CMOS. Furthermore, Canon's CMOS sensors of the time wiped the floor with Nikon's CCD. The noise was so much lower in Canon's CMOS that it wasn't even funny.

Of course, now the tables have turned, and Nikon's CMOS sensors (mostly made by Sony) are noticeably better than Canon's CMOS sensors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

Is the 75% noise reduction a function of the noise generated by the chip (which would be very good) or is it noise reduction algorithms (which is not so good since this reduces image quality).

It's certainly not the chip. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's noise reduction algorithms, either. It could just be a better de-Bayer algorithm, that provides the same detail with less noise.
09-17-2011, 03:21 AM
andnowimbroke

Re: Digic 5 is announced

I think the first EOS was the only CCD Canon made. After that, it was all CMOS. It
09-17-2011, 06:44 AM
Raid

Re: Digic 5 is announced

</o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]The first and last time I designed something with a CCD was in the early 80’s. It was 4096 x 1 pixels (don’t laugh, it was very expensive when you included the Peltier cooler) so things have really moved forward. <o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]I remembered reading a review of the Nikon 3D and I was sure it said CCD, but I’m clearly wrong, I just double checked.<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"]…. senility here we come.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]<span style="font-family: Calibri;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA;"]<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"]<span style="font-size: small;"]</o:p>
09-17-2011, 05:07 PM
Daniel Browning

Re: Digic 5 is announced

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-size:small;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;"]The first and last time I designed something with a CCD was in the early 80’s. It was 4096 x 1 pixels (don’t laugh, it was very expensive when you included the Peltier cooler) so things have really moved forward.
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-size:small;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;"]

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-size:small;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;"]Neat!
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]


Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-size:small;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;"]I remembered reading a review of the Nikon 3D and I was sure it said CCD, but I’m clearly wrong, I just double checked.<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Calibri','sans-serif';font-size:11pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;"]…. senility here we come.


<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]You think you have it bad? I'm so senile, I was sitting around the other day, just thinking about life as I watched the pretty light change from red, to green, to yellow, and back to red again. I just wondered to myself: is life really nothing more than a bunch of honking and yelling? [:D] (Apologies to Jack Handey.)


Quote:

Originally Posted by Raid

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-size:small;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:'Calibri','sans-serif';font-size:11pt;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:'Times New Roman';mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:small;"]
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 0pt;"]<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language:EN-US;"]<span style="font-size:small;"]<span style="font-family:Calibri;"]Another thing I was wondering about was the in camera GPS, my guess it would be a phone style (low power, very basic and not very accurate).

Yeah, I wonder.
11-23-2011, 09:06 PM
iND

So I guess the recommendation is for the S100 over the S95 due to the updated digic 5 processor
Due to battery life reviews, can the gps be turned off to increase battery life.

Any cons of the S100 vs the S95 which is a nice bargain right now