Nikon develops 4k sensor that can record at 1000fps and high dynamic range

Nikon has developed a 1″ sensor that can capture a thousand images per second in high resolution and with a high dynamic range. The exposure can be adjusted per block of 16×16 pixels. No cameras have been announced with the sensor yet.

It is a stacked BSI-CMOS sensor that Nikon is developing on a 65nm process. The 1″ square sensor has a resolution of 4224×4224 pixels, or 17.8 megapixels. The pixel size is therefore 2.7 microns. According to Nikon, the sensor has a dynamic range of 110dB at 1000fps and that goes up to 134dB at 60fps.

Nikon has divided the sensor into individual blocks of 16×16 pixels, making a total of 264×264, or 69,696 zones. The exposure can be controlled separately for each zone, by means of the control located directly below the pixels. This makes it possible to create images with a very high dynamic range.

It is not yet known whether Nikon will use the sensor in its own camera. The manufacturer presents the chip as a research project and indicates that image sensors are also used for industrial applications and in the automotive industry. In those industries, there is also a demand for sensors with a high recording speed and large dynamic range.