Panasonic’s new sensor patent increases dynamic range

Panasonic has obtained a patent on image sensor technology with variable exposure per pixel row. The technology not only enables a higher dynamic range, but also reduces moiré effects in video.

The patented technology makes it possible to set the exposure per pixel row of the sensor. This is useful, for example, in landscape photography, where the dynamic range of the image composition can exceed that of the image sensor. Normally, photographers resort to grayscale filters, but with this technology, such filters would no longer be necessary. Especially compact cameras, which cannot be fitted with filters, could benefit from this. Increasing the dynamic range could be used for both video and photos with this technology.

For video recording, the sensor technology would bring another benefit, according to tech patent blog Egami, namely reduction of moiré effects. How this exactly works is not yet entirely clear.

Currently, in most cases, pixel rows or columns are skipped to reduce the full sensor resolution to a video resolution like full hd. With fine details in the image, this is often accompanied by moiré, a form of aliasing. A better method is to combine image information from different pixels, also known as ‘pixel binning’, which is used by Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III, among others.