Canon Unveils 410-Megapixel Sensor, Most Pixels In a 35mm Sensor Ever

Canon Inc. developed a groundbreaking 410-megapixel full-frame CMOS image sensor, setting a new record for the most pixels achieved on a 35mm image sensor.

The newly developed image sensor will be available in RGB and monochrome versions, and Canon expects it to be used in industrial and scientific applications that demand extreme resolution. The sensor captures images that are a massive 24,592 by 16,704 pixels. This is equivalent to 24K resolution, 198 times greater than Full HD, and 12 times more detailed than 8K resolution. The extreme resolution will enable users to crop any part of the image extensively while maintaining exceptional detail.

“While many CMOS sensors with a super-high pixel count are medium-format or larger, this extreme resolution sensor is compacted into a 35mm full-frame format,” Canon explains. “This allows it to be used in combination with lenses for full-frame sensors and is expected to contribute to the miniaturization of shooting equipment.”

410 megapixels is a staggering number, and an obvious question is, “How does a sensor process all that data?” And the answer is “Surprisingly quickly.” Canon’s new sensor has a back-illuminated stacked design, including interlayered pixel and signal processing segments with redesigned circuitry. Its readout speed of 3,280 megapixels per second enables full-resolution capture at eight frames per second.

Further, the monochrome version has four-pixel binning, effectively turning four adjacent pixels into one. This improves image sensitivity and captures 100-megapixel video at 24 frames per second, a remarkable achievement.

While photographers shouldn’t expect this 410-megapixel beast of an image sensor to find its way into Canon’s EOS R mirrorless camera lineup anytime soon, or ever, it is very exciting imaging technology news. Industrial sensors like this are not well-suited to consumer applications for many reasons, including cost and usability. However, there’s little doubt that it will find a home in surveillance, medicine, science, and industrial settings.

Canon is no stranger to groundbreaking image sensor technology. It showed off a 250-megapixel APS-H image sensor last fall and patented a novel three-layer image sensor structure in early 2024.

Canon will be showing off its record-setting 410-megapixel full-frame sensor at SPIE Photonics West, a leading global conference for optics and photonics in San Francisco from January 28-30.

Image credits: Canon