New CMOS sensors catching on in cameras

LAS VEGAS--You may not know it from the outside, but digital cameras are getting something like an eye transplant.

Deep within every digital camera is a sensor chip whose job it is to capture light. Most camera sensors today use CCD (charge-coupled device) technology, but a newer approach called CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) is catching on, particularly at the high end of the market.

CMOS advantages can include lower noise, lower power consumption, lower price, and faster response times. In the prestigious and fast-growing digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera market, Canon and Olympus have used CMOS sensors for years, but high-profile new arrivals on the CMOS bandwagon include Sony, Pentax, Samsung, and most notably Nikon.

CMOS itself has been around for decades--it's the method used to manufacture the vast majority of computer processors--but its use as an image sensor rather than an information processor is a relatively new development. In recent years it's begun making inroads against CCD, a technology with many more years of refinement in image sensor technology.

Stephen Shankland

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