The Canon MS-500 camera will be displayed as a reference exhibit at NAB Show.
Canon USA, Inc. has announced that its parent company, Canon Inc., is developing the MS-500, reportedly the world’s first ultra-high-sensitivity interchangeable-lens camera (ILC) equipped with a 1.0 inch Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor2 featuring pixel count of 3.2 megapixels3.
The camera leverages special characteristics of SPAD sensors to achieve low-light performance while also utilising broadcast lenses (sold separately) that feature high performance at telephoto-range focal lengths.
The currently in-development MS-500 camera is equipped with a 1.0-inch SPAD sensor that helps reduce noise, making it possible to produce clear, full-colour HD imaging even in extreme low-light environments. When paired with Canon’s broadcast lenses, the camera is capable of accurately capturing subjects with precision in extreme low-light environments, even from great distances.
With CMOS sensors, which are commonly used in conventional modern digital cameras, each pixel measures the amount of light that reaches the pixel within a given time. However, the readout of the accumulated electronic charge contains electronic noise, which may diminish image quality, due to the process by which accumulated light is measured. This could lead to the degradation of the resulting image, particularly when used in low-light environments. SPAD sensors employ a technology known as “photon counting” in which light particles (photons) that enter each pixel are counted. When even a single photon enters a pixel it is instantly amplified approximately 1 million times and output as an electrical signal. Every single one of these photons can be digitally counted, thus making possible zero-noise during signal readout—a key advantage of SPAD sensors4.
The MS-500 camera employs the bayonet lens mount (based on BTA S-1005B standards) which is widely used in the broadcast lens industry.
Canon plans to begin selling the MS-500 in 2023.
The Canon MS-500 camera will be displayed as a reference exhibit at the Canon booth during the 2023 NAB Show for broadcast and filmmaking equipment, to be held in Las Vegas from April 16 to 19.