Help - CCD vs CMOS sensors


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AncientMariner

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I am planning on upgrading to a DSLR and am trying to decide which to get.
If anyone is kind enough to advise me of the pros and cons between DSLRs using CCD and CMOS, it would be helpful and greatly appreciated.
 

cmos consume less power
 

# CCD sensors, as mentioned above, create high-quality, low-noise images. CMOS sensors, traditionally, are more susceptible to noise.

# Because each pixel on a CMOS sensor has several transistors located next to it, the light sensitivity of a CMOS chip is lower. Many of the photons hitting the chip hit the transistors instead of the photodiode.
# CMOS sensors traditionally consume little power. Implementing a sensor in CMOS yields a low-power sensor. CCDs, on the other hand, use a process that consumes lots of power. CCDs consume as much as 100 times more power than an equivalent CMOS sensor.

# CMOS chips can be fabricated on just about any standard silicon production line, so they tend to be extremely inexpensive compared to CCD sensors.

# CCD sensors have been mass produced for a longer period of time, so they are more mature. They tend to have higher quality pixels, and more of them.

info from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera4.htm

suggest u visit http://www.dalsa.com/markets/ccd_vs_cmos.asp as well ...
 

They're just sensors.

Don't see how it should affect your choice of a SLR.

A SLR system consists bulk of the lenses of choice, not SLR sensor.
 

If we are talking about SLR system, I agree that the lens make the difference. However for DSLR, I do think the sensor plays an important role too.

Say for example, a Sigma 50mm, with the same settings, will probably produce the same images on Nikon, Canon, Pentax or any other SLR. However, I am quite sure the same lens will produce different images on different sensors for DSLRs.

eric
 

Quoted from the site http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/20dd70.htm

"Non-photographers fret for weeks over differences between CCD or CMOS or whatever, which actually means nothing. This is analysis paralysis. Contrary to the popular beliefs among people new to digital, the image quality of similar classes of digital cameras are just about identical. Each manufacturer makes up some technical gobbledygook to impress the innocent that their camera is better than the others, and camera store salespeople stir this up too. I've tried these style cameras against each other, and the results are the same."

So relax, enjoy shooting. :)
 

Bring a CF card to CP and try all the cameras that you are eyeing, go home and check the images on your computer.

Choose the one that you like the most. specifications does not an image make.
The final image from that camera must please you the owner.
 

AncientMariner said:
I am planning on upgrading to a DSLR and am trying to decide which to get.
If anyone is kind enough to advise me of the pros and cons between DSLRs using CCD and CMOS, it would be helpful and greatly appreciated.


CMOS or CCD, both have had their technologies fairly matured..
There's not much significant difference between the 2 as long as the DSLR's using them are in the same range.
You also fail to consider that whilst a CMOS or CCD sensor may be capable of higher resolution than the other, the anti-aliasing filter implemented by the manufacturer plays a part in affecting the final image.
 

either type of sensors on DSLRs are good enough. choose the system that gives you the lenses and accessories you need and meet your budget :)
 

Why do you care about the sensor type ? You should be looking into the individual DSLR review.
 

kthan said:
If we are talking about SLR system, I agree that the lens make the difference. However for DSLR, I do think the sensor plays an important role too.

Say for example, a Sigma 50mm, with the same settings, will probably produce the same images on Nikon, Canon, Pentax or any other SLR. However, I am quite sure the same lens will produce different images on different sensors for DSLRs.

eric
Nope, I disagree, if you're shooting film, the type of film does matter, whether it's a CMOS/CCD they're just sensors, looking at the images produced from 1DS MK II (CMOS), D2X (CMOS), D2H (CCD) is good proof enough.
 

espn said:
Nope, I disagree, if you're shooting film, the type of film does matter, whether it's a CMOS/CCD they're just sensors, looking at the images produced from 1DS MK II (CMOS), D2X (CMOS), D2H (CCD) is good proof enough.


sorry hor, D2H or the D2Hs (LBCAST) is a type of CMOS (JFET) sensor.

frankly, i will go for a CCD sensor. i believe the CCD has better image quality over CMOS. just try a simple comparison with a CCD D70, CCD Minolta D7D or CCD Pentax ist*D with a Canon 300D/350D with everything at zero default. u can argue that each co. default parameter is different but i think its the simplest un-scientific way to gauge. personally, i prefer the Kodak CCDs found in Olympus DSLR, colour & quality is superb.

why CCD is noiser than CMOS? actually not true. here is what i learn from the Oly workshop last fri 15-4-05. CCD noise is random, so its very difficult to suppress it. CMOS noise is patterned, so its a lot easier to map out the pattern & suppress it. if u dun apply any noise suppression, the CCD will give u less noise, but the ease of suppressing CMOS noise makes it easier to implement. every co. will have a team in their research dept to try out other co. products, so they know what sensor others r using & what standard they r at. :cheers:

if u want to know more about Oly's CCD quality, PM me. the open forum is very sensitive to such discussion. ;)

(ps. pls note that i m not trying to create any wars between CMOS vs CCD)
 

nightpiper said:
sorry hor, D2H or the D2Hs (LBCAST) is a type of CMOS (JFET) sensor.

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0307/03072204nikond2h.asp

DPReview said:
The sensor used in the D2H is Nikon's first in-house designed sensor and based on a totally new 'JFET LBCAST' technology which appears to be similar to CMOS but capable of outputting data at a far higher speed.
 

nightpiper said:
u can argue that each co. default parameter is different but i think its the simplest un-scientific way to gauge. personally, i prefer the Kodak CCDs found in Olympus DSLR, colour & quality is superb.

views of a reviewer quoted from http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos350d/page24.asp
The tonal and color response between the EOS 350D and E-300 is similar except for the Canon's paler blues and the E-300's slightly orange reds. Resolution wise it's a dead heat, however the EOS 350D's image has a more crisp appearance, with better per-pixel sharpness. This despite the E-300's vertical 144 pixel count advantage.

a lot does depend on the "tuning" by the manufacturers. I love the rich colors produced by Fujifilm 4700 and S602Z.
 

nightpiper said:
any electronic engineers wants to clarify if JFET is a type of CMOS? for what i understand in my school days, JFET belongs to the CMOS family (both use the field effect to trigger the transistor). BJT is a family on its own.

Didn't study so much into these during my school days but have found some info on JFET and CCD which might be of interest to engineers.

JFET:
http://cnx.rice.edu/content/m1030/latest/
http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/first11/part7/page2.html

CCD:
http://lheawww.gsfc.nasa.gov/users/audley/diss/node31.html

But whatever the sensor used, as long as the results are pleasing, performance is fast and signal-to-noise ratio is high, it doesn't matter ;p I think the sensors used now are good enough for most of us, even the pros.
 

sorry for the technicalities involved. :embrass:

i thot i just touch on the basic bits, thats JFET is a type of MOS-FET & MOS-FET is a type of C-MOS. there r many other transistors too, like V-MOS. this is too far out from the context in this thread.

apologise for the OT. :sweat:
 

In the past, when technology was still in their infant stage, may be it makes a different whether it is CMOS and CCD, but now over the years, much R&Ds have sunk into improving the quality, which we have reached a stage where by the differences are quite negligible. Yeah, there may be some noises here and there at higher ISO, but you have an option to activate the in-camera noise-reduction or incorporate it into your post-processing workflow, hence not really an issue.

As for CMOS consuming less power. Take the D70 for instance, it uses CCD, but with a fully charged battery, it can handle about 1000 shots. May be their R&D has discovered a new method for extended battery life, I don’t know.

When getting a DSLR, IMHO, the more critical issues are:

1. What is the camera for? For sport, portrait, still life, landscape, travel etc. each of these encompasses different requirements on the camera.

2. Are you buying a camera or a camera system. For camera system, you would be looking at a whole range of possible lenses to support your needs b’cos some photog only support original lenses.

3. Who is using the camera? Is it just you or your family members? Do they mind the size and weight of a DSLR?

4. Do you have plans to share lenses with other photog? If the answer is yes, then compatibility is an issue.

My 2 cents.
 

Who cares? Buy something which works for you, whether it's CMOS or CCD is immaterial 99% of the time.
 

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