The unusual CMOS design of this Cypress sensor is probably teh me one I sw described on FilFactory's websit for the Kodak 14/N etc. Normal CMS sensors have a part of the area of each photosite taken up with electronics like amplifiers, so that the electron well that detects light covers only part of the photosite. Microlenses are uses to steer light into the well.
An explanatio I saw at the FillFactory web site explained that the sensor is rather transparent, with light passing through the other electronics on the front and gathering in a well that occupies the entire back side of the photosite.
Perhaps the transparency is not very high though, which would help to explain the low sensitivity (low maximum usable ISO speed) and very low minimum usable ISO speed of the previous FillFactory CMOS sensors used by Kodak. But I certainly do not rule out the extra resources of Cypress having improved sensitivity.
Who might use this sensor?
It is in exactly the "DX" format of just under 16x24mm, used by Nikon, Pentax, Konica-Minolta and Fuji. It is not clear that anyone of them is tied to using the same sensor supplier for all models, so maybe Cypress is aiming at some future entry level models. Only $90 per sensor to manufacturers could be attractive even if it reaches "only" ISO 800 while more expensive models do 1600.
Maybe Kodak will return to the DSLR market with a more traditionally "Kodak priced" camera: i.e. a relatively cheap, low end model, like they did with the Brownie and Instamatic.
Maybe digicam makers will use this bargain priced sensor to follow the Sony R1 lead with fixed lens digicams in 16x24mm format.
An explanatio I saw at the FillFactory web site explained that the sensor is rather transparent, with light passing through the other electronics on the front and gathering in a well that occupies the entire back side of the photosite.
Perhaps the transparency is not very high though, which would help to explain the low sensitivity (low maximum usable ISO speed) and very low minimum usable ISO speed of the previous FillFactory CMOS sensors used by Kodak. But I certainly do not rule out the extra resources of Cypress having improved sensitivity.
Who might use this sensor?
It is in exactly the "DX" format of just under 16x24mm, used by Nikon, Pentax, Konica-Minolta and Fuji. It is not clear that anyone of them is tied to using the same sensor supplier for all models, so maybe Cypress is aiming at some future entry level models. Only $90 per sensor to manufacturers could be attractive even if it reaches "only" ISO 800 while more expensive models do 1600.
Maybe Kodak will return to the DSLR market with a more traditionally "Kodak priced" camera: i.e. a relatively cheap, low end model, like they did with the Brownie and Instamatic.
Maybe digicam makers will use this bargain priced sensor to follow the Sony R1 lead with fixed lens digicams in 16x24mm format.
