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Largesense: Large format digital backs

T

torger

Active member
I just came across this: LargeSense Large Format Digital Backs and Cameras

A tiny tiny company making a large format digital back.

Not for sale just yet, but hopefully coming out during this year a 9x11" digital back. CMOS, live view, monochrome. Fat pixels 75um meaning only 12 megapixels in total. Base ISO is 2100(!) so you probably need an ND filter. No LCD on the back, instead you stream the live view to your phone/tablet/PC via Wifi.

Price? It's expected to be $100k.

Extremely niche of course, but still super cool. I hope they make it to production and sell a few.

It's not the fist large digital back, Mitch Feinberg made a couple 8x10" 10 megapixel backs in 2011, not really for production images but to replace polaroids during setup. Back then he said that if they would put the backs into production they would cost "low six figures". $100k is the lowest six figures you can get, so I guess it's okay :)
 
U

Uaiomex

Member
In order to decrease insane prices, resultant wafers with extremely low yield should be used as a whole to make large format sensors, interpolating first and then lowering mp's to practical count in 4X5 or 6X7 formats.
 
Jamgolf

Jamgolf

Member
Thanks for sharing. It's interesting to learn that such a back even exists.
I am not quite sure of the use-case though, since its 10-12MP resolution is probably not going to satisfy the 8x10 film shooters.
Or may be it will - I honestly don't know.

In the MFD realm I wonder if a 6+ micron true 645 (60mm x 45mm) format digital back DB would materialize. It would have the potential to resuscitate MF technical cameras from the dead with large/fat pixels that would play well with existing tech lenses. Some tech lenses might even provide enough image circles for moderate shifts. Otherwise as you (Anders) say, tech cameras are a dying breed.

May be at some point such 8x10 or 4x5 digital back + view cameras would become what MF tech cameras were a few years ago.
As the product page for LS44 The 200 MegaPixel Monster says "Coming years and years from now..."
 
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Jamgolf

Jamgolf

Member
dougpeterson said:
The image on 645 Film wasn't 60x45mm.

So a P65+, IQ160, IQ260 and IQ360 all fit your description.
Click to expand...
Right. 645 film's nominal size is 56mm x 41.5mm.
That does not however preclude a 60mm x 45mm sensor :)
Larger surface area to accomodate fatter pixels to play well with tech wides.
Seems to me that cramming 100MP on a 54x40mm sensor means 4-5micron pixels. Increasing sensor size a bit could mean 100MP tech friendly sensor.
All hypothetical off-course :)
 
jerome_m

jerome_m

Member
The large size - large pixels - low resolution imagers are used for X-ray imaging. I suppose this is the base of this digital back.
 
T

torger

Active member
Jamgolf said:
Thanks for sharing. It's interesting to learn that such a back even exists.
I am not quite sure of the use-case though, since its 10-12MP resolution is probably not going to satisfy the 8x10 film shooters.
Or may be it will - I honestly don't know.
Click to expand...
The use case will obviously be very narrow. Those that shoot the 8x10" format today don't do it for resolution alone, but probably it's a part of it. So I guess it could be used in studio when setting up shots, and then you swap in film when the setup is ready. This is how Mitch Feinburg used his custom-made backs, and actually a $100k back can then pay itself in 2-3 years considering the very steep cost if you use polaroids for test shots.

To make real images you would have to focus on the 8x10" look rather than resolution, shoot wide open perhaps with vintage lenses. Studio portraits come in mind.

It will probably not be used much for landscape or architecture...

In any case it's cool that someone tries to commercialize it despite all the limitations. Hopefully there's a niche out there that it can serve keeping the format alive. Who knows what the future holds, perhaps a new technology will allow for very high resolution large sensors at some point, and hopefully at a lower cost. I'm myself attracted to large format in terms of the camera, but the film/darkroom part is not part of it. As indeed I think the tech cams in the form I prefer them to be have their days counted, any opening towards using classic cameras in the future is a nice development, although this particular back does not make me rush for an 8x10" camera.
 
T

trond

Member
CMOSIS just launched a 391 M pix CMOS sensor in February 2016.

Pixel size is 3.9 um, and the sensor area is 100mm x 58mm (4x3").

The sensor is used for airborne mapping systems from Leica Geosystems:

http://leica-geosystems.com/products/airborne-systems/cameras-large-format/leica-dmciii

The camera consumes 280 W (!) and uses a custom Zeiss 92mm f5.6 lens to support the incredible resolution.

Ground resolution is 5cm at a flying hight of 1200 meters @ 500 km/h.

Cost of the camera is unknown, but it ain't going to be cheap!

Best regards

Trond
 
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