Rumor a A7II 48mpx via IBIS

[Guy Mancuso]

Looking around this morning this is quite interesting and can be done via firmware. If true than its pretty exciting to think when needed our A7II can pull off a 48mpx image. Now not sure you need a tripod or not but heck I have no issues using a tripod when doing landscape type work anyway when needing a high res file.

Thinking ahead does that make a A7rII a 50mpx cam when announced next month or so. Check this out as it's pretty exciting

Sony Rumors « NEW CAMERA

 

[Guy Mancuso]

More info here as well.

sonyalpharumors

 

[Guy Mancuso]

I know they are doing this with a Oly cam right now and if Sony can leverage this technology into the FE mount cams than this could be a money making machine for Sony.

 

[Annna T]

I know they are doing this with a Oly cam right now and if Sony can leverage this technology into the FE mount cams than this could be a money making machine for Sony.

The origin of the rumor is Sonyalpharumors and the guy there likes to stir the pot, aka often taking his/his following base desires for reality. If you look closely, what he has is one source (a single one, no cross verification) telling him that Sony is testing (just testing) that possibility. The rest, especially the hypothese that this may be implemented by a firmware update is only his making and his wish of stirring the pot.

Since the E-M5mk2 can do it, Sony could well do the same in a future camera. However I remember that the same guy of Sonyalpharumors (who is also maintaining the 4/3 rumors website) was also suggesting that the E-M1 firmware could be updated to achieve the same thing as the E-M5mk2. However Olympus asked about it in an interview clearly answered that this wasn't only a software issue, but also a hardware problem : the stabilization mecanism implemented in the E-M1 wouldn't be able to support it.

So IMO, unless Sony was already planning this from the start when they conceived the A72 IBIS, I very much doubt that this feature can be implemented just by a software trick.

 

[iiiNelson]

Counting down until Guy decides he wants the Canon T/S lenses back (if you sold them.)

I tend to agree that this would take more than a basic software upgrade. You'd also need the right lenses but thankfully you can mount just about anything on these bodies.

 

[Guy Mancuso]

You would think the tech is already in place since Oly is doing it but who knows. It is interesting and i agree Annna all with a grain of salt coming from a rumor site. There one thing we have going with the A7 series is it truly is a digital back with a ton of lens options where we can bolt just about anything to it. The other is they are innovating more than most.

 

[iiiNelson]

You would think the tech is already in place since Oly is doing it but who knows. It is interesting and i agree Annna all with a grain of salt coming from a rumor site. There one thing we have going with the A7 series is it truly is a digital back with a ton of lens options where we can bolt just about anything to it. The other is they are innovating more than most.

I think the EM5-II uses the newest in the line of Micro 4/3 sensors but I agree that it's possible that Sony accounted for this... Or maybe it's the "BIG FEATURE" for the A7III... Or a multishot feature for the A9 line. Who knows?

 

[Annna T]

You would think the tech is already in place since Oly is doing it but who knows. It is interesting and i agree Annna all with a grain of salt coming from a rumor site. There one thing we have going with the A7 series is it truly is a digital back with a ton of lens options where we can bolt just about anything to it. The other is they are innovating more than most.

I have no doubts they can do it. Olympus could.
Olympus official (product manager ?) said it couldn't be implemented in the E-M1 because greater precision and speed was needed for the IBIS movements. He also said that their first goal with the E-M5 mk2 was to improve the IBIS through greater precision of the sensor movements. The HiRes mode was a byproduct of those efforts. So it was clearly driven by the increased hardware possibilities. Also a faster processor was needed. He added that their goal was now to achieve HiRes pictures up to 1/60 seconds. In the E-M5II it takes a full second to expose all the pictures. So a tripod us mandatory (and a steady one at that).

 

[Guy Mancuso]

It would be a nice option to have as many times doing landscape shots we are into very low shutter speeds anyway. Sometimes even minutes depending on what your doing.

 

[Mark Muse]

If I understand this correctly lens coverage is not an issue. The sensor only shifts by a couple of pixels. It is more like a Foveon sensor in that is shifts enough to record info for each pixel location in each color channel. Or close to that. So as with the DP Merrills the multiplication of resolution is real, but not 3x. Saying the A7II will produce 48 megapickles is probably closer to fact (if it is more than rumor) than what is claimed for the Merrills, and assuming the Sony will do 3 exposures.

I have a DP3M and it can produce extraordinary images… with a 14 Mpx APS-C sensor, no less. I can't wait to see what a 24 full frame might do.

 

[Quentin_Bargate]

If I understand this correctly lens coverage is not an issue. The sensor only shifts by a couple of pixels. It is more like a Foveon sensor in that is shifts enough to record info for each pixel location in each color channel. Or close to that. So as with the DP Merrills the multiplication of resolution is real, but not 3x. Saying the A7II will produce 48 megapickles is probably closer to fact (if it is more than rumor) than what is claimed for the Merrills, and assuming the Sony will do 3 exposures.

I have a DP3M and it can produce extraordinary images… with a 14 Mpx APS-C sensor, no less. I can't wait to see what a 24 full frame might do.

Whatever it can do, it won't do it for images with movement in them. The slightest movement - waves, trees in the wind, etc - will cause wild psychedelic colour effects and / or artifacts.

Still, it would be useful in some situations.

 

[Annna T]

If I understand this correctly lens coverage is not an issue. The sensor only shifts by a couple of pixels. It is more like a Foveon sensor in that is shifts enough to record info for each pixel location in each color channel. Or close to that. So as with the DP Merrills the multiplication of resolution is real, but not 3x. Saying the A7II will produce 48 megapickles is probably closer to fact (if it is more than rumor) than what is claimed for the Merrills, and assuming the Sony will do 3 exposures.

I have a DP3M and it can produce extraordinary images… with a 14 Mpx APS-C sensor, no less. I can't wait to see what a 24 full frame might do.

DPreview explains how the HiRes mode works in the E-M5II in the review

To sum up it takes :
a) four photos by shifting the sensor of an entire pixel in the four direction. With this, each pixel get info on all colors.
b) the sensor is shifted a half pixel each toward up and toward right. Then from this middle position four other pictures are taken again, like in a).
So in total 8 pictures are taken. The full size raw is 64MB, but the JPEG only 40MB. Olympus said that going over to 64MB was not producing much more details than 40MB. But it is producing quasi as much details as the Nikon 810 and without adding false colors, nor moire.

Look at the DPreview studio comparison shots here

There is a thread in the 4/3 forum dedicated to the HiRes mode and Car Scho has shown some interesting examples if what can be done or not.