Have We Forgotten What Panasonic Announced Six Years Ago?

[Alt Shoo]

About a week now the camera section of the internet has been harping around the latest FX5 rumors. A lot of people seem disappointed that it may not have a global shutter or even built in NDs. Whether those rumors end up being true or not isn’t really my point. My point is that everyone seems to forget Lumix.

Does anyone remember in 2019, Panasonic announced its 8k organic sensor tech? 8K LUMIX    Instead of having the sensor basically doing everything in one layer, the light capturing and the electronics are separated. What are the benefits? Well, higher dynamic range, global shutter without the usual hit in DR, and to me the most exciting part, electronic ND built into the freaking sensor. And in this 6 years old video a Panasonic rep specifically says this tech will trickle into LUMIX cameras.

It’s now been close to 7 years since the original S1H. If Panasonic has been quietly refining this technology all this time, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next S1H or a new compact cinema camera is the one that finally delivers the combination of high dynamic range, global shutter, and built in ND filters that so many people have been asking for.

 

[sanveer]

That sensor is probably in permanent cold storage. Panasonic could use a LOFIC sensor instead. That could easily add 2-3 stops of dynamic range.

Rolling shutter doesn't have to be absent, but being controlled is good enough. 

[TrueIndigo]

Over the years I used to think about that publicised organic sensor, too, but I think since then, the Panasonic sensor work was sold off, wasn't it?

[Alt Shoo]

2 hours ago, TrueIndigo said:

Over the years I used to think about that publicised organic sensor, too, but I think since then, the Panasonic sensor work was sold off, wasn't it?

From everything I’ve found, Panasonic definitely sold a large portion of its semiconductor business to Nuvoton in 2019 (completed in 2020). But I haven’t found any evidence that the Organic CMOS/OPF technology itself was sold or abandoned.In fact, Panasonic has continued publishing updates on the technology. Here’s a 2023 announcement improving the OPF sensor’s color reproduction. So while none of us know if it’ll ever end up in a Lumix camera, I don’t think it’s accurate to say it’s in “cold storage” @sanveer  or that Panasonic sold it off. If anyone has a source that says otherwise, I’d genuinely like to read it.

[Alt Shoo]

9 hours ago, sanveer said:

That sensor is probably in permanent cold storage. Panasonic could use a LOFIC sensor instead. That could easily add 2-3 stops of dynamic range.

Rolling shutter doesn't have to be absent, but being controlled is good enough. 

Reading up on these technologies, LOFIC is evolutionary, but OPF is revolutionary.