Can anyone explain image sensor throughput? Can you overclock an image sensor? at DVinfo.net

James Palanza · January 16th, 2012, 08:57 PM

Hello there. I've found information very lacking on the web that goes into detail about how image throughput of image sensors is derived. My point here is, how much data is streaming from an image sensor? Are video cameras, take the GH2 for instance, do their sensors have the ability to stream higher FPS but are throttled by the ability to write that data to disk?

How much data could come from an image sensor wide open, per second I guess is what I'm trying to figure out.

Cameras like the phantom that record thousands of FPS, are the sensors built differently for the throughput or are they overclocked like a computer cpu?

Anyone lol this is driving me nutts!

Chris Soucy · January 16th, 2012, 10:24 PM

Whoo, this is deep water for me, so I'll just doggy paddle around the edge, if that's ok.

If you look at the frame rates from the Phantom specifically, you'll notice that as they increase, the resolution drops quite considerably.

My guess, and that's all it is, is that in order to achieve such high frame rates, the camera needs to sum the contents of more and more pixels because with such short readout times they simply don't have adequate charge to work as seperate pixels.

As for anything else, yep, it's possible that their readout speeds could be increased, but you run into the same problem of the sensors not having adequate charge PLUS the fact that they all have to conform to a "standard" - well, no HD telly can display more than 1920 X 1080 X 60 X 8, so it seems rather daft to read data out faster than that unless you have a specific application that can use that data.

Probably of no use to you whatsoever, but there you go.

CS

James Palanza · January 16th, 2012, 10:45 PM

All information has uses ;p thats pretty nifty info. I'm basically trying to determine what yields higher FPS from a sensor - and if its possible to get more FPS out of a sensor that lets say, does 60 fps already.

January 16th, 2012, 08:57 PM	#1
James Palanza Major Player Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 310	Can anyone explain image sensor throughput? Can you overclock an image sensor? Hello there. I've found information very lacking on the web that goes into detail about how image throughput of image sensors is derived. My point here is, how much data is streaming from an image sensor? Are video cameras, take the GH2 for instance, do their sensors have the ability to stream higher FPS but are throttled by the ability to write that data to disk? How much data could come from an image sensor wide open, per second I guess is what I'm trying to figure out. Cameras like the phantom that record thousands of FPS, are the sensors built differently for the throughput or are they overclocked like a computer cpu? Anyone lol this is driving me nutts!

January 16th, 2012, 10:24 PM	#2
Chris Soucy Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fairfield, Dunedin, New Zealand Posts: 3,682 Images: 18	Re: Can anyone explain image sensor throughput? Can you overclock an image sensor? Whoo, this is deep water for me, so I'll just doggy paddle around the edge, if that's ok. If you look at the frame rates from the Phantom specifically, you'll notice that as they increase, the resolution drops quite considerably. My guess, and that's all it is, is that in order to achieve such high frame rates, the camera needs to sum the contents of more and more pixels because with such short readout times they simply don't have adequate charge to work as seperate pixels. As for anything else, yep, it's possible that their readout speeds could be increased, but you run into the same problem of the sensors not having adequate charge PLUS the fact that they all have to conform to a "standard" - well, no HD telly can display more than 1920 X 1080 X 60 X 8, so it seems rather daft to read data out faster than that unless you have a specific application that can use that data. Probably of no use to you whatsoever, but there you go. CS

January 16th, 2012, 10:45 PM	#3
James Palanza Major Player Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 310	Re: Can anyone explain image sensor throughput? Can you overclock an image sensor? All information has uses ;p thats pretty nifty info. I'm basically trying to determine what yields higher FPS from a sensor - and if its possible to get more FPS out of a sensor that lets say, does 60 fps already.