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Capturing the best shot is one of the most
difficult imaging techniques. In current cameras,
the only way to handle the time from the point
something is sensed by a human until the shutter
is pressed, is for the photographer to predict that
time based on experience and feeling, and to
press the shutter at the point s/he feels is right.
But it is hard to predict things such as people's
expressions and the motions of children and
animals, and it is always difficult to capture the
best possible shot. At the same time as radically
improving the continuous imaging performance
to above the speed of human responses with 60
frame/s at 6.4M pixels (IMX017) and 40 frame/s
at 8M pixels (IMX032), Sony’s high-speed
imaging system makes it possible to capture the
best possible shot by starting to record data from
before the point the shutter is pressed. This is
what we call “time machine imaging”. To allow the best image captured in the past to
be acquired, the camera system continuously
records RAW images output from the sensor
before the shutter is pressed to a ring buffer
area set up in image memory and this RAW
image recording operation is terminated when
the shutter is pressed. (See figure 2.)
Figure 3 shows the operation while saving to
the recording media. The best shot is saved by
applying camera and compression processing
to the RAW images in the ring buffer. Also,
this camera system is capable of 30 frame/s
and higher monitor display during continuous
imaging. This allows framing to be verified
in real time. As a result, even though it was
difficult with earlier cameras, it is now easy to
capture the best image.
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Figure 2 Operation During RAW Recording |
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Figure 3 Operation when Saving |
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Time Machine Imaging:
Never Missing the Best Instant
Multiplane Synthesis: Creating New
Functions and Superb Picture Quality
Vol.55