Gonz wrote: >I dont know if there is any difference between them as far as noise >per unit area of silicon for one photosite, but I'm wondering if CMOS >provides a different fill factor for the whole chip that gives it an >advantage via more silicon per photosite, if indeed CMOS has a better >fill factor.
Yes, CMOS permits a slightly better fill factor. CCD is, from what I've read, inherently less noisy, but the fill factor of CMOS may make up for that. It certainly seems that the cameras with the best noise performance are CMOS these days. One thing that makes CMOS more attractive to camera makers is that it includes more of the imaging circuitry on-chip, making manufacturing slightly less expensive: The output signal from a CCD is analog -- the output from a CMOS sensor is digital. Of course, both CCD and CMOS sensors require some outboard circuitry, but in a business with very tight margins, any advantage in this area is significant. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
