Canon launches first ultra-high-sensitivity camera with a SPAD sensor for colour video recording
Canon’s MS-500 camera is ideal for surveillance applications thanks to its capacity to capture sharp videos at distances of several kilometres, even at night.
Canon Inc. is announcing the launch of its MS-500 camera at Milipol Paris 2023, an ultra-high-sensitivity interchageable lens model (ILC) equipped with a 1-inch (2.5cm) Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor. With 3.2 million pixels, the new camera is ideal for locations that require high levels of security such as seaports, public places and borders.
Equipped with a SPAD sensor, the MS-500 is able to capture colour videos in low light conditions of up to a minimum of 0.001 lux, making it what Canon is calling “a world first in the field of ultra-high-sensitivity cameras.”
The SPAD sensor was developed by Canon and is based on technology that consists of counting the particles of light (photons) that reach a pixel. When photons enter the pixel (the photodiode) and are converted into electrical charges, they can instantly be amplified nearly 1 million times and are then extracted under the form of a large signal. This makes filming colour videos possible even in limited and very low light conditions.
When used in combination with the Canon Broadcast series of ultra-telephoto lenses, the MS-500 is capable of capturing clear, crisp videos of subjects who may be several kilometres away.
By strengthening its range of ultra-high-sensitivity cameras, which already includes the ME20/ML series, Canon is increasingly meeting the requirements of the video surveillance market.
