Camera Hacker

:

Add Comment | Related Links | TrackBack
Related Content

DSLRs with upgradable CCDs.

Most digital camera manufacturers use the same body with few minor cosmetic changes from one year to the next. [I can't imagine I'm the only person to have noticed this!] So it's about time manufacturers offered chip upgrades to existing models. Of course, if you didn't know, Kodak are offering just this on their DSLRs - look an their website and it's ther for all to see!

It's far from impossible, and you only have to see how sophisticated the internals of a PC are, and yet easy to upgrade they are, to confirm the ease of such a move. I suspect the only reasons why they don't, are they've got stuck into the mentality of technology improvement=completly new model. Re-using an existing circuit is obviously cheaper than redesigning from scratch, and for years they have been doing just that, at our expense. The other reason, is that people and the photo press, haven't been pushing this idea.

Sam Chapman [England]
Tue Sep 21 00:58:40 PDT 2004

The only thing wrong with your argument is, well, the complete and total wrongness of it.

First, "Re-using an existing circuit is obviously cheaper than redesigning from scratch". They simply do not do this. In 4 years, Nikon has gone through four complete generations of circuitry, and the camera's throughput (megapixels/sec) has increased by a factor of six in that time period.

D1 12mp/sec (2.6mp * 4.5fps)
D1X 18mp/sec (6mp * 3fps)
D1H 32mp/sec (4mp * 8fps)
D2X 68mp/sec (12.6mp * 5fps)

Canon does cameras in pairs, a high speed low resolution, and a lower speed, higher resolution camera.

1D & 1Ds 32mp/sec (4mp*8fps & 11mp*3fps)
MKII 68mp/sec (8mp*8.5fps & 16.8mp*4fps)

Second, "Most digital camera manufacturers use the same body with few minor cosmetic changes from one year to the next". Well, Canon did this with their 1D and 1Ds, they used basically the same body when they went to the "MK II" versions. Aside from that, each generation has been on a totally different platform.

Canon's midline has gone through four platforms, D30, D60, 10D, and 20D. The first 3 were based on entirely different film cameras, with different shutter capabilities, metering, weight, size, chassis and body materials. 20D gos past this to a totally new platform (new prism, shutter, metering, mirror, screen, shell, chassis, and power system).

Going from D1H & D1X to D2H & D2X, Nikon completly changed the body, adding a faster, quieter shutter, reduced mirror blackout, upgrading the AF from 5 zone to 11, adding a hybrid white balance sensor atop the prism housing, reducing weight and size slightly.

Fuji moved from the Nikon N60 film SLR in S1 to the N80 film SLE in S2, and redid the case, power system, and finder for S3.

The Kodak example you cite is what I refer to as a "slipstream" change. Just a new sensor and power supply to address frequent complaints about the old one. Resolution, speed, etc. stay the same.

Joseph Wisniewski
Wed Sep 22 09:42:39 PDT 2004

Add Comment | Related Links | TrackBack
Related Content

Did your message disappear? Read the Forums FAQ.

Add Comment

Spam Control | * indicates required field
Your Name: *
E-mail:
Remember Me!
Comment: *
File attachment is optional. Please do not attach a file to your submission unless it is relevent.
Attach File:
(20 MB Max)
Spam Protection: * Answer of 2 + 10?
Click button only once, please!

TrackBack

TrackBack only accepted from WebSite-X Suite web sites. Do not submit TrackBacks from other sites.

Send Ping | TrackBack URL | Spam Control

No TrackBacks yet. TrackBack can be used to link this thread to your weblog, or link your weblog to this thread. In addition, TrackBack can be used as a form of remote commenting. Rather than posting the comment directly on this thread, you can posts it on your own weblog. Then have your weblog sends a TrackBack ping to the TrackBack URL, so that your post would show up here.

Messages, files, and images copyright by respective owners.