Attached Link: Smaller Sensors Usher In New Year's Resolution

It is an interesting article, and lots of reading, although a smaller sensor isnt what I want, but I can see its use for some things like phones and mini cameras. Although in the long term, smaller sensor technology will mean the ability to have huge resolution chips on todays cropped and FF sensors. YAY Although I have no personal use for them, it will make a huge difference to commercial imaging.

Granted. Still quite interesting to read about the differences between CCD and CMOS, and the new X3 chip.

the smaller the sensor, the more difficult it is to build wide-angle lenses for 35mm format!

35mm format is 35mm and only relates to 35mm sensors the technology to make smaller sensors would mean that you can get more pixels onto a 35mm format sensor, the actual size of the current crop of DSLR sensors is unlikely to change because of the wide angle issue, as it is on a APS-c sensor wide angle is only possible with ultra wide lenses, making the sensors even smaller would make wide-angle virtually impossible, if DSLR manufacturers employ this new smaller sensor technology they are more likely to use it to produce larger resolution cameras rather than DSLRs with a smaller sensor. (if of course they employ any form of logic)

Interesting read - yes Techno Geek here (I also used to sell them at a pro-shop before going freelance). Oddly, the first digital cameras used video CCDs which is why they have the same aspect ratio as a TV (1:1.33). Kinda funny to remember a 2MP DSLR that cost $12k! If you have a full-frame DSLR, your 35mm lenses will behave like always with the correct focal lengths - it's just the APS sized sensors that will change things for you. There's a good amount of wide-angle (though expensive) lenses for the APS sized DSLR sensors. I've been curious about this one - trying to use the lenses made for APS SRL cameras... Nikon and Canon kept their standard lens mounts - Minolta made a new one for the camera, and I can't remember what Pentax did - if they even HAD APS SLR cameras as well...? And yes, LostPatrol is right - making smaller sensor technology just mean they'll be able to fit more in the same amount of space, with hopefully less power needs. Hence, Nikon's new D2x 12.4MP camera - with an APS sized chip! Same space/higher res! And calling the x3 chip 10MP is a bit misleading. It's actually a 3MP sensor 3 layers deep (unless they actually MADE a 10MP sensor that I haven't read about yet). At best it competes with 6MP cameras for resolution and sharpness. If they actually made a 10MP sensor 3 layer deep that would blow the doors off of pretty much everything out there! Something to dream about... And save every penny for... Because it's gonna hurt in a 2nd mortgage or business loan kinda way! -Lew ;-)

from my undersatanding...smaller senser = less light captured...less tonal range, less conrast...so I would say bigger is better in this dase.

coolj001 said; "from my undersatanding...smaller senser = less light captured...less tonal range, less conrast...so I would say bigger is better in this dase." ...and don't forget a lot more noise...this is the reason why even mobile phones and compact digis with high resulotion sensors still have a poorer quality than DSLR's. Cheers

Yes, these are all issues they are addressing. We all certainly want the best quality image and I'm sure they are figuring out ways around these drawbacks.