Panasonic GH1's LiveMOS sensor as good as the best APS-C sensors?

http://fourthirds-user.com/2010/01/dxomark_suggest_four_thirds_sensor_technology_has_made_a_big_leap_in_performance.php

There have been at least three generations of LiveMOS sensor since, each bringing modest improvements in noise and dynamic range performance, despite creeping up to 12 megapixels. But it's the LiveMOS sensor exclusive to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1 Micro Four Thirds camera that has broken into the top tier of 'small' sensor DSLR performance category.

DxOMark.com recently tested the RAW image file performance of the GH1 and discovered that its noise, dynamic range, and colour reproduction performance was significantly better than any previous LiveMOS sensor. Pixel for pixel, DxOMark rates the GH1's sensor at the same level as the 18 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor of the Canon EOS-7D. This is interesting because the pixel densities of these two sensors is very similar. It suggests that Panasonic has at last caught up with its rivals in sensor technology terms and this is great news for the future Four Thirds, and Micro Four Thirds.

There have been many rumours that Panasonic is stepping up its sensor technology this year. The Lumix GH1 was launched in September last year, and several Micro Four Thirds models from Olympus and Panasonic have arrived since, but they all use the previous generation of LiveMOS sensor. The expectation is that another new generation of LiveMOS sensor will be unveiled by Panasonic later this year, perhaps employing the so-called back-lit style of sensor to further optimise the efficiency of the light gathering function of the sensor.


DxOMark.com最近測試了GH1的RAW表現，發現其噪點、動態範圍和色彩還原性能明顯優於以往任何LiveMOS感光元件。DxOMark估計GH1的感光元件與佳能1800萬像素APS-C感光的EOS - 7D為同級。因為這兩個感光元件的畫素密度非常類似。松下終於趕上了它的競爭對手在感光元件技術方面，這是個好消息。

有很多傳言，松下正在加緊今年感光元件技術。奧林巴斯和松下的機型，使用了上一代的LiveMOS感光元件。人們期望，新一代LiveMOS感光元件將在今年較晚推出，可能採用所謂的背光式感光元件。