There is a new camera sitting at the top of the DxO camera database, and it may surprise you. The RED Helium 8K camera has gained a score of 108 - the highest sensor rating the ranking website has ever recorded.
DxO rated the RED Helium as having a dynamic range of 15.2EV
The RED Helium 8K is a video camera, with a Super 35mm size sensor. However, it can record raw image frames at 8K resolution - that’s 8392 x 3456 pixels, or 29 million pixels. Oh, and it can record those raw images at 60fps.
Impressively, DxO recorded the RED Helium as having a dynamic range of 15.2EV (FIFTEEN POINT TWO!). Currently the highest dynamic range of a stills camera is the Nikon D810 with 14.8EV.
Image from DxO.com
Obviously there’s a catch, well a few of them. Firstly the RED Helium 8K hasn’t been launched yet. Secondly, when it is launched it will cost a staggering $59,000. Then all you have to do is work out how on earth you are going to store all the data. Shooting 60 29-million-pixel images every second is going to take up a lot of space.
‘BUT I’M A PHOTOGRAPHER! I’M NOT INTERESTED IN VIDEO! WHY SHOULD I CARE?’
It was less than three years ago that Panasonic launched the GH4 with its 4K video mode. The recent Panasonic Lumix GH5 now offers a 6K mode at 30fps, albeit in a compressed JPEG format. Panasonic has said that they want 8K by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, although it hasn’t been clear if this will be an 8K Photo Mode or full 8K video capture. Either way, the GH5 fits in with the 2.5 year cycle of this product line.
It is only a matter of time before technology found in the RED Helium filters down to our stills cameras. There are some hurdles to overcome, mainly to do with heat distribution and data rates, but the technology is there to do this.
Photo: RED
And don’t forget, Super 35mm is smaller than a full frame sensor. Imagine the dynamic range of a lower resolution, full frame sensor. The next couple of years are set to be very exciting in terms of sensor technology.
And for those that moan about not wanting a video capture mode in your camera as you don’t use it - in many regards it is the power behind video technology that is really pushing the boundaries of what still cameras are capable of.
Read more on DxO’s website
