What a 268-Megapixel Sensor Looks Like

  • Michael Zhang · Jun 16, 2011
 

Last week we shared the beautiful first space photo to be taken with the OmegaCAM, a 268-megapixel, 1,700-lb camera operated by the European Southern Observatory. Here are some photographs of the camera itself, which uses an array of 32 separate CCD sensors for its incredible resolution.

Image Archive: Survey Telescopes (via PhotoRadar)

Image credits: Photographs by the European Southern Observatory

 

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  • http://twitter.com/millerandmiller James Miller

    Love to try and Lens Whack that.

  • http://blog.wingtangwong.com/ Wing Wong

    Wow. That’s alot of medium format backs going into space.

  • Anonymous

    Does it come with a leaf blower to clean dust off?

  • Anonymous

    Does it come with a leaf blower to clean dust off?

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Daniel-Austin-Hoherd/576367461 Daniel Austin Hoherd

    How do they fill in the gaps between the sensors?  Adobe Photoshop Content-aware Fail?

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  • http://twitter.com/dland Dave Land

    Can I send this back to the factory? It’s got a stuck pixel…

  • http://twitter.com/Mvdv84 Marc van der Veen

    Awesome thing! But, will it blend?

  • http://twitter.com/Mvdv84 Marc van der Veen

    Awesome thing! But, will it blend?

  • http://twitter.com/dland Dave Land

    Can I send this back to the factory? It’s got a stuck pixel…

  • http://twitter.com/Crestopher Brett

    Something like that I assume. Or it takes two images at different sensor places, and then blends them.

  • http://twitter.com/Crestopher Brett

    Something like that I assume. Or it takes two images at different sensor places, and then blends them.

  • http://twitter.com/Soiden Sebastián Soto

    I guess I’ll need to start going to a gym.

  • http://www.photoblog.com/bergur Bergur

    The odd thing about it is, it doesn’t cost more than a point-and-shoot camera. Isn’t that unbelievable?

  • Tom

    Might have been a good idea to stand someone next to the contraption to show how big it is.

  • Tom

    Might have been a good idea to stand someone next to the contraption to show how big it is.

  • http://photography.badlightgoodlight.com Nikhil Ramkarran

    What does it say about me as a photographer that I find the sensor more fascinating than the photo it took? :)

  • http://facebook.com/swiftmed Andrew MacDonald

    huh?

  • http://twitter.com/salzmanufaktur Salz

    Well, it says you’re a gear slut, like the most of us. :)

  • Justwingingit

    I’ll wait and pick it up used on Ebay.

  • Justwingingit

    I’ll wait and pick it up used on Ebay.

  • Justwingingit

    I’ll wait and pick it up used on Ebay.

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  • Friendly_dolphin

    unless its Nikon branded I’m not interested 

  • AlanInMadrid

    It’s not actually going into space; it’s on the ground looking up into space :)

    However, THIS one is going into space.  Almost a billion pixels:
    http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/index.cfm?fobjectid=40129&fbodylongid=1907

    (Sorry no pictures yet, we’re still building it…

  • AlanInMadrid

    I believe that astranomical pictures are normally made by adding together multiple exposures.  If you take say 100 exposures, and just make sure that the gaps are in a different part of the image for each exposure, then problem solved.

  • http://sljonesdigital.com SLJonesDigital

    1st Astronomer: “Is that a black hole?!!!!”
    2nd Astronomer: “Dead pixel.”

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  • http://twitter.com/YimmiMcGinty Yimmi Mcginty

    So that’s F mount yeah?

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  • http://twitter.com/millerandmiller James Miller

    Makes you wonder how many discovered stars and solar systems are little more than a dead pixel. #hoodwinked

  • Dingo

    yeah but can it do portraits

  • http://www.facebook.com/frederico.malaca Frederico Malaca

    it works with sd or cf cards? :D

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  • http://www.facebook.com/miguelfronteras Michael Borders

    those are some huge pixels – that’s 8.375MP per sensor and from the looks of those CCD’s,each pixel must be enormous! 

  • http://www.facebook.com/miguelfronteras Michael Borders

    those are some huge pixels – that’s 8.375MP per sensor and from the looks of those CCD’s,each pixel must be enormous! 

  • http://www.facebook.com/miguelfronteras Michael Borders

    those are some huge pixels – that’s 8.375MP per sensor and from the looks of those CCD’s,each pixel must be enormous! 

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