New Kodak Image Sensors for Low-Light Photography

New Kodak camera technology could make dark, blurry photos as thing of the past

Eastman Kodak Company today announced what it considers a “groundbreaking advancement” in image sensor technology that will help reduce the accidental taking of dark and blurry digital photos. Kodak claims its new sensor technology provides a two- to four-fold increase in sensitivity to light (from one to two photographic stops) compared to current sensor designs.

“This represents a new generation of image sensor technology and addresses one of the great challenges facing our industry – how to capture crisp, clear digital images in a poorly lit environment,” said Chris McNiffe, General Manager of Kodak’s Image Sensor Solutions group. “This is a truly innovative approach to improving digital photography in all forms, and it highlights Kodak’s unique ability to differentiate its products by delivering advanced digital technologies that really make a difference to the consumer.

Image sensors convert light into electric charge to capture images. Today, the design of almost all color image sensors is based on the Bayer Pattern, an arrangement of red, green, and blue pixels that was first developed by Kodak scientist Dr. Bryce Bayer in 1976. In this design, half of the pixels on the sensor are used to collect green light, with the remaining pixels split evenly between sensitivity to red and blue light. After exposure, software reconstructs a full color signal for each pixel in the final image.

There are several way. The first is to decide which phase of the moon you want: Full, half, quarter, sliver, somewhere in between. I assume you're using a digital camera? If it's one with a spot metering capability use that setting. This may be all you need for a full / quarter moon. I use a digital SLR so I can use very long lenses to zoom in; a 1000mm & an 8" Casagrande telescope which run in manual mode. If you're going to shoot anything below a quarter moon, you'll need a tri-pod & the timer setting on your camera. - Just set the camera up on the tri-pod, aim at the moon & press the shutter release & wait for the snap. Most campers auto settings for speed, f-stop, and gain (ASA) suffice. If you're going for the sliver shot, then you'll probably need to due a multi exposure where one uses software to combine images; a full manual capable digital SLR, or a combination.

I get some INCREDIBLE moonscapes over the valy infront of my house, and all I ever get is a white blob on a black background.

For this situation, change the light meter setting to "spot" and this problem will go away. With the camera in it's default setting, the entire field-of-view is used to set the speed, f-stop, and gain. Since you're really interested in the moon, the spot metering function will only set those parameters based on the central "spot" of the CCD & not use the remainder of the frame for calculating the settings. Help?

I didn’t take that picture, but this method below has been applied to the picture I posted.

I am assuming you have a good quality digital camera, with manual shutter/aperture functions available on it, and a sturdy tripod.

You need to take two pictures, with an interval between them kept as short as possible. The first picture will concentrate on the valley you mentioned, while the second picture will have the moon as the subject. Disable the auto flash and auto focus function.

1. First, mount the camera on the tripod, and keep it secure by tightening all knobs/levers etc.

2. With the camera in Shutter Priority mode (usually marked ‘S’), adjust the shutter speed setting until you obtain a desired exposure of the valley, as seen from the viewfinder.

Obtain a sharp focus. Take the picture. (Tip: Using the timer function or a handheld remote eliminates the risk of shaking the camera’s body while depressing the shutter button).

3. Now this step is crucial, and must be done reasonably quickly (not more than a few seconds apart). WITHOUT MOVING/SHAKING the camera, carefully adjust the shutter setting, this time till you get a good exposure of the moon. Adjust focus, and click the picture.

Now you have two pictures, one of the valley, in vividity, and the other of the moon.

THE STEPS BELOW REQUIRES YOU TO HAVE SOME EXPERIENCE WITH PHOTOSHOP (or a substitute software).

Using Photoshop, open a new file with the dimensions of the image taken by the camera, then open the two photos taken and paste each of the two photos on two different layers, leaving the background layer of the file as-is (a total of three layers).

Now all that you have to do is play around with the sliders and modes available on each layer, and combine them such that both the moon and the landscape are equally well-emphasised.

This is just a rough guide to doing this. I am not a professional photographer. I am as amateur as they come. I learnt Photoshop just by sitting with it for hours simply exploring each function. I have noticed book-based tutorials are useless and extremely boring.

Notes:

The reason why I mentioned that the images must be taken in quick succession is because the moon actually changes position with time. Even a minute’s delay can make the moon move to such an extent that the final combined image will show a double-image of the moon, along the edges of the location of the moon. The same reason holds for why the camera must be kept absolutely still. Even a small change in position of the camera will drastically ruin the final combined image, due to dislocation.

You needn’t stick to just the Shutter Priority mode. You can get the desired effect on other modes also. All you need are two aligned pictures- one with the moon in good light, and the other, of the valley. This order can be altered too.

That’s all for now...

With patience, you can do wonders! All the best!

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