willie_901
Veteran
It seems likely SONY has decided to completely shut down all CCD sensor production (link).
Obviously SONY's CMOS product line is unaffected.
Of course, the M8/M9 sensor production by ON Semiconductor (the current owner of Kodak's original CCD sensor technologies) will certainly continue and probably grow in order to permanently resolve the M9 cover glass deamination issue.
Obviously SONY's CMOS product line is unaffected.
Of course, the M8/M9 sensor production by ON Semiconductor (the current owner of Kodak's original CCD sensor technologies) will certainly continue and probably grow in order to permanently resolve the M9 cover glass deamination issue.
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
No. Leica isn't going to shell out for another CCD production run, and when supplies of sensors get low, users will be bought out, just as for M8 LCD screens. I'd wager that the sensors are not even being made now. Like every other planned obsolescence industry, Leica bought an overage of parts based on an expected failure rate, and the clock is ticking.
Dante
bsdunek
Old Guy with a Corgi
It's interesting that when Eric Fossum announced the CMOS sensor, he said it would replace CCD's. Everybody kind of chuckled. Well, here we are - looks like CCD's are pretty much a thing of the past.
sevo
Fokutorendaburando
CCD's by a traditional premium maker, maybe. The Chinese makers won't pull out anywhere that soon - CCD will continue to be the technology for affordable video cameras for at least another generation or two. The same lack of patentable progress that kills it for a maker the scale and profile of Sony makes it attractive at the bottom end of the market, where less licensing is more important than better quality...
noimmunity
scratch my niche
Making this post a sticky might be the most compassionate gesture.