Developer's Story

I have been involved ever since the development of the first generation “Super CCD,” and I can tell you that it certainly was a difficult challenge developing the new EXR. Until now, we had been making efforts to improve the level of the CCD, signal processing, AUTO performance, and scene recognition, among other functions. However, we were forced to reexamine our former knowledge and know-how as we made significant changes to the CCD corresponding to the eye. In other words, we started from a zero-base standpoint, which meant we had to go back and reassess each and every part that had already been proven. This was the most difficult process in development. It took us one year to clarify what the issues were, and another year to achieve a technical breakthrough. After spending two years in development, we finally feel as if we have arrived at our destination.

We, as the development team, has consistently striven to realize photo picture quality “just as the eye sees it,” and have taken great pride in developing a high level technology not offered by other competitors. Nevertheless, as we reviewed each photograph individually, we noticed there are areas for further improvement. This was the starting point for the EXR concept. How can we provide the best picture to our customers when shooting in different scenes? The insight was derived from the human eye as it automatically changes its resolving power and sensitivity according to the scene and brightness, that brought us to think if a compact digital camera could do the same. This led us to develop a CCD which has never been achieved, one capable of intelligently changing its resolution, high sensitivity, and wide dynamic range according to the scene, providing the best picture quality ever.

The three functions of resolution, dynamic range, and sensitivity to depict details are interrelated as trade-offs. Meaning that in order to increase sensitivity, pixel count must be decreased, relating to gaining one performance by losing another. The idea which became the key to this dilemma, was the new color filter array. After considering numerous arrays and conducting repeated simulations, the EXR array provided the optimal best balance between resolution, sensitivity, and dynamic range.

Many of us in the development team were raised on negative films and joined the company owing to our love of photography. Thus, capturing that “single memorable shot” means a lot , generating us into being persistent on details. Even though from a professional standpoint, the EXR is an article of excellent workmanship and we feel satisfied with it. Its ability to take clear and sharp images in dark settings is sure to dispel any misgivings to conventional cameras. The EXR also facilitates taking landscape photos with ample gradation by preventing “washout” and “blackout” conditions from occurring. We want our customers to take the EXR into their hands and get a feel for its performance. The beauty of the images captured will sure to transcend what can be conveyed by its specifications alone. We firmly believe in its ability to provide satisfaction for all types of scenes.
Please look forward to the release of the EXR with anticipation.