Full details of Atomos' new 8K sensor revealed: 8K at 60fps, 4K at 240fps

Recently we wrote about a newly developed sensor from Atomos. Now the full specifications have been released as well as a name: Sapphire F8.

Not much was known about Atomos' new 8K sensor, with the full information only being available to manufacturers under NDA. Now the full specs have been revealed by Petapixel, after an interview with Atomos' CEO, Trevor Elbourne, and they're impressive.

The sensor is called Sapphire F8, and it is a full-frame sensor capable of producing 8K video at up to 60fps. More interestingly it features phase detection autofocus and a global shutter. 4K can be recorded at at a rather staggering 240fps, with 360fps possible at HD resolutions. The goodness doesn't end there, either. HDR video is possible using dual exposure methods, and in normal none HDR use, users can expect to capture around 15-stops of dynamic range.

Low power, cool running

You might think that a sensor like this would require lots of power and cooling, but here too, the specification is quite surprising. The new sensor only draws 2w of power, and has been designed to run so cool that Elbourne states that it's possible that no active cooling may be required.

These latter points are incredibly important given the attention that has been given recently to thermal limitations on some recent cameras. 

Surprisingly, according to the interview the design of the sensor began before Blackmagic Design entered the camera realm. Atomos had in fact fully intended to design and build its own camera, but, due to development taking much longer than expected, it saw a diminishing market once BMD had entered the fray. However, despite no longer looking to make its own camera, the company still saw value in continuing with the design of the new chip.

Elbourne stated to Petapixel, “A lot of camera makers don’t really have access to cutting edge, state of the art sensors because if you’re a Panasonic, for example, how do you source these sensors? Well, you go to Sony. And you’re at the mercy of whatever Sony is going to provide to you.

“It opens up the competitive market to camera makers who don’t necessarily have access to the latest and greatest.”

It'll be fascinating to see where this leads, and which manufacturers may be considering using the new sensor, although he is clear to point out that even if a manufacturer began to develop a new camera utilising the new sensor tomorrow, it could still be three years or so before it came to market. Read the full interview with Trevor Elbourne over on Petapixel.