CCD Remains Mainstream in Digital Cameras

Digitimes: In spite Kodak launch of C513 CMOS sensor-based camera, the Taiwan-based digital camera manufacturing industry said that CCD will remain as the mainstream image sensor for mid-range and high-end models.

More than 90% of the digital cameras shipped by Taiwan-based makers during the first half of 2007 were CCD models and the proportion for CMOS was less than 10%, according to the sources.

When the mainstream resolution level of digital cameras stood at 3-4 megapixels in 2002-2003, CMOS was thought likely to eventually replace CCD as the mainstream type. However, viewing that the mainstream resolution for digital cameras is predicted to shift from the current 7-8 megapixels to 10 megapixels, and that Japan-based suppliers such as Sony, Matsushita and Canon are making efforts to reduce the production costs of CCD sensors through decreasing defect rates, CCD will continue to be the mainstream type of image sensor, the sources explained. CMOS has become dominant only among entry-level models, the sources noted.