Digital BW, The Print

May I reply to my own post to add this link

http://clarkvision.com/imagedetail/digital.signal.to.noise/

which is certainly very interesting. 


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "kenstrain2000"
<kenstrain2000@y...> wrote:
> 	
> 
> Two thoughts:-
> 
> 1) The big unknown here seems to be the noise in the readout
amplifier
> under real operating conditions. (The properties of sensor itself
can
> be guessed more easily as the physics is simple.)  The amplifier
noise
> sets the balance between readout time and dynamic range.  Astro CCDs
> read fewer pixels much more slowly to reduce the effect of readout
> noise.  I like the fast readout provided by my camera:)
> I guess that the manufacturers take a system design approach to the
> problem of handling the image information as it passes through
> lens/microlens/filters/sensor/readout/gain/digitisation, balancing
the
> noise at each stage against cost, time to save image, etc. I don't
> believe the ADC is the hardest part of the problem, and suspect that
> extra bits would be used if they gave better images (at least in
>$1k
> cameras). Of course there is still room for improvement in all
areas,
> but it might not be very rapid.  
>