Canon captures stunning low-light Yaeyama-hime fireflies video

Canon has revealed an amazing Yaeyama-hime fireflies video, which has been captured with the prototype 35mm full frame CMOS image sensor in almost complete darkness.

Earlier in 2013, Canon has introduced a high-sensitivity 35mm full frame image sensor based on CMOS technology. This did not sound like something new, but the sensor is aimed at shooting videos in dark environments.

After fine tuning the sensor even further, the company has developed a prototype camera. After that, it has decided to test it in extreme conditions. The results have just been posted and the footage is nothing short of amazing.

Canon 35mm full frame sensor is aimed at recording videos in low-light. The company has demonstrated its extreme capabilities in the Yaeyama-hime fireflies video.

Canon goes to Japan to capture Yaeyama-hime fireflies on video with its low-light 35mm full frame sensor

Canon has set a camera in the Ishigaki Island, Japan, which is located somewhere northeast of Taiwan’s coast. The island is covered in dense vegetation and the areas tend to get very dark during nighttime, as there are not any lighting posts around.

The prototype shooter used the experimental 35mm full frame CMOS sensor to record the famous Yaeyama-hime fireflies in action. Eventually, the sun has set and the light levels indicated 0.01 lux.

Despite being almost completely dark, the sensor has managed to “see” and capture the color of the fireflies. Moreover, the color of the vegetation can also be easily distinguished.

Although the vegetation is green so there are not too many colors in the video, please remember that the footage has been recorded in almost complete darkness. This is quite the achievement and one can only hope that the sensor will be ready for the consumer market within a few years.

Canon’s high-sensitivity 35mm FF sensor to have implications in medical research and surveillance

In order to explain how much 0.01 lux of light means, we will compare it with a full moon which offers less than 0.03 lux. According to Canon, there was less than 0.01 lux at the time. In these conditions, humans would have a hard time in perceiving the surroundings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHnUtmenGQ0

Canon says that the Yaeyama-hime firefly video was so good that researchers will use it to study this amazing species, whose individuals measure only 4mm.

The company is also claiming that it will further develop the sensor in order to integrate it into medical research and surveillance equipment.