(e) film
The so-called (e) film from the Irvine , California (USA) -based manufacturer Silicon Film (formerly Imagek ) is intended as a digital replacement for conventional photographic films for certain 35mm cameras .
Instead of a 35mm film , a digital film cartridge, the (e) film, is inserted into the KB-SLR camera. The product originally announced by ImageK in 1998 could not be delivered until today (as of 2009). At CeBIT 2001 a partnership between Silicon Film and the German distributor Ringfoto was announced, but so far it has not shown any practical results.
Components of the EFS-1 system
The "EFS-1" system (EFS, Electronic Film System) consists of three components, the digital "film" and two adapters:
- (e) film . Both a “digital camera” without optics and a data memory, the so-called “digital film cartridge”. Technical performance data: 1.3 megapixels , 24 images per (e) film (64 MB, compressed). No modifications to the camera body are required, the module is inserted into the camera instead of the film.
- (e) port . Device for downloading the data from the (e) film to the PC. The (e) port can be used either via a PC card slot or USB and therefore does not have its own power supply.
- (e) box . Image data from the (e) film can be transferred to Compact Flash cards (CF Type I and CF Type II) via the (e) box; this compensates for the extremely limited storage capacity of the (e) film and also ensures the energy supply as long as the (e) film is connected to the (e) box.
Technical specifications
A CMOS sensor ( Complimentary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ), which is inexpensive to manufacture and at the same time energy-saving in use, is used to digitize the image information . CMOS sensors basically enable an image quality comparable to that of CCD sensors.
The resolution of the sensor is 1280 × 1024 pixels, i.e. approx. 1.3 megapixels with a color depth of 36 bits. The film speed corresponds to about 100 ISO.
Images can be saved in JPEG , BMP and TIFF formats ; recording is possible both compressed and uncompressed ( RAW ). Image data are stored in the (e) film on a non-volatile flash memory chip.
The image section (FOV, Field of View) only covers approx. 30 percent in the center of the KB viewfinder image. This results in a reduction in the angle of view by the format factor 2.85 (tele-converter effect without loss of light intensity). A 200mm f / 2.8 - telephoto lens produces an image like a 570mm f / 2.8 - super telephoto in 35mm format, wide-angle shots are only possible with the use of a focal length of 12 mm, which is extreme for 35mm .
Planned models
- Canon: EOS 1, EOS 1N, EOS 1V, EOS A2 / E, EOS 5;
- Nikon: F5, N90 / N90s, F90 / F90x.
The EFS-10 system
Since the stormy development in the field of digital cameras had ruined the market chances of a model with only 1.3 megapixels before the completion of working samples, a model with a resolution of 10 megapixels was announced in 2002. This product has not yet reached the market.