Pixel shift is a method in

digital camera A digital camera, also called a digicam, is a camera that captures photographs in Digital data storage, digital memory. Most cameras produced today are digital, largely replacing those that capture images on photographic film or film stock. Dig ...

s for producing a super resolution image. The method works by taking several images, after each such capture moving ("shifting") the sensor to a new position. In digital colour cameras that employ pixel shift, this avoids a major limitation inherent in using Bayer pattern for obtaining colour, and instead produces an image with increased colour resolution and, assuming a static subject or additional computational steps, an image free of colour moiré. Taking this idea further, ''sub''-pixel shifting may increase the resolution of the final image beyond that suggested by the specified resolution of the image sensor. Additionally, assuming that the various individual captures are taken at the same sensitivity, the final combined image will have less

image noise Image noise is random variation of brightness or color information in images. It can originate in film grain and in the unavoidable shot noise of an ideal photon detector. In digital photography is usually an aspect of electronic noise, produ ...

than a single capture. This can be thought of as an averaging effect (for instance, in a pixel shift image composed of four individual frames with a classic Bayer pattern, every pixel in the final colour image is based on two measurements of the green channel). An early pixel shift camera, the Kontron ProgRes 3012 digital camera, was used for the "Electronic ''Beowulf''" project in the mid 1990s (https://www.uky.edu/~kiernan/welcome/1993.htm). The images were 3000x2000 pixels, 24 bit colour. Considered high resolution for the time.

List of cameras implementing pixel shift

All of the following cameras are fabricated with one imaging sensor, thus any kind of pixel shift requires a movement of the whole sensor.

Fujifilm

Fujifilm GFX50S II The Fujifilm GFX 50S II is a mirrorless medium format camera produced by Fujifilm , trading as , or simply Fuji, is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operat ...

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contains a 51 Mpixel sensor. The Pixel Shift Multi-Shot mode shifts the imaging sensor by 0.5-pixel movements to obtain a sequence of 16 images that are subsequently merged into a 200 Mpixel image. *

Fujifilm GFX100 The Fujifilm GFX100 is a mirrorless medium format camera produced by Fujifilm. It is the flagship model of the GFX Series of mirrorless digital cameras and the third camera with the Fujifilm G-mount. The camera comes in two versions, the regular ...

Fujifilm GFX100 II The Fujifilm GFX100 II is a medium format mirrorless camera produced by Fujifilm with Fujifilm G-mount. It is the direct successor to the 2019 GFX100. The GFX100 II was announced on 12 September 2023 at the X Summit Global 2023. Sales commenc ...

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contains a 102 Mpixel sensor. A sequence of 16 pixel shifted images are merged into a 400 Mpixel image. *

Fujifilm GFX100S The Fujifilm GFX100S is a mirrorless medium format camera produced by Fujifilm with Fujifilm G-mount. It is a smaller version of the 2019 GFX100 camera. The camera was announced by the corporation on January 27, 2021 at the X Summit Global 2021 ...

Fujifilm GFX100S II The Fujifilm GFX100S II is a mirrorless medium format camera produced by Fujifilm with Fujifilm G-mount. It is the direct successor to the 2021 GFX100S. The GFX100S II was announced by the Fujifilm corporation on 16 May 2024 at the X Summit ...

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contains a 102 Mpixel sensor. A sequence of 16 pixel shifted images are merged into a 400 Mpixel image *

Fujifilm GFX100IR , trading as , or simply Fuji, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, operating in the areas of photography, optics, office and medical electronics, biotechnology, and chemicals. The company started as a manufa ...

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contains a 102 Mpixel sensor. A sequence of 16 pixel shifted images are merged into a 400 Mpixel image * Fujifilm X-H2: contains a 40 Mpixel sensor. A sequence of 20 shifted images are merged into a 160 Mpixel image. * Fujifilm X-T5: contains a 40 Mpixel sensor. A sequence of 20 shifted images are merged into a 160 Mpixel image.

Nikon

Nikon Z8 The Nikon Z8 is a high-end full-frame mirrorless camera produced by Nikon. The camera was announced on May 10, 2023. It is the tenth Z-mount camera body and the seventh full-frame Z-mount body. Features The Z8 has the same 45.7 MP stacked CMOS ...

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contains a 47.5 Mpixel sensor. The High Res shot mode shifts the imaging sensor by 0.5-pixel movements to obtain a sequence of up to 32 images that can be merged in Nikon’s NX studio software. *

Nikon Zf The Nikon Zf is a Mirrorless camera, mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera with the Nikon Z-mount with a list price of $1999 body only, in the US. History The camera was announced on 20 September 2023 and was shipped out to customers in Japan ...

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contains a 24 Mpixel sensor. The High Res shot mode shifts the imaging sensor by 0.5-pixel movements to obtain a sequence of up to 32 images that can be merged in Nikon’s NX studio software.

Olympus

Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II The Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II is a digital mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera released by Olympus Corporation in December 2016. It replaced the Olympus OM-D E-M1, which was introduced in 2013. Features include * 20 MP Live MOS sensor, manu ...

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contains a 20.4 Mpixel sensor. The High Res shot mode produces a 50 Mpixel image. * Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II:
contains a 16 Mpixel sensor. The High Res shot mode shifts the imaging sensor by 0.5-pixel movements to obtain a sequence of 8 images that are subsequently merged into a 40 Mpixel image. *

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III The Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III is the third iteration of the enthusiast-level mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera produced by Olympus on the Micro Four-Thirds system. The camera is the successor to the Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II and was releas ...

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contains a 20.4 Mpixel sensor. The High Res shot mode shifts the imaging sensor by 0.5-pixel movements to obtain a sequence of 8 images that are subsequently merged into a 50 Mpixel image. *

Olympus OM-D E-M1X The Olympus OM-D E-M1X is a professional mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera announced by Olympus Corporation in January 2019. It succeeds the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II, and includes dual TruePic VIII processor, liquid cooling, larger body wit ...

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contains a 20.4 Mpixel sensor. The camera sports two pixel shift mode: (a) the 80Mp Tripod mode produces an 80 Mpixel image, (b) the Handheld High Res shot mode produces a 50 Mpixel image. *

Olympus PEN-F The Olympus PEN-F is a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera in the micro four thirds, Micro Four Thirds system, released in 2016. It is the part of the Olympus Pen, digital PEN series. The PEN-F pays tribute to the similarly named Olympus Pe ...

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contains a 20.4 Mpixel sensor. The High Res Shot mode takes multiple images, continually shifting the position of the sensor in sub-pixel increments. Combining these images results in either a 50MP JPEG or an 80MP Raw file.

OM System

OM System OM-1 The OM System OM-1 is the flagship mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera produced by OM Digital Solutions on the micro four-thirds system. It is the first high-end digital camera made by OM Digital Solutions after its acquisition of the imagi ...

: contains a 20MPix sensor. The High Res Shot mode takes multiple images, and it can be used handheld or on a tripod. Handheld it will internally produce 50 Mpix files and 80 Mpix when mounted on a tripod. *

OM System OM-5 The OM System OM-5 is a mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera with a Micro Four Thirds mount, announced by OM Digital Solutions OM Digital Solutions Corporation (OMDS) (OMデジタルソリューションズ) is a Japanese manufacturer of o ...

Panasonic

Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 The Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 is a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless interchangeable lens camera body announced by Panasonic is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 ...

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contains a 20.3 Mpixel sensor. The High Resolution Mode takes a sequence of 8 shots in quick succession between which the sensor is shifted by 0.5 pixel for each image. These are subsequently merged into an 80 Mpixel image. *

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1 is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and changed its name to in 2008. In 20 ...

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contains a 24.2 Mpixel sensor. The High Resolution Mode takes a sequence of shots in quick succession between which the sensor is shifted by a small amount. These are subsequently merged into a 96 Mpixel image. *

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...

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contains a 47.3 Mpixel sensor. The High Resolution Mode shifts the imaging sensor by a small increments to obtain a sequence of 8 images that are subsequently merged into a 187 Mpixel image. *

Panasonic Lumix DC-S1H is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and changed its name to in 2008. In 20 ...

Panasonic Lumix DC-S5 is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and changed its name to in 2008. In 20 ...

Pentax

Pentax K-70 The Pentax K-70 is a 24 megapixel compact APS-C digital SLR camera announced by Ricoh on June 8, 2016. In contrast to the previously introduced APS-C flagship K-3 II, it includes a flash, flip-out display and built-in WiFi. In common with that cam ...

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contains a 24.3 Mpixel sensor. The pixel shift mode takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into an image sporting 'all color data in each pixel to deliver super-high-resolution images'. *

Pentax KP The Pentax KP is a 24 megapixel compact APS-C AA-filterless digital SLR camera announced by Ricoh on January 25, 2017. It features a PRIME IV image processor with an "image accelerator unit" that supports its operation up to ISO 819,200. It has ...

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contains a 24.3 Mpixel sensor. The pixel shift mode takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into an image sporting 'high-resolution images with more accurate colours and much finer details'. *

Pentax K-3 II The Pentax K-3 II was a flagship APS-C DSLR camera announced by Ricoh is a Japanese multinational imaging and electronics company. It was founded by the now-defunct commercial division of the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research ( ...

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contains a 24.3 Mpixel sensor. The pixel shift mode takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into an image sporting 'super-high-resolution images with far more truthful color reproduction and much finer details'. *

Pentax K-3 III The Pentax K-3 Mark III is a professional digital single-lens reflex camera released by Ricoh Imaging on 23 April 2021. It was developed as the flagship model of the Pentax APS-C Advanced Photo System type-C (APS-C) is an image sensor format a ...

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contains a 25.7 Mpixel sensor. The pixel shift mode takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into an image sporting 'a cancelling out of the Bayer pattern and removal of the need for sharpness-sapping demosaicing'. *

Pentax K-1 The Pentax K-1 is the first production Pentax full-frame digital SLR camera. As the flagship model of the Pentax K-mount system, it includes several new and improved features, including a five-axis SR II in-body image stabilization system, n ...

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contains a 36.4 Mpixel sensor. The pixel shift mode takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into an image sporting 'improved detail and colour resolution'. * Pentax K-1 II:
contains a 36.4 Mpixel sensor. The camera sports two pixel shift mode: (a) a series of 4 tripod-stabilised images shifted by 1 pixel each are subsequently combined into a 47.3 Mpixel image, (b) a series of images taken in handheld mode are combined into a 47.3 Mpixel image that is, within limits, able to cope even with moving subjects.

Sony

Sony α7R III The Sony α7R III (model ILCE-7RM3) is a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera manufactured by Sony. It was announced on 25 October 2017 as the successor to the Sony α7R II launched two years prior. The camera shares many features wi ...

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contains a 42.4 Mpixel sensor. The pixel shift mode takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into a 42.4 Mpixel image with improved tonal resolution. *

Sony α7R IV The Sony α7R IV (model ILCE-7RM4) is a full-frame mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera manufactured by Sony. It was announced on 16 July 2019 as the successor to the Sony α7R III launched two years prior. Image gallery File:Sony Alpha 7R I ...

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contains a 61 Mpixel sensor. The camera has two pixel shift modes, (a) the first takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into a 61 Mpixel image with improved tonal resolution, (b) the other takes a sequence of 16 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 0.5 pixel. These are subsequently merged into a 240 Mpixel image with both enhanced detail and improved tonal resolution. * Sony α1:
contains a 50 Mpixel sensor. The camera has two pixel shift modes, (a) the first takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into a 50 Mpixel image with improved tonal resolution, (b) the other takes a sequence of 16 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 0.5 pixel. These are subsequently merged into a 200 Mpixel image with both enhanced detail and improved tonal resolution.

Hasselblad

* Hasselblad H3DII:
the model H3DII-39 sports a 39 Mpixel sensor, the model H3DII-50 a 50 Mpixel sensor. Both enable a pixel shift mode which takes a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel. These are subsequently merged into a single image. * Hasselblad H4D series:
the model H4D-200MS contains a 50 Mpixel sensor. The sensor sports 3 different pixel shift modes which take (a) a sequence of 6 shots taken at slight offsets, (b) a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 1 pixel, (c) a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by 0.5 pixels. Images obtained by all three modes are subsequently merged into 200 Mpixel images. * Hasselblad H5D series:
both models H5D-50c MS and H5D-200c MS contain a 50 Mpixel sensor. This sensor sports 2 different pixel shift modes which take (a) a sequence of 6 shots with full and half pixel movements, (b) a sequence of 4 shots between which the sensor is shifted by exactly 1 pixel. Images obtained by both modes are subsequently merged into 200 Mpixel images. * Hasselblad H6D-400c MS:
the model H6D-400c contains a 100 Mpixel sensor. The camera provides two so called 'Multi-Shot modes', one that comprises a sequence of 4 shots, the other a total of 6 shots. Both involve moving the sensor by one pixel between shots to achieve real colour data for every pixel. The 6-shot Multi-Shot mode provides an additional two exposures, whereby the sensor is repositioned by 0.5 pixel horizontally and 0.5 pixel vertically. Four Multi-Shot images result in a 100 Mpixel image, a series of six Multi-Shot images is combined into a 400 Mpixel 16-bit TIFF image sporting a resolution of 23200 x 17400 pixels and sized at 2.4 GB.

JVC

*JVC GZ-HD3 *JVC GZ-HD7

References

Sources

* * {{cite web, url=https://www.digitalrev.com/article/is-pentax-pixel-shift-technology-any-good, title=Is Pentax's Pixel Shift Technology Worth Using?, publisher=DigitalRev, date= 16 May 2016, accessdate=2019-07-28 Digital photography Image processing