This is way beyond current HDR. 29.2 stops means you need at least 30 bits per pixel per color to represent the full range. As the article says, the current state of the art for mass-market cameras is on the order of 16 bits of precision.
Dynamic range improvements like this would be great for astronomy, where you want to leave the shutter open for a very long time (10s of minutes or hours) but don’t want excess charge from bright sources to bleed electrons all over the image.
Astronomers are often ahead of the imaging curve (they have been experimenting with backside illumination, stacked CMOS and curved sensors since the 90s). But I didn’t see this one coming in advance. Have any of you astronomers been following this kind of technology?
Originally shared by Christian Dolan
“29.2 stops! Great Scott!”
http://gizmodo.com/new-image-sensor-tech-captures-better-photos-by-ditchin-512644651