Who produces sensors (matrices) for Nikon cameras?

Image Sensor Matrix (Nikon D600)

Image Sensor (Sensor) Nikon D600 (photo via kenrockwell.com)

It's no secret that many sensors for Nikon cameras Designed and manufactured by Sony. Nikon simply buys ready-made sensor chips from Sony.

Nikon is also involved in creating sensors for its cameras, but mostly the company is only designing its own sensors, and it’s hard to say exactly where they are produced. Most likely, the companies themselves were engaged in the manufacture / refinement of the sensors. Renesas (presumably all sensors that start with 'NC'), Sony, Matsushita (actually the same Panasonic) and towerjazz.

Several cameras are made on production sensors Toshiba. After Sony has absorbed Toshiba, Toshiba is indicated, and Sony is shown in brackets.

It should also be mentioned that the development of the unusual JFET-LBCAST sensor for cameras Nikon D2HThe D2Hs is wholly owned by Nikon. Therefore, it is not necessary to unequivocally state that Nikon does nothing herself :).

The table below indicates who developed / manufactured the sensor.

Attention: the data in the label may not correspond to reality, since it is very difficult to find the version of the sensor that is used in a particular camera. I tried to make the most correct / true table, if I made a mistake somewhere, please write this in the comments and be sure to offer a confirmation link.

sensor Camera Models
Nikon NC81338L (CMOS) D3, D700 (the sensors themselves from Matsushita?)
Nikon NC81361A (CMOS) D3s (the sensor itself from Matsushita?)
Nikon NC81362A (CMOS) D3100
Nikon NC81369R (CMOS) D3200
Nikon NC81366W (CMOS) D4, D4s, Df
Nikon JFET-LBCAST (LBCAST) D2h, D2hs
Sony IMX-007-AQ (CMOS) D2x, D2xs
Sony IMX-071 (CMOS) D7000, D5100
Sony IMX-094-AQP (CMOS) D800,D800E, D810,D810a
Sony IMX-021-BQR (CMOS) D300
Sony IMX-038-BQL (CMOS) D90, D5000, D300s (?)
Sony IMX-128- (L) -AQP (CMOS) D600, D610, D750
Sony IMX-028 (CMOS) D3x
Sony ICX-453-AQ (CCD) D40, D50, D70, D70s
Sony ICX-493-AQA (CCD) D40x, D60, D80, D3000
Sony ICX-483-AQA (CCD) D200
Sony ICX-413-AQ (CCD) D100
Sony IMX-193-AQK (CMOS) D7200 (?), D5300, D5500, D5600, D3300, D3400, D3500
Sony (model name unknown) (CCD) D1, D1h
Sony (model name unknown) (special 'rectangular' CCD) D1x
Toshiba HEZ1 TOS-5105 (CMOS) D5200, D7100
Toshiba (Sony) T4K54 (CMOS) D5, D6 (?)
Sony IMX-321 (CMOS) D500, D7500
Sony IMX-309-AQJ (backside illumination CMOS) D850 (sensor itself from Towerjazz?)
Sony IMX-309-BQJ (backside illumination CMOS) Nikon Z7, Z7 II (similar to IMX-309-AQJ)
Sony Nikon Z6, Z6 II, Z5 (similar to IMX-128)
Sony? (stacked backside-illuminated CMOS)
Nikon z9
Sony? (similar to IMX-321)
Nikon z50, Zfc

I want to note that the sensor itself is the basis for a high-quality image, but at the hardware level there are many more important parts, such as the ADC width, processor capabilities and much more, that form the final image.

My experience

Personally, I absolutely do not care what is in the camera, as long as it works well and performs the necessary tasks. I absolutely do not care who or where these or those sensors are made. The plate I made was created more for the sake of interest. Of course, I would like Nikon to make its own sensors, since this is the heart of a modern camera, and Nikon knows the point in quality things. And what will happen if Sony stops supplying / selling its sensors for Nikon?

I also want to note that Sony manufactures / sells its sensors not only for Nikon, but also manufactures cameras based on its sensors, and many Pentax cameras (and with it Samsung) also use Sony sensors.

Leave your thoughts on the sensitive topic of sensors in the comments.

Comments on this post do not require registration. Anyone can leave a comment.

Material prepared Arkady Shapoval.

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Comments: 194, on the topic: Who produces sensors (matrices) for Nikon cameras?

  • Oleg

    small misspelling at the end of the table - UNKNOW (n) / Unknown

  • Gene jb

    I remember at one time Sony tried to promote SonyEricsson camera phones. Starting with K750 and ending with C905. At that time, I was engaged in the repair of cameras and I was struck by the size of the camera module, which was at least 4 times larger than the cameras of other phones and most likely soap boxes of that time. Not to say that they filmed by modern standards, they are good, but it was a breakthrough. Now this is no longer there and no one will deliver a module 2 centimeters thick.

    But on the other hand, in my opinion, only Canon uses matrices with built-in phase focusing, which allows you to shoot normally video in the machine. NEX also has it, but somehow incomplete, with crutches.

    • Oleg

      I apologize, I would like to ask you a question as a specialist. The other day I bought a Nikon D3, bribed the price, but the seller immediately clarified that there is a scratch on the matrix, which supposedly does not affect the quality of the pictures. This is my first SLR, and, accordingly, obsessive thoughts haunt me. I wanted to ask you if there is a protective film on the D3 matrix, maybe a scratch on it and not on the sensor itself, can the matrix in this state work fully, or should I think about replacing it? Regards, Oleg.

  • Peter Sh.

    Matrix-shmatrix. I have an ancient Nikon FE (by the way, because of the “cast iron” body it looks fresher than everything else) - I like to shake the old things with it sometimes - that's how my family calls it “a real camera”!
    Like this))

    • Nicholas

      Once I was walking with my daughter, and I had Nikon D200 with me. The lady clung to it, - “and you are prof. photographer, I want to come to an agreement with you .. "I tell her why you have such guesses, she says -" you have such a big camera ... "in short, I understood everything, and said that I do not do photography as a professional.

  • varganshik

    Yeah, only dormouse twists the colors for everyone (Nikon - Zelenit), and leaves normal for itself =))

    • Nicholas

      Each company deals with signal processing independently, and all algorithms for obtaining an image are a secret ... therefore, greening and yellowing are the chips of manufacturers. Although, as practice shows, the color is still very strongly influenced by the lens.

  • hedgehog

    I am a resident of the Middle Lane and in August of this year I was faced with the fact that the black lens on my carcass simply refused to focus where necessary. Despite the fact that it is adjusted and in any other conditions (frost, normal temperature, moisture, etc.) it does not miss the focus. And in the heat at 32, he overheated. really overheated. As soon as it was cooled in a bag and a shade, the focus hit right on target. The next day I rented an Elka 2.8 from a friend, so ... ... not a single miss, the body is heated, but not as the blackie was warming up a day ago. and it was even hotter. it still makes sense in the coloring of such lenses. As in the release of protective shades, when you chase the beast in the bushes, and birds or roe deer see something black or white and only hooves sparkle or feathers fly. Disguise is also important.

    • Yarkiya

      Do not invent fables, I generally live in Africa, and when I go out into the desert, then from morning to evening I am there at a temperature of up to 45 degrees in the sun. None of my lenses ever gave me a reason to even think about the temperature rise. Yes, I agree, the old iron lenses do not feel anything at all, and professional ones too, but there are also modern, ordinary plastic, but they are always at work and spit on the heat and all black ones.

      I would not like to start stupid disputes again on the topic - "whose firm is cooler", but maybe this is precisely the point, and I do not have a canon.

      • Peter Sh.

        Exactly. It was not easy for me this summer to enter the desert for three days. Nothing has ever overheated. He shot in batches all the time, about a thousand shots a day.
        I’ll say that you’ll have enough heat stroke rather than something to fail.

      • Alexey

        as soon as the laws of physics are canceled, so immediately white will heat up like black. )))
        but not before. )))
        I don’t know about you, but in our country white reflects significantly more sunlight than black, due to which it heats up much less)))

        further - horror - physics again. at a temperature of about 40C in the shade, a black object in the sun heats up to 70-80C. this temperature is of course not only superficial)))
        and heat is not provided for the lens at all. leading to overheating of the lens.

        Here is what a pro who works in Africa writes, he recommends wearing / covering black lenses with a reflector:
        This will reduce the camera's chance of overheating since most camera bodies are colored sunlight-sucking black.

        • anonym

          Tanks, you know, anyway, by what laws of physics the asphalt laid

          • Alexey

            tanks can and anyway)))
            but about the lenses and carcasses, not sure. ask at least in the service of nikon at least kenon whether the temperature is 70-80С (heating in the sun at a temperature in the shade of 40-45С)
            working for lenses and carcases of these brands.

      • Nicholas

        Why are you so categorical, maybe a man’s marriage.

    • anonym

      Yeah, let's paint the carcasses with white paint so that they don't overheat and with protective paint, so that the deer, God forbid, does not run away, the female is half pink, someone is blue ... ..

      • Arkady Shapoval

        No need to paint, they are already white

      • BB

        Or like this

  • Alexander

    Here is a wonderful resource dxomark.com everything is clearly painted out which camera and lens should be taken and why all these disputes) Maybe someone thinks that this site was bought by someone?)

    • Peter Sh.

      This site is a vivid example of how blacksmiths advise artists with what colors it is better to paint their daub. Smeared paint on a white wall and they say they say here, it’s obvious zhezh! But the cockroaches in the heads of geniuses do not want to agree in any way, you go. You see, if not mentally it turns out.

    • Alexey

      read carefully what and how dxomark.com is testing
      and why the dynamic range in reality of kenon matrices does not differ from 2.7EV with sony matrices, unlike dxomark.com laboratory tests.
      how dxomark.com tests color and why in reality low-priced cameras on dxomark.com are so popular with real pros.
      dxomark.com carcass testing methodology is very ambiguous, so other sites use different methods.
      Once again, dxomark.com does a great job, its tests are quite correct, but you need to clearly understand WHAT and HOW it is tested.

      • Alexander

        I carefully watch how the dxomark website tests the cameras, look at the graphics, all the numbers, and I think that everything agrees in terms of dynamic range and color, and the pros choose the camera not only based on the technical superiority of the resulting photo, but also based on the ergonomics of the camera, as well as on the basis of which lenses a particular manufacturer offers in terms of speed and focus accuracy, for example, each photographer has his own tasks and on the basis of them he chooses what he needs. And DXomark helps you quickly find that middle ground for the photographer, without wasting time and money on trying a bunch of lenses.

        • Alexey

          does not converge. if only because dxomark measures not quite dynamic range. read the dxomark measurement technique.
          “First off, Dynamic Range as defined by DXO is officially the ratio between the saturation point and the RMS of read noise. That is different than the ratio between the brightest pixels and the darkest pixels that contain image data… it is actually possible for useful image data and read noise to be interleaved, especially with a Canon sensor (which does not clip negative signal info like Nikon does .) "
          because the real gap between kenon and sony matrices is about 1.7EV and not 2.7EV.
          here's another
          https://photographylife.com/nikon-vs-canon-dynamic-range
          pay attention - the Sony matrix is ​​better, but the difference appears only when the shadows are -5EB !!! )))
          the color also does not match - for many reasons, including the harness and the notorious skin tone. a vivid example - D800 by dxomark well, just super duper in color, in reality, the color there is sad. google for “Whose skin tone is better than the Canon 5D Mark 3 or Nikon D750? Another comparison "

    • Annatoly

      Relative to the dhomark, trust completely disappeared when I saw that they themselves were confused in their tests, articles, etc.
      When they Nikon D5200 announced that there is the same matrix as the D3200
      I suspect the rest of their "tests" are the same in terms of reliability

  • Andy Le Sauce

    The best matrix is ​​“film” on a film camera))) And although 90% of my photographs are “digital”, at the slightest opportunity I shoot on medium format film.
    And I'm deeply convinced that engineers and marketers simply don't understand what photographers need; do not understand that megapixels are not the only matrix parameter, that color rendition and image flexibility are also very important.

    • Anatoly

      Where did you buy the film?
      I ran - looked for - the only place I found - only on OLX did people sell films and paper from some other 80s years.

      • BB

        In special stores. Of course, the assortment is now small.

      • anonym

        Take a look at the photo fund. Of course, there is no special assortment there, but there is always a fresh film

  • Peter Sh.

    A thought occurred to me here.
    But what if the matrix is ​​attached / glued directly to the rear lens of the lens? Leave system amplifiers and other signal processing signals in the carcass. Behind the lens, make a connector with some pimpled contacts. Yes, lenses will become more expensive, but how many possibilities will open.

    • Jury

      several contacts are now suitable for the lens from the carcass, and so there will be several tens or hundreds. What connector is needed for this? And electricity is the science of contacts, the more contacts that are constantly disconnected, the worse, because more likely to get one of two problems - there is contact where it is not necessary and there is no contact where it is necessary :)

      • Andy Le Sauce

        Instead of a connector, it is possible to put wi-fi.

        • BB

          uh, will you also power the lens through the air? Or will we also put a separate battery in the lens? Then the carcass can not be removed from the trunk at all ...

          Can you imagine the flow rate between the matrix and the processor? Even the average 5fps, 24 megapixels, how much does uncompressed RAW weigh? This volume must be transmitted in a maximum of 0,1 s, in addition to service signals, and say wifi 150 Mbit / s - this is only 18,7 Megabytes per second, and in both directions, what will be the burst shooting speed? And the reliability with a wireless connection immediately drops significantly.

    • BB

      Lenses will be priced at a whale kit. The carcass will not fall in price, it will cost like a mirrorless mirror. I don’t see the point.
      Maybe I don’t understand something, what could be the advantages of such a combination?

      Better just - a replaceable matrix on the device. I wanted to - put a CCD, I wanted to put CMOS at 6MP with a working Iso 200'000, I need a photo on a billboard - put 50MP. Yes, and so that the 'RAM' could be delivered: there is not enough buffer for 10 frames - I added another 2-gig bar ...
      Oh, dreams))

      • Michael

        Almost Kodak cameras ...

  • Peter Sh.

    I’ll add, of course, not to existing lenses. It will be necessary to develop new ones.

    • Andy Le Sauce

      Replaceable dies - tempting. But .. Universal things always lose to highly specialized ones.

  • Peter Sh.

    This wild thought occurred to me when I read about Zeiss’s new AF lenses for mirrorless cameras. In particular, it was said that extreme sharpness, contrast and everything else were obtained by bringing the rear lens closer to the matrix. So I thought, what if the matrix is ​​inserted into the lens.
    - If it is glued to the rear lens, then one extra reflective surface is removed. Those. there was glass / air + air / glass, but there was glass / glass (or some kind of plastic).
    - Matrix will always be clean, problem of dust, oil, etc. polluting the matrix will disappear.
    - The matrix can be carried back and forth together with the lens in the lens when focusing and zooming.
    - The complexity of the design does not matter when the focal length is reduced. Those. take and add to the last rear lens of the existing lens one more lens, for example, aspherical with a glued matrix, and place it at the required distance in the lens. As an option. But it will be easier to come up with a new one, with the focal plane on the second surface of the rear lens (and, accordingly, on the glued matrix). Thus, again, we get optimal sharpness, and everything else, because no more air space between them.
    - The matrix can already be sharpened for each lens, for all its specific aberrations and features. For example, make it concave, under the non-planar surface of the lens.
    - There was something else, but I already managed to forget ...

    As for the connector for connecting with the carcass, you can think of something, for example, a kind of ZIF connector.

    The price will be different, yes. But not twice. There will be one electronics in the carcass, but this is not at all the same as a mirrorless mirror.

    In general, I wanted to dream up. It may not be what, but you still need to fantasize.

    • BB

      'The sensor will always be clean' - yes, minus one gap, but then the problem of dust in the lens will be more acute. And if, nevertheless, dust gets on the matrix, then the user will definitely not clean it on his own. Those. a double-edged sword.

      'The matrix can be carried back and forth together with the lens in the lens ...' - some devices with non-replaceable optics do this, the idea is not new)

      "The matrix can already be sharpened for each lens ..." - how many types of matrices will need to be stamped? Too much variety is not technological.

      There are many contacts on the matrix, and the contact must be reliable, because the transmission speed is quite high, and the flowing current is small.

      In general, IMHO, at the current stage of development of photographic equipment, this is irrelevant. In addition to the fact that it needs to be developed, then it must also be able to sell. And crowding out the existing arsenal of DSLRs and mirrorless mirrors with their optics fleet will be awful.

      Creating a device with a removable matrix will be easier: take some successful device as the base, a couple of matrixes of its format, push the matrices into the case, come up with a quick change system (ideally like replacing an SD card); mount we don’t touch, optics park too. The matrix switching problem here also remains, as well as the nuances of the matrix positioning relative to the apparatus and the optical axis.

      • Peter Sh.

        Well, we still try to think conceptually. Here you need to develop the idea, closing your eyes to some subtleties. It is clear that now no one will do this. But as a concept, why not dream.

        So. The matrix in the lens is still not stuck anywhere. It can be moved to focus and zoom, with an almost unlimited stroke. What they are doing now in cameras with non-replaceable optics is something similar, but not on such a scale.
        Because focusing exclusively or predominantly by the matrix, the lens mechanics is greatly simplified. AF speed and accuracy are improved. Accordingly, the optical scheme is also simplified - there is no need to make separate lens units movable. The same thing happens with zoom lenses. The size of the lens is also significantly reduced. Thus, the cost savings will cover not one, but three matrices.
        In addition, you do not need to snap to one standard size.

        As for the contacts - I know for sure, believe me - you can make reliable connectors. This is already quite real even now. The same is true with a replaceable matrix, both the contacts and the precise fixing mechanism are not at all very difficult to do.

        As for the dust in the lens, the same thing, now there are dustproof / waterproof lenses.

        • anonym

          And will you also put a shutter mechanism on the lens?
          Why are shutter curtains for a digital sensor? - In order to identify residual charges on pixels and set to zero, so to speak, to the original position.
          There is no shutter on the soap dishes, because of this the noise is unpleasant.

      • Gene jb

        In general, such designers have long been in the professional segment. take the hassel. there the back has changed and another matrix.

  • Michael

    The glued matrix will also save us from the mirror)))) In general, Sonya did a similar thing (naturally, no one glued the matrix). prices for such a lens started at $ 500 (sort of). The matrix is ​​like a soap dish, and the price is like FF. True, in this situation, nothing remains in the carcass. The mirror was thrown out, the matrix too, focusing and exposure meter there too ...
    - And why then the carcass? The Japanese thought ... and made a lens for the iPhone ...
    Peter, I'm sorry if I offended you. Conceptually, the idea is interesting, but dragging the loops into the fotik is irrational - it is better to put the percent nearby and send the digitized data over the network. For this, less contacts are needed.
    In, I found the link: http://mediapure.ru/novosti/umnye-obektivy-sony-dlya-smartfonov/

  • Nicholas

    Arkady! Are the sensors on the d5300 and d7100 not the same? After all, in the review you have about it, because there is no low-pass filter on the d7100. and on the d5200 there are. And in table 7100 along with 5200

    • Anatoly

      Of course not the same
      Only the D7100 and D5200 are the same.
      The sensors of the D5200 and D5300 are different (D5200 and D7100 are Toshiba, D5300 seems to be Sony. He is the D5500 and most likely he is the D7200)

      • Alexey

        as far as I remember, Sonya and Toshiba use one of those processes and Toshiba made these sensors using Sonev technology, i.e. They are no different from Sony sensors.
        and it seems like recently, Sonya finally bought out Toshibov’s sensor production lines.

  • Alexander

    I have repeatedly compared RAW files with the Nikon D800 and D810.
    There cannot be the same matrix.
    They transmit red in different ways, the sharpness is different, and so on.

  • orenkomp.ru

    The D700 fits perfectly in underwater boxes for low-cost cameras such as Ewa Marine UA, which, coupled with an FX sensor, makes it a very attractive underwater camera.

  • Primary

    Ideal for photographing thunderstorms and fireworks. You set the number of frames and the interval between them, press the start and go to rest. The camera does everything else.

  • Hsien

    Interestingly - in the D40 and D50 cameras, according to this table, there seems to be the same Sony ICX-453-AQ matrix, but the pictures are noticeably different - why?

    • Valery A.

      Are different? Any examples?

    • Lynx

      Body kit and signal processing from it

  • Hsien

    Unfortunately, there are no examples, I focus on the numerous reviews of the owners of the D40 and D50, which recognize the superiority of the D40 images.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      In the D40 review, I indicated the reasons.

      • Hsien

        This is probably it -

        >… Unlike Nikon D70, D70s, D50 and D100 the Nikon D40
        > - the only one that uses a more modern image processor (processor)>, similar to the processor (processor) in Nikon D200 and D80 cameras.

        Does this 'modern processor' only affect JPEG, or RAW too?

  • Oleg

    On the Chipworks website I found this: Device Essentials Image Set and Summary of the Toshiba DKAO image sensor extracted from the Nikon D7200 camera.
    SKU: DEF-1506-801
    But the Toshiba plant was bought by Sony. And it began.
    September 15, 2016, on Thursday bought a Nikon D7200 camera. In the morning on a normal monitor, I examined 5 dead pixels. He turned to Nikon-Ukraine. The answer is hand over to the service. In Ukraine, only receiving and sending. There are 2 services in Kiev. How many ph will ride around the country and lie in the service? And at whose expense ??? At least a month. Karochi,% oops full.

    • Jury

      return back to the seller, is there 14 days for this, or did you buy a new one?

      • Oleg

        new. The seller is still adequate. says that a new body is coming from Kiev. Monday will be clear. outraged by the position of Nikon.

      • Oleg

        ... the position of Nikon, who first released such a guano, and now launches me into open space. and yet, my personal observation after all this. the technique brought to us from America-Canada is of much higher quality than the official "white" slag brought to us.

        • Jury

          No, Nikon with the same camera problems all over the world does, I checked it myself. But in Ukraine, there’s simply no Nikon service, I made this conclusion after two attempts to contact the organizations that Nikon is trying to pass off as his service.

          • Oleg

            This is what infuriates. Instead of posting fur seals on their Facebook page every day, they would organize a intelligible service.

      • Oleg

        in the D5 and D500 positions, you can add: Toshiba (Sony) T4K54 CMOS Image Sensor from Nikon D5 Device Essentials Image Set and Summary DEF-1605-801

        And in the article you do not mention Renesas, who made matrices for D3, D700, D3S, D3100, D3200, D4

  • Oleg

    forgive me the photo community, here in these places, in all the photos, for all shooting parameters (ISO, shutter speed, aperture, lighting conditions and time of day) this tripper is located.

  • Oleg

    Here is this sore close-up. So it goes.

    • Oleg

      in general 2 days I have something to do, I'm now a catcher of broken pixels)))

  • Oleg

    Good evening!
    You can add to the D5 and D500 positions: Toshiba (Sony) T4K54 CMOS Image Sensor from Nikon D5 Device Essentials Image Set and Summary DEF-1605-801

    And in the article you do not mention Renesas, who made matrices for D3, D700, D3S, D3100, D3200, D4

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Thanks. Actually mentioned. for Nikon D500 this can not be added, because in d5 and d500 are not the same T4K54

      • Oleg

        Sorry, you're right. Meant to add to the table

  • Oleg

    My story has a sequel. When buying a device, ALWAYS check the devices very carefully. bring laptops, friends, comrades who will help to test the camera. This is it. Well, the official answer is Nikon-Ukraine.
    "" Good afternoon! The presence of "broken" pixels is not a defect and, accordingly, the camera cannot be replaced. If the service center determines that the pixels are “broken” according to Nikon's criteria, they will make you a software procedure for correcting the “broken” pixels under warranty.
    Here are the addresses of regional service points, shipping to Kiev is free…. ””

    • Jury

      The most annoying thing is that this procedure takes very little time and only needs a service software for a camera, which Nikon carefully hides and fights against its spread on the Internet, again, it is not clear why. With such problems with new cameras and such a “branched out” service network, on the contrary, it should be distributed free of charge, having cut down to one function - matrix remapping. By the way, look, maybe someone has posted software under 7200, but if not, just return the camera to the seller, within 14 days it can be done just like that - changed his mind about buying, didn't like it, etc.

  • anonym

    Thanks! Great nameplate for choosing an optional camera

  • Paul

    All it's clear :-D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whZGDpAZiSI&t=635s

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