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March 8, 2007 10:48 PM PST

Jeepers! BetterLight's 416-megapixel camera

by Stephen Shankland
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LAS VEGAS--Maybe BetterLight's 384-megapixel Super 8K-HS scanning camera is just too wimpy for you.

Well, you're in luck, because the San Carlos, Calif.-based company announced a new high-end model, the Super 10K-HS, that offers 416-megapixel images.

The company's products are geared for professionals with demanding needs in areas such as landscape or catalog photography. The new Super 10K-HS, announced Thursday here at the Photo Marketing Association trade show, is intended in particular for reproducing artwork or museum artifacts such as scrolls.

BetterLight's 10K-HS camera back

BetterLight's 10K-HS camera back

(Credit: BetterLight)

Technically, BetterLight doesn't sell cameras, but rather camera "backs" that attach to high-end large-format cameras. The products are essentially scanners with a moving sensor element; taking a full-resolution photo takes a minimum of nearly two minutes. But you get a 794MB file that can provide 300 pixel-per-inch resolution for a poster measuring 34 by 45 inches, according to the company.

This kind of gear doesn't come cheap. The Super 10K-HS costs $22,995. The price difference compared to the $17,995 Super 8K-HS itself is larger than a high-end digital SLR such as Canon's new $4,000 EOS-1D Mark III.

Stephen Shankland writes about a wide range of technology and products, but has a particular focus on browsers and digital photography. He joined CNET News in 1998 and since then also has covered Google, Yahoo, servers, supercomputing, Linux and open-source software, and science. E-mail Stephen, or follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/stshank.
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four words:
by ZX3Junglist March 9, 2007 12:11 AM PST
ho. ly. sh. it.
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sorry, but this is bugging me...
by kyler March 9, 2007 7:11 AM PST
"scanning camera is just to wimpy for you."
it's "too wimpy"
Reply to this comment
whoops! thanks for catching that typo
by Shankland March 15, 2007 2:56 PM PDT
We've fixed that right up.
Holy Resolutions- Batman!
by japanga March 13, 2007 10:22 PM PDT
Having a resolution like that on a fashion or model shoot, there's nothing a photographer can see on a woman's skin. Just using Canon's EOS 1Ds Mk II can reveal things no woman wants a magazine to see. Photoshop CS2 was used to be discreet about it.
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