Sony Unveils IMX928: A Large Format Global Shutter Sensor Built for Speed

By BlockReel DAO Gear, Technology January 15, 2026

Sony Unveils IMX928: A Large Format Global Shutter Sensor Built for Speed

Sony has unveiled the IMX928, a new large format global shutter image sensor, as detailed in a technical flyer published on their semiconductor website on January 13, 2026. While positioned for industrial and machine vision applications, the sensor's specifications immediately signal its potential impact on high-end cinema camera development, offering a blend of large format imaging, high resolution, and unprecedented global shutter speeds.

Key Specifications of the IMX928

The IMX928 is a Type 2.0 optical format sensor with a 31.9mm diagonal, placing it firmly in the large format category, just shy of full-frame. It boasts 8280 × 8280 effective pixels, equating to approximately 68.5 megapixels. (Sony lists 8256 × 8256 active pixels and 8248 × 8248 recommended recording pixels, but 8280 × 8280 is the effective pixel count.) Crucially, it features true global shutter operation, leveraging Sony's Pregius S stacked architecture to eliminate rolling shutter artifacts entirely.

Speed is a hallmark of this new sensor. At full resolution, the IMX928 is capable of achieving 138.9 frames per second (fps) at 8-bit, 126.8 fps at 10-bit, and 90.6 fps at 12-bit. For applications demanding even higher frame rates, it can deliver over 270 fps in a half-resolution subsampling mode. Each pixel measures 2.74 micrometers. Data output is handled via a high-bandwidth SLVS EC interface, configurable in up to dual 8-lane setups, with each lane pushing 12.474 Gbps.

Price and Availability

As of this announcement, pricing for the Sony IMX928 sensor has not been released. Similarly, official availability dates for commercial use are currently unavailable. The sensor is framed within Sony's industrial imaging division, and as such, it is not being marketed as a direct cinema camera component at this stage.

Competitive Context and Architectural Significance

The IMX928's arrival underscores a clear trend in sensor manufacturing: the push for large format imaging with global shutter technology. Historically, this combination has been challenging due to the engineering complexities of maintaining light sensitivity and dynamic range while reading out all pixels simultaneously. Older global shutter implementations, such as those found in some older digital cinema cameras, often came with compromises in noise performance or overall image quality compared to their rolling shutter counterparts.

Sony's Pregius S stacked architecture, first seen in industrial sensors and making its way into products like the RED KOMODO-X, directly addresses these limitations. By placing signal processing circuitry beneath the photodiode layer, Sony aims to reduce the performance gap between rolling and global shutter designs. The IMX928, with its 68.5-megapixel resolution and Type 2.0 format, represents a significant leap forward for this technology, demonstrating what's now feasible.

Compared to current large format cinema sensors like ARRI's ALEXA 35 (Super 35 with global shutter-like clean motion) or Canon's C700 FF (rolling shutter), the IMX928 offers a true global shutter in a nearly full-frame size with exceptional resolution and speed. While dedicated cinema cameras utilizing this specific sensor design don't yet exist, its technical achievements set a new benchmark. It surpasses the resolution and frame-rate combinations of existing high-end cinema cameras such as the Sony Venice 2 (8.6K and 6K rolling shutter sensors) or Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K, which rely on rolling shutter designs. This sensor suggests a future where high-resolution, large format, and true global shutter won't necessitate a sacrifice in frame rate, a shift we analyzed in our look at the 2025 cameras signaling a new era for filmmaking tech.

Who It's For: Implications for Future Production Workflows

While not a camera announcement, the IMX928 gives us a glimpse into the next generation of cinema imaging. This sensor's capabilities would be invaluable for productions requiring:

* Action-oriented cinematography: The true global shutter eliminates visual artifacts like jello effect or skewed vertical lines often seen with fast camera movement or rapidly moving objects, critical for VFX plates or high-action sequences. * High-speed capture without compromise: The ability to shoot at over 90 fps at 12-bit at full 68.5-megapixel resolution, or over 270 fps in subsampling mode, with global shutter, opens up possibilities for slow-motion sequences that are visually pristine regardless of motion. * VFX and Virtual Production: The square aspect ratio and extremely high resolution provide immense flexibility for reframing, digital pan-and-scan, and extraction of multiple aspect ratios from a single take. This overscan capability is incredibly useful for LED wall volumes or compositing work, where consistency in motion rendition is paramount. For a deeper dive into current virtual production pipelines, see our complete guide to AI and virtual production. * Future-proofing content: Shooting at such a high resolution and with a clean motion profile ensures deliverables that can be adapted for various distribution platforms, from cinema screens to vertical social media formats, all from the same source material.

The 2.74-micrometer pixel size, combined with the Pregius S architecture, promises a balance of resolution and sensitivity that could lead to cleaner images, even under challenging lighting. The specified chief ray angle target of 6 degrees at full image height also indicates thoughtful design for optical compatibility, reducing vignetting and color shifts with high-quality large format cinema lenses.

Expert Take

This announcement, while initially targeting industrial machine vision, is a significant technical milestone that cannot be overlooked by the cinema industry. As someone who's spent years in DIT carts and working with camera teams trying to manage rolling shutter issues or demanding clean, high-frame-rate output, the IMX928's specifications are genuinely exciting.

Sony's strategy of releasing groundbreaking sensor technology in the industrial space before migrating it to cinema is a common one. The IMX928 strengthens the narrative established by the earlier IMX927 (Sony's large format 10K global shutter sensor) that Sony is heavily invested in bringing global shutter to large formats and high resolutions. It suggests that the engineering hurdles that historically made large format global shutter a high-compromise proposition are rapidly being overcome.

The bandwidth requirements of the SLVS EC interface highlight that camera manufacturers will need to integrate equally robust processing and recording solutions to harness this sensor's full potential. But what it confirms is simple: the dream of a true large format, high-resolution, high-frame-rate, global shutter cinema camera is not just feasible, it's becoming inevitable. This will significantly impact discussions around camera acquisitions and rental packages in the coming years.

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