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Jeepers! BetterLight's 416-megapixel camera

BetterLight's high-end large-format camera back, with 416-megapixel resolution, is now available.

Stephen Shankland Former Principal Writer
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Expertise Processors, semiconductors, web browsers, quantum computing, supercomputers, AI, 3D printing, drones, computer science, physics, programming, materials science, USB, UWB, Android, digital photography, science. Credentials
  • Shankland covered the tech industry for more than 25 years and was a science writer for five years before that. He has deep expertise in microprocessors, digital photography, computer hardware and software, internet standards, web technology, and more.
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Stephen Shankland

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 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.