iXM-GS120 imaging product

The Phase One iXM-GS120 is a 120-megapixel medium-format aerial camera with a CMOS global-shutter sensor, made by Phase One for geospatial payloads on drones and crewed aircraft. It is supplied as a camera body for use with the maker's RS and RSM lenses and is designed to fit pods and gimbals with limited space.

The sensor has 12,768 by 9,564 pixels with a 3.45 micrometre pixel size and a sensor size of 43.9 mm by 32.9 mm, in a 4:3 aspect ratio. It is offered in RGB and achromatic versions, with light sensitivity of ISO 200 for RGB and ISO 800 for achromatic, and a dynamic range of 80 dB. With an electronic global shutter every pixel is exposed at the same moment, which avoids the distortion that a rolling shutter introduces on a moving platform. Exposure time can be set as short as 1/16,000 s, which limits motion blur when flying low and fast. The shutter can also be mechanical, leaf or electronic, and the maker quotes a continuous frame rate of up to 2 fps with previews.

For integration, the camera weighs 647 g without the lens and measures 90 x 90 x 67 mm, with four M4 threads for mounting. Image data leave over 10G Ethernet, fibre or copper, or over USB 3, and an HDMI output provides a 1,920 x 1,080 preview. Hardware inputs are trigger and black reference, and outputs are camera ready and MEP. Control uses the Phase One SDK or MAVLink. Internal storage is a CFexpress card up to 1 TB. When several cameras are installed together, the synchronisation speed is 50 microseconds, which supports multi-camera arrays for mapping and oblique imaging. The camera uses the Phase One RSM and RS lens mounts, with focal lengths from 35 mm to 300 mm in the supported range.

Operating conditions are -10 to 40 degrees C and 15 to 80 percent relative humidity, non-condensing. Weather protection is rated IP53. The approvals listed are FCC Class A, CE and RoHS. Raw files use the IIQ format, which the maker's iX Process software reads for radiometric adjustment and photogrammetry.

Typical applications are photogrammetric mapping, corridor and infrastructure inspection, and surveying where fine detail from a high altitude is needed, together with other missions that need sharp stills of fast-moving scenes.