DIGIC


Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit is Canon Inc.'s name for a family of signal processing and control units for digital cameras and camcorders. DIGIC units are used as image processors by Canon in its own digital imaging products. Several generations of DIGICs exist, and are distinguished by a version number suffix.
Currently, DIGIC is implemented as an application-specific integrated circuit designed to perform high speed signal processing as well as the control operations in the product in which it has been incorporated. Over its numerous generations, DIGIC has evolved from a system involving a number of discrete integrated circuits to a single chip system, many of which are based around the ARM instruction set. [|Custom firmware] for these units has been developed to add features to the cameras.

DIGIC in cameras

Original DIGIC

The original DIGIC was used on the PowerShot G3, Canon S1 IS, A520, and other cameras. It consists of three separate chips: a video processing IC, an image processing IC and a camera control IC.

DIGIC II

DIGIC II is a single chip system introduced in 2004, unlike the first DIGIC, that allowed for more compact designs. DIGIC II also improved upon the original by adding a larger buffer and increasing processing speed. It has been used in some advanced consumer-level cameras and many digital SLRs such as Canon EOS 5D and Canon EOS 30D.
DIGIC II uses high-speed DDR-SDRAM, which improves startup time and AF performance. It can write to memory card at speeds up to 5.8 MB/sec. Additionally, Canon claims DIGIC II improves color, sharpness, and automatic white balance with its CMOS sensor in its digital SLR camera line.

DIGIC III

The DIGIC III Image Processor, introduced in 2006, was advertised to deliver improved image quality, faster operation and extended battery life compared to its predecessor. DIGIC III provides a faster interface to the SD memory card for the Canon PowerShot G7 and G9, SD750, SD800, SD850, SD900, SD 1000, A560, A570 IS, A590 IS, A650 IS, A720 IS, A495, EOS XS/1000D, EOS XSi/450D, EOS 40D, EOS 1D Mark III, EOS 1Ds Mark III, and S5 IS. It also provides higher resolution for their LCD screens. Additionally it has a 14-bit A to D converter providing greater bit depth than previous versions.

Scene-recognition

is a scene-recognition technology developed by Canon for digital cameras. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS also works with the DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Dual DIGIC III

The Canon EOS-1D Mark III uses dual DIGIC III processors to achieve a capture rate of 10 frames per second at 10.1 MP. The Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III also uses dual DIGIC III processors to achieve a capture rate of five frames per second at 21.1 MP.

DIGIC 4

In 2008, Canon introduced the DIGIC 4 processor, used by the EOS 1100D/Rebel T3, EOS 500D/Rebel T1i, EOS 550D/Rebel T2i, EOS 600D/Rebel T3i, EOS 50D, EOS 60D, EOS 1200D/Rebel T5, EOS 5D Mark II and EOS-1D X. It is also used in newer cameras in Canon's PowerShot lines.
Canon claims improvements such as:
  • Much faster image processing when compared to previous processors
  • Improved noise reduction in high-ISO images
  • Improved performance while handling larger 14-bit RAW images
  • Live Face Detection AF during Live View
  • H.264 1080p encoding.

    Dual DIGIC 4

Dual DIGIC 4 processors are used in the EOS 7D and EOS-1D Mark IV.

DIGIC 4+

This processor was introduced in 2014, replacing the DIGIC 5 in some mid-range compact cameras and later used in budget DSLRs such as EOS 1300D/Rebel T6, EOS 2000D/Rebel T7/EOS 1500D and the EOS 4000D/EOS 3000D/Rebel T100. Full specifications were not made available at introduction, but Canon claims a 60% speed improvement over the original DIGIC 4 on high ISO shots.

DIGIC 5

In 2011, Canon introduced the DIGIC 5. It is featured on Canon compact cameras like PowerShot SX40 HS to achieve a capture rate of 10.3 frames per second at full resolution in High-Speed Burst HQ, Full HD 1080p Videos and Intelligent Image Stabilization. Canon claims the new DIGIC 5 processor is six times faster than the DIGIC 4 processor and efficiently manages the increase in scene information and simultaneously reduces the appearance of image noise by up to 75%. According to Canon, DIGIC 5 analyses four times more image information to create each pixel, recording more detail and colour from a scene than ever before.
DIGIC 5 was co-designed with Texas Instruments and manufactured by TI through foundry partnership in Asia using 45 nm node technology fanned out by TI.
DIGIC 5 Is used in the EOS 650D/Rebel T4i/Kiss X6i, EOS 700D/Rebel T5i/Kiss X7i, Canon EOS M, and EOS 100D/Rebel SL1/Kiss X7, as well as PowerShot cameras such as the Canon PowerShot N, S100, S110, G15 and Canon PowerShot SX50 HS.

DIGIC 5+

DIGIC 5+ is an enhancement to the DIGIC 5 and DIGIC 4. The performance is said to be 17x the performance of the DIGIC 4. The additional processing power allows for higher frame rate in continuous shooting modes, and greater noise correction through the use of signal processing.
DIGIC 5+ is used in the EOS-1D X, EOS 6D, EOS 5D Mark III and the EOS 70D.

Dual DIGIC 5+

The EOS-1D X includes dual DIGIC 5+ processors, allowing for a capture rate of 12 frames per second in RAW + JPEG, and an additional DIGIC 4 processor specifically for its Intelligent Subject Analysis System.

DIGIC 6

Introduced in 2013, the DIGIC 6 image processor enables improved low-light performance up to ISO 6400, with reduced noise. In addition, it enables improved AF times and reduced lag over previous models. The improved performance allows for shots at up to 14 fps.
Further advancements attributed to DIGIC 6 can be experienced in movie mode, which records in MP4 format and doubles the frame-rate to 60 fps at 1080p. It also features reduced noise at 30 fps and improved image stabilization.
DIGIC 6 is used in EOS 750D/Rebel T6i, EOS 760D/Rebel T6s, EOS 80D, PowerShot G16, PowerShot N100, PowerShot S120, PowerShot SX270 HS, PowerShot SX280 HS, PowerShot SX60 HS, PowerShot SX700 HS, PowerShot SX710 HS and PowerShot SX720 HS.
In February 2014, Canon also released the compact Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark II. They released their newest compact mirrorless Canon EOS M3 in February 2015 and the Canon EOS M10 in October 2015, both also utilize internal WLAN 802.11b/g/n.

Dual DIGIC 6

The Canon EOS 7D Mark II includes dual DIGIC 6 processors, allowing for a capture rate of 10 frames per second in RAW + JPEG, and an additional DIGIC 6 processor specifically for its Intelligent Subject Analysis System. The Canon EOS 5DS and EOS 5DS R also use dual DIGIC 6 processors, with the capability to shoot up to five 50.6MP frames per second.

DIGIC 6+

The Canon EOS 5D Mark IV includes a DIGIC 6+ processor.

Dual DIGIC 6+

The Canon EOS-1D X Mark II includes dual DIGIC 6+ processors, allowing for a capture rate of 170 consecutive RAW images at 14 fps or 4K Video with up to 60 fps.

DIGIC 7

The DIGIC 7 processor was introduced in 2016 with the Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II the first Canon camera to include this feature.
Canon's next generation DIGIC 7 added substantially improved image processing power, enabling faster AF speeds and 8 fps RAW continuous shooting, and reducing noise to help users "capture the most fleeting of moments." For assured, responsive shooting, improved subject detection ensures the camera locks onto subjects even when saturation and contrast are low. The EOS-like Auto Lighting Optimizer also improved contrast by providing natural correction while maintaining balanced brightness and darkness.
The following cameras are used this processor:
The DIGIC 8 was introduced together with the Canon EOS M50 in February 2018. It can process 4K videos with up to 30 FPS using MPEG-4 with AVC/H.264 codec.
The new DIGIC 8 image processor has also contributed to an enhanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF system. The system can now display more AF points, and covers a larger AF area when a compatible lens is attached. This contributes to improved AF capability and tracking performance.
Cameras using this processor include:
The DIGIC X was introduced together with the 1D X Mark III in February 2020. It can process 4k videos with up to 120fps. The new performance and image quality-based improvements include:
  • Improved noise-reduction processing.
  • Sharpness-based image processing.
  • Dedicated sections of the processor for specific Dual Pixel CMOS AF tasks, and for subject detection.
  • Image processing performance up to approximately 3.1× faster than two DIGIC 6+ processors.
  • Continuous processing speeds up to approximately 380× faster than two DIGIC 6+ processors.
  • A significant reduction in power consumption against previous Dual DIGIC 6+ processors.
Cameras using this processor include: